Fanfiction link:
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10967589/16/So...-of-the-HuntersChapter 15: A Leaps and bounds "Ha! I bet that they won't find us here!"
Littlefoot watched as Datum and his friends ran up the stream. Splashes followed them as the water covered their tracks in a way that nothing else could. This made the fastbiter smile. The pack had used the same trick when they hid from Screech and Thud during their evacuation from the valley so long ago.
"Looks like my trick is still being used."
Littlefoot looked up at the massive sharptooth, "It certainly looks like it."
Chomper snorted as Charger and Datum tried to fit Sauria into a hollowed out log. The little threehorn eventually settled on ramming the longneck, which finally pushed her fully inside. The muffled scream indicated that she was not pleased with his solution to the problem.
"I hope that all of the leaf-eater aren't that smart! Otherwise we will soon go hungry!"
Littlefoot laughed at Chomper's cantankerous tone. He was becoming more and more like his father every day.
"I don't think it will come to that. It seems that these are our replacements of sorts in the valley," Littlefoot noted in a nostalgic tone.
Chomper rolled his eyes, "Then should we expect to see them several more times? I don't look forward to meeting the same fate of those sharpteeth who missed with us!"
The pair watched Datum and Charger disappear into the vines on the other side of the stream. Had both of them not seen the trio take their positions in the last few minutes then they would have had no idea that leaf-eaters were nearby. Undoubtedly the pack's children would be out soon in order to 'hunt' for the leaf-eaters. Littlefoot had told the leaf-eaters that this was a 'game', but it was obvious to the parents that this was also 'practice' for the young fastbiters and flyers.
When else where they going to have willing leaf-eaters to use for tracking practice?
"Are you sure that you want to do this?"
Littlefoot twisted his mouth into a contemplative expression at Chomper's words. The quandary that was facing him and Ruby was not an easy one, but it was one that they owed their children to get right.
"I think that I will tell Biter and Swipe tonight," Littlefoot said softly.
The tyrannosaurus looked down at his friend as the first of the flyers began scouting overhead.
Littlefoot sighed, "We will have them hunt during the journey to Hanging Rock. I know biter won't be happy about it, but it needs to be done."
Chomper nodded silently. He was angry at his parents for several days after his first kill, but in hindsight he realized that it was a necessary part of his upbringing. Biter and Swipe would be made stronger by this hardship, but they would have to pay the price first.
After all, losing one's innocence was part of growing up.
"Are you sure that you will be alright without us?"
Chomper snorted at his friend's sudden change in subject. His friend had already made up his mind about the hunt, and was ready to simply move on to business.
"Seeker, I am a two-footer!" He stomped his foot with a thunderous boom that made several of the fastbiter children huddle for cover before cautiously resuming their search. "Of course I will be fine. And no, before you ask, you don't have to worry about me eating Thud. He is not as big of a jerk as Taunt."
Several of Taunt's children could be heard laughing at Chomper's words as they began sniffing at the edge of the stream. Swipe and Biter, meanwhile, edged into the stream and began to observe the currents. It was obvious by their mannerisms that they were considering the implications of losing the scent trail in the stream.
Littlefoot smiled and rolled his eyes at Chomper's attempt at a joke, "Well that's good, Path. Eating Taunt's father would have caused some problems."
Splashing could be heard as Biter went in one direction down the stream and Swipe went down another.
It won't be long now, Littlefoot noted.
Rising to his full height, Littlefoot gave Chomper a respectful bow and then stretched in the rising morning sun. It was about time for the two packs to meet up before they parted ways.
"Just be careful, Path." Littlefoot spoke solemnly.
Chomper noted his friend's tone and responded in kind. "You as well, Seeker. Don't you worry, those two two-footers won't stand a chance against any of us!"
Littlefoot smiled, "I hope you're right, Path. But for some reason I think that I am missing something."
Splash! "Gotcha!" The sound of a victorious roar emanated from Swipe as the other fastbiter children let out groans at being beaten. Littlefoot's children had taken the evidence before them and made the correct deduction.
Yep, they are ready, Littlefoot affirmed.
"Well that's nice, but can somebody get me the heck out of here?!"
A grunt could be heard as the log rolled onto the ground and proceeded to pick up speed along the stream edge. It seemed that Charger had been a bit too successful at getting Sauria into the log. Now fastbiter children were scrambling to get out of the way from the speeding projectile.
Crash! The log slammed into a boulder, which caused the hapless sauropod to land unceremoniously in the mud. A subdued groan was the only sign of life as the two leaf-eater children ran to her aid.
"Sauria, are you alright?!"
The sight of Sauria's tail smacking Charger in the head made Littlefoot nearly keel over in laughter. She was certainly alright.
"That is what you get for pushing me into that death trap!"
As the two dinosaurs bickered while Datum and the sharptooth children looked on in confusion, Littlefoot glanced at Chomper with a knowing look.
"I think that we should probably save Charger from Sauria," Littlefoot laughed, "I don't want my children to be taught that longnecks are scary."
Chomper laughed as he followed his friend to the stream. He was almost sad to see the leaf-eaters go, but he knew that their lives had to be separate from that of his packmates, regardless of how happy the resulting nostalgia was.
He just hoped that everyone would return in one piece.
-----
That evening: "Argh! Do you fastbiters ever stop?"
Pouncer suppressed a laugh at the threehorn's agitated question. He had to admit that the threehorn was growing on him despite the fact that he was food. The leaf-eater's arrogance and dry humor reminded him of his mother in some ways.
Well, she did use to be a threehorn... "Getting tired, Charger?" Pouncer mocked with ease. He knew that he would not have to wait long to get a response from the threehorn youngling.
Charger gave the small fastbiter an irritated look, but his gasping breath was sign enough of his fatigue.
"No, but I am worried about my friends." Pouncer was ready to continue the verbal volley but then he took a look behind the threehorn. Sauria's neck seemed to drag the ground due to fatigue, while Datum was grasping at his bulging legs. It was obvious that Charger had a point.
"Dad?" Pouncer offered slightly in Taunt's direction, "I think that the leaf-eaters are getting tired... I am getting kind of tired as well."
As Taunt stopped to look at his son several other voices called out.
"Yeah, my legs are tired!"
"The Bright Circle is about to fall... can we stop?"
"I want to sleep!"
Taunt's face took on an odd expression at the last outburst from one of Spike's kids. To have the rambunctious kids admit that they wanted to sleep was quite a development, and a testament to how eager they were to stop walking.
Taunt coughed in order to get the attention of the others, but they had already began to slow at the commotion. It was then that Littlefoot took a look at the situation.
"Well, I suppose that this is the first long walk for the children. I suppose that we can call it a day."
A chorus of enthusiastic yells echoed across the ravine as the children stopped and began to stretch their legs. The leaf-eaters, meanwhile, took this opportunity to promptly lay on the ground in exhaustion. Datum even let out a relieved groan to no one in particular.
That was when Pouncer noticed something. Why wasn't Biter with his leaf-eater friend?
He looked over towards the back of the procession of children. It was only when Ducky's five children shifted that he was able to see his friends, Biter and Swipe.
They look so worried! Biter had an overwhelmed expression on his face as he barely seemed to react to the world around him. Swipe, meanwhile, was shifting on her feet uncomfortably. She looked as if she were about to embark on a harrowing journey, whereas Biter looked like he had already embarked on the mission. It was enough to make Pouncer question what had transpired with Littlefoot's children.
"Alright, children. Here are the promised ground fuzzies!"
Pouncer ignored his observation of Biter for a moment as Littlefoot began tossing the ground fuzzies that the adults had carried for the better part of a day. Within moments the vines were no longer wrapped around the pack leader's back and the small mammals were flying into the air. The fact that the corpses were cold and partially decomposed did not matter to the young, hungry mouths.
Pouncer ignored the disgusted sounds from the leaf-eaters as he grabbed his ground fuzzy from the air and began to hungrily rip its body into shreds. The taste of blood and sinew was a great relief after a day of nonstop travel. However, his respite from the hunger was very short lived. Before he even realized it that ground fuzzy was gone.
"That's all that there is, children! We will have to hunt tomorrow in order to get more food..."
It was then that Pouncer noticed that Littlefoot had held his gaze for an extended moment at his two children. Pouncer curiously looked over at his friends in order to see their reactions. What he saw from Biter and Swipe surprised him.
Fear? Why are they afraid? Pouncer had finally had enough and began to approach his two friends. What was going on?
"Hey, guys! What is going..." but he didn't have the chance to finish.
"Okay, everyone! I think that it is time to finish our song!" As the chorus of cheers echoed in his ears, Pouncer realized that he would get no answers now. Ducky and Taunt would soon finish their song, and then it would be time to sleep. Then another day of laborious travel would begin again... However, Pouncer was not daunted by this reality.
Morning... I will talk to them in the morning. My friends are upset and I want to know why! He made a point to sit next to Biter as the children gathered around the two adults. Not knowing the drama going on around them, Ducky and Taunt resumed their song with a flourish...
♪♪ As Taunt and Swift departed in haste,
It was only then that we realized what we faced... ♪♪ -----
Several years ago: "I think that they're gone."
Leap quickly broke his embrace of Ducky upon hearing of Taunt and Swift's departure. In the aftermath of this action both fastbiters looked at one another with awkward expressions. Leap stood on one foot as he scratched his tail nervously with his other foot, whereas Ducky looked away slightly out of embarrassment. The unspoken question hung over them like a cloud.
What do we do now? "So... um..." Leap began uncertainly, "My sister and Taunt now think that we are a couple... should we tell the pack that it was a trick?"
Ducky looked at him uncertainly, "This was Spotter's idea, so I am sure he will tell the others. He only wanted to trick Taunt and Swift." Her voice clearly indicated that she doubted her words.
Leap eyed her carefully, "But you told me that he only said that he was going to do 'something' and then he gave you some confusing nonsense about 'stopping to smell the sweet bubbles'. How do you know that he wanted you to trick Taunt and Swift? Maybe he just wanted to lessen the impact..."
Ducky interrupted with a laugh, "Your sister is right. You question yourself too much, you do, you do!"
Leap scowled at her, "I was not questioning me; I was questioning you,
dear ." He practically hissed out the term of endearment as Ducky took on a mischievous expression.
"Well, in the case you were questioning your better half,
dear ," she returned the endearment in kind.
Silence reigned for several seconds as the two fastbiters stared at one another with harsh expressions. Then, suddenly and without warning, both erupted into laughter.
"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Leap choked out between laughs. Ducky did not seem to have an answer as she grasped her stomach and laughed heartily at the situation. The entire situation was too crazy to believe, and they had no one else to blame beside themselves.
Well... and Spotter , Ducky's mind noted. That gave her an idea...
"What if we tell the others, but we wait a while first. Perhaps a few days?"
Leap looked at Ducky as if she had grown a second head. What was she getting at?
"That way we can fool all three of them for putting us in this situation," she clarified, "We could even trick Spotter if he thinks that we are actually accepting of the proposal."
Leap sighed and rolled his eyes, "Seriously? You want us to trick all of our friends, make them think that we are mates-to-be, and then tell them all it was a trick later on? That would be quite cruel."
Ducky placed her hands on her hips, "And faking a courtship offer wasn't cruel?"
Leap tilted his head in amusement, "And you think the others may have been in on this too?" The lack of an answer was confirmation enough for the fastbiter, "Still... it seems a bit cold for someone named Haven..." he mocked playfully.
This earned him one of Taunt's trademark obscene gestures, which looked very odd coming from Ducky, "I suppose that I have been around you ankle-biters too long. I have, I have!"
Leap laughed at her outburst, which caused her to chuckle as well. Both of them radiated the scent of surprise. Not only for this situation, but from their reactions as well. Taunt's prank had affected them more than they had originally assumed. Leap finally confirmed his approval of Ducky's plan.
"Alright, I suppose that we can keep them in suspense for a day or two... but no longer than that. By the time we announce it was a trick the others won't be too upset."
Ducky nodded and proceeded to clean up her sleeping area. It was then that she looked at the small scrape awkwardly and let out an audible groan, which was followed by an amused snort and a malicious smile.
"If we are mates-to-be then they will expect us to sleep near one another... and I already have my sleeping spot... so I hope that you enjoy building things!"
Leap looked aghast, "Why can't I just share your sleeping area tonight?"
As if to answer his question, one of Taunt's dropped ground fuzzies smacked him in the head.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
Ducky pointed at him as she laid down, "That was for trying to go too fast,
Mr. Love ! Even if we know we are not mates-to-be, I don't want our friends to think that we are already mates!"
Leap stuck out his tongue at the green fastbiter, "Well you were a swimmer before, and we know how they are... Perhaps our friends will think that old habits die hard?"
This did the trick as Leap had to struggle to escape the onslaught of random objects that were being thrown his way. His insult to her former kind had obviously enraged the former hadrosaur and he soon had the sores to confirm that. The only good thing was that he now had several sticks from Ducky's resting place to help build his own sleeping area. The fact that the sticks in question had been hurled at his head in anger did not really concern him.
Well, I suppose that I will take all the help that I can get... -----
Several minutes later: Leap grumbled as he grabbed a few sticks in preparation for his own sleeping area. He would have to make something hasty tonight and try for something a bit more permanent tomorrow.
All this for a damn joke... Within several moments, however, his makeshift sleeping area was taking shape with sticks arranged in a circular pattern and a carved out niche appearing in the ground where he would lay. As if to apologize for her outburst earlier, Ducky even dropped off a few more sticks from her own sleeping area. This would have the effect of making his sleeping area have her scent, which would indicate that its construction was a joint effort.
Now she wants credit for my work! Leap mocked internally.
Finally, however, Leap's sleeping area was finished. It was a hastily thrown-together affair, but it would work under the circumstances. Feeling more exhausted than he realized, he carefully laid down in his freshly dug scrape and allowed a yawn to escape his lips.
"Goodnight, Haven."
Ducky rose slightly to look at her new 'companion'. Despite her harsh and mocking words earlier she gave him a weak smile, "Goodnight, Leap."
As Leap allowed himself to drift off into the world of sleep stories he allowed himself one final coherent thought.
She would be rubbish for a mate... but I do kind of like her... Neither of them noticed Petrie lifting off into the air from the nearby tree.
-----
The next day: Ducky groaned softly as the radiance of the Bright Circle put an end to her slumber. Ever so slowly she propped herself onto her legs and opened her groggy eyes. That was when she was greeted by an unexpected sight.
“Congratulations, Leap! I always thought that you and Haven would be great for one another!”
In an instant Ducky the grogginess dissipated from Ducky’s mind and she was up on her feet.
What is going on? Oh... Suddenly the memories from the night before came crashing down upon her like a tsunami. They had played Petrie’s game and were now trying to trick the others into believing their ruse. However Littlefoot’s words caused her some concern.
Seeker always expected this? But me and Leap were never... “Oh, you are up! I am so glad for you!”
Ducky looked at Cera with bulging eyes. It was creepy enough to have her act so chipper, but to have all of her friends reacting to this news so happily, without any awkwardness...
Well, it was weird. That was all that her mind could process at the moment. They had wanted to freak out their friends and to throw Taunt’s joke and Petrie’s counter-prank all in their faces. But now it seemed that those plans were in ruins.
“Um... Thank you, Stern Claw,” Ducky offered softly after a moment’s hesitation, “It all happened so suddenly...”
Ruby stepped beside Cera and offered Ducky a hug, “Well, we have all been expecting this for some time. If we hadn’t been expecting this for some time, then we would be surprised.”
What are they talking about? Ducky thought to herself,
I have nothing in common with the arrogant ankle-biter! How could everyone have been expecting this? She resisted the urge to shake her head in confusion, but instead graciously accepted the well wishes from her friends.
Has everyone gone mad? -----
This was easily one of the most surreal moments in Leap’s life.
"When you and Haven decided to leave together I figured that was what you were up to."
Leap could only stare at the green fastbiter in front of him. Spike's smell was hard to read because of the fresh blood that he wore on his feathers. The pack had obviously had a morning hunt without them.
"When we saw you two in your new sleeping areas we decided to make the hunt without you two. We figured that you may need some privacy..."
Leap turned towards the smirking face of Taunt. He wanted so much to tell him that it was all an act and that the joke was on him...
But he couldn't. Not like this. Not with everyone being so happy for them and wishing them well.
"That is enough, Taunt," Spike growled at the intruding orange fastbiter. This caused Taunt to merely wave his hands in a placative gesture as he backed off.
"Easy... I was just pestering the pack's latest couple over here." Taunt then smiled at the flyer overhead in a gesture that would have been easy to miss if Leap hadn't been looking straight at him.
So Spotter wasn't trying to trick Taunt? He was in on it the entire time? Why that... His thoughts did not have time to develop when Taunt walked by and whispered into Leap's ear.
"I always thought that you two just needed a helpful push. You can thank Spotter for the idea."
Leap's eyes went wide as Taunt merely strolled on by as if nothing had happened. His mind was now reeling. Now he couldn't even throw the situation in Taunt's face. It appeared that even he had done this in order to get him and Haven to get together and admit their feelings. How could Leap now turn around and admit that no feelings existed between them?
Have and I are friends, but... "Come along you two! There is plenty of swimmer to go around!"
In a daze Leap settled next to Ducky as they walked behind the others on the way to the scene of the kill. They exchanged no words but the look that they shared communicated their thoughts quite well.
How do we get out of this? -----
That night: Ducky fell into her sleeping area with a resounding thud.
"How did I get myself into this?"
She sighed and took a deep breath. She knew that she only had a few moments before the others would be settling down for sleep as well. This only gave her a few moments to reflect upon her situation and to vent.
"Well, it was your idea to trick all of them."
Ducky jumped up and turned around at the voice. Leap was already settled into his sleeping area in a relaxed posture, but his eyes were anything but calm.
Ducky suppressed an agitated scream, "My idea?!" She then closed her eyes and clenched her clawed hands. She could not discount the truth in his words, but his nonchalant attitude still elicited rage in her. "How can you be so calm about this? We can't just tell them that it is all fake! They all seem so happy for us..."
Leap nodded, "They even seem to have expected it."
Ducky rubbed her hands together in agitation as she looked at the Night Circle. One could almost see the thoughts rushing through her mind. It only took her a few moments to reach the same conclusion that Leap had settled upon minutes earlier.
"So... we play along?"
Leap sighed as he shrugged, "I think it would be for the best. At least for a while."
Ducky quickly agreed, "Yep, yep, yep. A while... then we can convince them that we... um..."
Leap chuckled, "Grow apart?"
Ducky nodded as she laid down for a final time, "Yep, yep, yep... then we can find out how to torment Taunt and Spotter for this."
Leap rested his head on the ground as the incompressible sounds of distant conversation could begin to be heard. A yawn escaped his mouth as he muttered, "It seems that we agree on something, Haven."
-----
"It seem like they want to keep the charade going."
Littlefoot laughed at Petrie's report. When Petrie had first told them of Taunt's trick and his counter prank, the entire pack had been scandalized. To fake a mating proposal was quite rash even by the pack's standards. However, once they had head that the two 'companions' wanted to keep the trick going to fool the pack, they had decided to go along with it. Keeping a straight face when congratulating them that morning had been quite difficult, but the swimmer blood was quite effective at hiding the scent of insincerity.
"Seeker? You listen?"
Littlefoot shook the thoughts out of his head, "Oh... yes, Spotter I was listening. Well, I guess that we can keep up the charade as long as they are."
Spike and Swift took the opportunity to walk in front of their leader. With a sigh, Swift spoke first.
"Even though he can be an ass at times I don't want to hurt my brother."
Spike nodded and stepped forward, "This was fun and all, but I am worried that this could really hurt her. Haven is such an innocent soul."
Cera rolled her eyes, "So innocent that she would try to throw Swift and Taunt's trick in our faces?"
"Hey! It was Spotter's idea to put the sweet bubbles... I just..."
Littlefoot shook his head and waved a hand, "Enough. We will let them know what happened in a few days. We can just pretend like nothing is amiss until then."
Ruby growled in agreement, "Yes, it might be best to let their emotions calm down."
The others growled in agreement as they proceeded to walk towards the sleeping areas. It was then that Spike had a thought.
"What if they actually do begin to have feelings for one another? If we told them it was a trick then..."
Littlefoot chuckled, but immediately took on a serious expression as Spike eyed him with a serious look.
"If that happens then we will welcome that with open arms, but I highly doubt that, Finder. What do you think that is going to happen? That they suddenly are going to chase each other through the flowers?"
-----
The next day: "Alright, now you know what to do, right?"
Leap rolled his eyes, "Yes,
dear . You chase after me like we are having an argument."
Ducky growled in annoyance at his tone, but smiled nonetheless.
"Yep, yep, yep. We have to make this believable so that they think that things are not going well." She then pondered for a moment with a perplexed expression, "But what would we argue about?"
Leap smirked, "Besides that we aren't a couple, you mean?"
Ducky scowled, "You know, I used to be so nice and agreeable until you came along!"
Leap gestured wildly at his sleeping area, "And whose idea was this,
dear ? I was just going to tell Taunt that we were on to him."
Ducky placed her hands on her hips and stared coldly at the male. It was so much his tone that angered her as the fact that he was absolutely correct. This was her fault.
Leap returned her stare.
I will miss these little arguments when this is all over. That was when he saw something that would work perfectly.
Ducky's newly prepared vines. She had worked on those for days.
"What are you doing with that!" Ducky screamed in agitation.
Leap smiled and shrugged, "I guess it is mine now."
In an instant he bolted into the field as a shriek and the sound of crashing feet could be heard behind him. He no longer had to worry about making the argument seem believable... now he had to worry about his safety.
-----
Littlefoot and the others stared in surprise as Leap and Ducky sprinted across the field where wildflowers were in full bloom. The sound of unintelligible insults were emanating from Ducky, which would have made them fear for the male fastbiter's safety if it weren't for one particular sign.
Leap was laughing.
Littlefoot shook his head as an annoyed Spike walked in front of him.
"You were saying, Seeker?"
-----
The present: The children erupted in laughter at Ducky's words. They could only imagine how humorous it must have been for the others to mistake Ducky's agitation for romantic play.
Leap smiled and allowed the younglings to settle down first before continuing with the song.
♪♪ Days passed of taunts and misdirection,
but neither of us noticed the signs of affection. ♪♪
♪♪ Our warmth for one another began to grow,
but each of us had resolved to not let the other know. ♪♪
♪♪ It was this blindness that each of us stubbornly held,
that nearly destroyed what the prank had helped to meld. ♪♪ -----
Several weeks after the 'argument': "You do realize that this is all your fault."
Leap sighed. This was the same conversation that he had heard since their frolic through the flowers.
"If you hadn't been laughing during that then they would think that we had an argument. But nope, nope, nope! You had to mess it all up!"
Leap tried to fight it; he really did. But he just couldn't take it anymore.
"Why are you laughing?!" Ducky's hands were firmly on her hips again as she fixed him with an icy stare. It did not appear to have any effect on him whatsoever.
Leap sucked in a breath as he tried to respond, "I'm sorry, Haven, but it is just so hard to be afraid of you. When you do that you look as threatening as a baby yellowbelly!"
Ducky's mouth hung agape, "What did you call me?!"
-----
"Again?"
Taunt looked bemused at what Chomper was telling him. However the small purple tyrannosaurus showed no signs of speaking in jest.
"Yeah!" Chomper gestured wildly with his small stubby arms, "It was like that time that you called Stern Claw a horn-face. It was about as funny too!"
Taunt glared at Chomper, "That wasn't funny at all! I still have the scar on my tail from that!" He rubbed his tail as if it had been freshly injured, "What makes you think that they were playing? Perhaps they are having an argument..."
Chomper shook his head, "Then why were they both laughing?"
-----
"You're a jerk, you know it?!"
Leap tried to escape from Ducky's hold, but she had grabbed him securely around the back and had her mouth neck to his neck. A position in which any attempt at escape might cause injury to either participant.
"My sister informs me that it is one of my better qualities."
Ducky rolled her eyes as she rolled off of him. It was only then that he could shake the dirt off of his skin. It wasn't every day that he was thrown headfirst into a mud hole.
Leap carefully checked his body for abrasions before lightly licking a small cut on his back. One of Ducky's claws had found their target despite her best efforts to be careful.
"Oh, no, no, no! I hurt you!"
Leap smiled slightly as he shook his head, "Don't worry about it, Haven, it is only a scratch. You couldn't hurt a buzzer..."
Ducky ignored his insult as she grabbed a tree star and firmly placed it on his wound, "You need to get some healing plants on this just to be safe. You may be a jerk, but I don't want to hurt you!"
Leap tried to ignore the odd feeling in his stomach as he took position of Ducky's leaf and applied light pressure to his cut. Despite the occasional argument there had been no actual malice towards each other over the last several days.
Or ever... An unwanted voice called out in his mind.
"It's... alright, Haven. I know that you would never want to hurt me. You just want to let go of this lie..." he hesitated before reluctantly forming the words, "...just like I do."
There was silence from Ducky for several moments while Leap tended to his injury. It was only when he looked in her direction that she responded.
"Yep... maybe it is time for us to just be honest with our friends?"
Leap took a good look at Ducky as she averted her eyes. There was obvious moisture there.
"Haven... are you alright?"
Ducky looked surprised by his question and immediately looked away.
"Nope, I am fine. I am, I am." Leap rose to his feet as he did not believe her for a second, but she refused to look at him.
"Haven?"
Ducky clutched her claws to her chest as she repressed a sob. She knew that she had to end this now before she lost her composure.
"I am going to help Stern Claw find fish. You make sure to take care of that cut."
Leap stepped forward and extended a hand towards his distressed friend, "Haven!? Wait!"
He never got the chance to reach her before she burst into an outright sprint. Within seconds she was out of sight, having disappeared into the thick grass. His hand continued to extend into the air as if it were trying to touch a ghost.
Leap never felt so alone.
-----
"For the love of... tell me what is wrong, Haven!"
Cera didn't mean to lose her patience with her friend, but it wasn't everyday that Ducky came to her in tears. All thoughts of catching fish or doing anything else had evaporated in that instant. She had hastily sniffed her for any sign of what was wrong, but no signs of injury were present. Only feathers that were covered in mud.
"Leap..."
Cera stepped back.
If he has done anything to hurt Haven... She clinched her claws and stepped forward.
"Where is he?"
Ducky looked at Cera in shock. The cold tone in her voice clearly indicated Cera's intent, which only made the green fastbiter feel worse. As far as she was concerned Leap was not the one at fault.
"No! It is my fault! I should have told the truth from the beginning!"
The fastbiter broke down in tears as her body shook with violent sobs. Cera immediately wrapped comforting arms around Haven as she waited for the sobs to subside. In the ensuing minutes of feeling Ducky's chest convulse uncontrollably Cera began to tear up as well. She had not seen her friend so emotional in a long time. Not since the battle for the valley.
Finally Ducky's shaking began to subside and the steady torrent of tears became a slow trickle. It was only then that she dared address Ducky again.
"It's okay, Haven. Tell me what is wrong."
-----
"It was all a lie! All of it!"
Taunt recoiled in shock at Leap's declaration. He had never seen the small fastbiter so animated and enraged. The smell of desperation and regret hung over him like a low hanging cloud. In the resulting onslaught of emotion Taunt could only mutely listen.
"She wanted us to drop the act. She wanted us to do it gradually so that we wouldn't hurt everyone's feelings, but as usual I manage to screw everything up!" Leap clinched one hand into a fist as he closed his eyes and shook with emotion, "Why did I have to keep on joking around with her when she was being serious? She obviously doesn't have feelings for me, and I should have respected that."
Taunt took a deep breath as he realized the full magnitude of what his prank had caused. Even though he knew that the gestured was insufficient, he bowed remorsefully out of shame. He feared that he had inflicted a wound on his friends that he would have regretted even inflicting on his enemies. It was with a hoarse voice that he finally spoke.
"Do you have feelings for her?"
-----
"So you like him?"
Cera asked the question cautiously, but the sudden jerk from Ducky's body was answer enough. It seemed that the prank had indeed succeeded in forming an attachment between Ducky and her 'companion'. The fact that it appeared that Leap did not share this feeling made her feel that much worse.
I should have never joined in with this... "He... makes me laugh. He does; he does!" Ducky admitted as she regained control over herself. The mere act of telling another person about the lie had taken a huge weight off of her shoulders. "But he makes me so angry at the same time."
Cera chuckled a bit, "I certainly know that feeling."
Ducky looked up at her friend with concerned eyes, "You aren't mad at me? I lied to you."
Cera sighed, "Haven... there is something that I have to tell you as well..."
-----
"What?!"
Taunt had managed to calm down his friend enough to talk to Leap's pack leader, Thud. Under normal circumstances seeing his father shift uncomfortably would be a humorous sight.
But not in this case.
"We... we heard from Spotter that you wanted to trick us all so we decided to beat you to that," Taunt admitted after some hesitation, "We were going to tell you about the prank after a few days, but then we saw you two acting so happy together."
Thud nodded, "I must apologize, Leap. In both packs and friendship there is nothing more important than trust." The elder fastbiter lightly bowed his head, "I must beg forgiveness."
Leap looked stunned, but merely shook his head, "For what? It seems that we have all been bad packmates." He sighed deeply, "I just wished that this hadn't hurt Haven. If I had just played along..."
"And lied to her?" Thud questioned, "Maybe it is time to stop pranking and lying. Maybe it is time for you to tell the truth."
Leap looked up at his pack leader with a stunned expression, "But she doesn't like me much."
"Spiketail shit! That's a lie and you know it!" Taunt erupted, "You told me that she chased you around and played with you. Not only that, but she also was deeply concerned about your small cut. Does that sound like someone who doesn't like you?"
Leap blinked, "Then why did she run away?"
Thud sighed as he placed his clawed hand over his face, "Urgh... I am too old for his crap!"
Leap continued to look utterly confused as Taunt merely clasped a claw on his should and gestured towards some nearby bushes.
"I think that it is time that you made a proper proposal, Leap."
-----
"Are... are all of you sure?"
Ruby placed both of her hands on her hips and gave Ducky an affirmative nod, "I am sure that he feels the same way, but he needs to know that you feel the same."
Swift smiled, "I know my brother and there is no way that he does not care for you immensely. There was a reason we decided not to tell you about the prank. We didn't want to stop what was a beautiful thing."
Cera still looked apologetic at the mention of their silence. This was enough to rouse Ducky to action.
"I forgive you, Stern Claw," she then looked towards the others, "And I forgive everyone else too. We all made mistakes."
Cera smiled, "Now it is time to show Leap that one of our mistakes wasn't a mistake after all!"
Ducky accepted the sweet bubble from Cera as she embrace her friend once more. She was immediately joined by the other females in a group hug. Despite the overwhelming emotions of the moment she allowed herself a mischievous thought.
Now I can tamper with Leap's sleeping area for once! -----
"You can do it, Leap! Just be honest when she comes around!"
Leap nodded at Littlefoot's enthusiastic support, but still felt terrible nervousness, "What if she says 'no'?
Chomper jumped up excitedly, "You won't know until you try!"
Spike smiled, "I don't think that she will reject you, Leap, and I know my sister."
Petrie landed beside trembling fastbiter as he dropped a sweet bubble at his feet, "Use this! Hopefully it cause you less trouble this time!"
Leap picked up the small berry and held it with some trepidation.
"Now drop it into her sleeping area, silly!" Taunt mocked.
Leap was still hesitant, "But... I want her to be happy. What if this isn't what she wants? What if we are wrong?
Thud stepped forward and placed a hand on the smaller fastbiter's shoulder. He voice was fatherly in its cadence, "If that happens, then it happens. But would you rather live not knowing what could be?" Thud smiled, "Look at it this way, if she wants to be with you then she will be happy with you. If she doesn't want to be with you, then you will know and she can still be happy with someone else. Either way you will be doing your duty as her friend."
Leap began to bow in gratitude, but then his shoulders were tightly grabbed by his pack leader.
"Now drop the damn sweet bubble and let's see how this goes."
-----
Ducky forced herself to walk forward as the other girls walked behind her. She was doubtful that she would have been able to go through with this if it wasn't for their support, but even so it felt like she were walking by instinct. Her legs felt like they were walking on thin air as she neared the crest of the hill. The hill that would lead to her sleeping area.
You can do this, Haven... Closing her eyes, she walked over the crest of the hill and allowed herself to feel the gentle breeze from the wind-facing side of the hill. She could almost imagine herself walking through the night sky. Being somewhere else entirely.
"I heard that love is blind, but this is ridiculous!"
Ducky's eyes flew open as the distinct form of Leap appeared in front of her. The other pack members were behind him, each of them wearing expression of anticipation and happiness. That was not what caught her attention, however.
The bastard has marked my sleeping area again! Relief filled Ducky like a rushing river. Her feelings for him were obviously mutual.
"It looks like I beat you to it again,
dear !"
Ducky smirked at the insufferable voice that she had grown to love. She resisted the urge to toss the sweet bubble in his face or to chase the cheeky bastard. She knew the social etiquette here. He had made the proposal so it was up to her to accept it or not.
She carefully approached the sleeping area and allowed her own sweet bubble to fall beside the pile of sticks. As expected his scent now dominated her personal space. The sweet bubble, meanwhile, had been placed directly in her scrape, where her body would lay.
"It looks like you did it properly. Better than the first time."
Leap protested, "Spotter did it the first time! That is what we get for having a flyer do a fastbiter tradition!"
Ducky chuckled, "You know the others didn't do this whole proposal thing?"
Leap groaned upon the realization that she was dragging this out, "Lucky them!"
Suppressed laughter could be heard from the pack, which had now reassembled into one group behind them.
Ducky gave Swift a little wink as she smiled predatorily at Leap, "Your sister tells me that the female can make demands on the male if a formal proposal is made."
"Thank goodness I skipped that then... ow!" Taunt's words were quickly put to an end by Cera's forceful slap.
"Seriously, dear!"
Ducky shrugged playfully, "I am not, dear, yet! Hmmm... what should I demand?"
Leap crossed his hands, "See what has happened to your sister, Finder?"
"Yep, you seem to be a good influence on her!" Spike responded with a laugh.
Both fastbiters glared at Spike, which caused the others to laugh heartily as well. All attempts to maintain silence and decorum had failed due to the playful banter of the ones to be solemnized. After everything that had happened it still seemed that their friends had the last laugh.
Ducky smiled. That gave her an idea.
"I will accept your proposal on one condition."
Leap looked at her expectantly, "Anything! Just name your demand."
Ducky smiled as she embraced Leap, and eyed the stars above, "Every star day of this night you will help me destroy Taunt's sleeping area."
"What!" Taunt protested.
"...and we will give Stern Claw sweet bubbles to apologize her for Taunt's bickering."
Cera smiled, "Sounds good to me!"
Taunt looked at her as if she had grown a second head, but she merely put her hands on her hips and gave him a cheeky smile. In that instant Taunt realized that he had lost.
Leap hugged Ducky close as he suppressed a laugh, "I accept. Forever and always."
Ducky nuzzled him back, "Forever and always."
-----
Back to the present: Ducky's son, Fisher, jumped up in realization at the conclusion of the song, "So that is why you destroyed Taunt's nest last season!"
Taunt groaned as the others laughed at his annoyance. Despite the groan, however, he still smiled.
"It is a little tradition that we do," Leap smiled broadly, "Unfortunately, Taunt has taken it upon himself to prank us on our star days."
Taunt smirked, "Nothing special there. I prank everyone on their star days!"
Ducky rolled her eyes, "You pay special attention to ours though. You do, you do!"
Leap and Ducky gave the orange fastbiter a playful glare as he gave a placative gesture in a mocking manner. The emotional wounds of that incident had long healed, but each would continue to commemorate it in their own way. However, it was not lost on anyone that Taunt was only responsible for the initial trick.
"It is prank me most happy about." Petrie affirmed, "You should be happy about it too, Fisher. It make you possible."
All of Ducky's children contemplated that for a moment. It was an odd idea that a mere prank could have made the difference between existence and having never been hatched. However it was not the philosophical aspects of that thought that caught the mind of one of Ducky and Leap's sons. He was thinking of something a bit more direct.
Verok tilted his head in an inquisitive expression, "How did that happen anyway?"
Tranquil echoed her brother's words, "Yeah! How did all of us come along?"
Leap laughed at his children's enthusiasm. He considered offering to sing another song, but then he remembered what Littlefoot had told him earlier in the day. Biter and Swipe would certainly need their rest for what was coming. The other songs could wait until after a good night's rest and their hunt.
"Well, children, I think that will be an excellent song for tomorrow night."
The expected groans and protests could be heard at Leap's proclamation, but that was not what caught his attention. Biter downtrodden demeanor only grew more morose with the mention of tomorrow, while Swipe's expression still communicated intense contemplation. Considering their situation Leap could not fault them for their feelings.
A new song begins for you two tomorrow... make it a good one.