A Friendship Born of Fear and Courage

[Sovereign]

A Friendship Born of Fear and Courage

A warm breath of wind moved gently among the rugged mountains of the desolate region, growing ever weaker as the Bright Circle headed towards the horizon. The air was as sweet and gentle as possible and even the coming night seemed to be becoming a calm one. The ever-dimming light bathed the Hanging Rock within its grace but to a lone form sitting near its entrance, the evening was far from a soothing one.

The blue sharptooth crossed his hands around his legs as he looked towards the sky, a longing sigh escaping his mouth. Chomper had hoped to settle down in this place with his new companions but during the day he had spent here, there hadn’t been one moment when he had felt like he really welcome here. The boy frowned as he listened to the laughter and banter that could be heard from the cave, his hosts’ happiness only making him more miserable. They had tried to be nice to him, true, but they simply couldn’t hide the fact that he wasn’t one of them… nor would he ever be.

The young sharptooth closed his eyes as he tried to make sense of it all. His mind’s eye returned to his times with his parents and especially to his precious island. Maybe his parents didn’t understand him as well as he would have wanted but at least they loved him without any conditions. A single tear dropped from his right eye as he thought about his situation, praying that his parents hadn’t left him here with these… these strangers who clearly didn’t want him here.


“…and I’ll never forget that foolish threehorn’s face when she realized that she was treating with those far more clever than her! To think she thought it was a good idea to tell us her best spot to find green food in an exchange for us simply giving her stinkweed to drive away some sharpteeth! It was just one example on how easy some leafeaters are to outsmart!” Detras said with a chuckle, thinking about his latest encounter with a lost leafeater. Of course he knew they were far from stupid but Hanging Rock’s position in this hostile land gave him and his family some real leverage over any others trespassing here.

“Don’t forget it was my idea to offer her our help, dear. You thought threehorns were too dangerous to even talk to.” She said with a smile, causing Detras to clear his throat. It was true that his recent encounter with Dein had rattled him rather deeply but he had been ready to act when his mate had suggested to do so. Orchid smiled widely as he asked his parents the first question coming to his mind.

“Couldn’t we have made that threehorn protect us from sharpteeth in case anything like yesterday happens again?” He asked, that genuine question causing his older sister to turn to look at the male with a confused expression. Of course she knew that staying safe from the predators was the right thing to do but… she couldn’t help but feel bad for her family’s guest. He had seemed beyond sad from the very beginning of his stay with the fastrunners. She couldn’t blame her family for not willing to spend time with him but… deep down, she couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Orchid’s words caused Ruby to take a silent sigh when her father started to give his answer.

“We cannot afford to have a threehorn here as you know, Orchid! They eat too much and we’ve stayed safe because we’ve been able to work as a team and stay hidden from danger. A threehorn certainly would…” He started but before he could finish, Ruby interrupted him.

“Daddy… I’ll go check on Chomper. Maybe there’s something I can do for him.” She said as she rose to her feet, causing the older fastrunner to frown slightly. He had little compassion for the young sharptooth as he couldn’t forgive his father’s plan to force the boy into his family. Besides, getting food for another mouth wasn’t something he or Pearl were fond of in the least. However, he wasn’t going to tell Ruby to abandon that idea but his voice was far from enthusiastic as he spoke.

“Very well, Ruby. See you later.” He said as his mate nodded at the girl. Ruby gave the duo a weak smile after which she headed towards the mouth of the cave on top of the Hanging Rock.


The young sharptooth’s misery seemed to deepen by the second. He wanted nothing more than to simply head off and try to find his parents on his own but he still respected their decision too much to really do as he wanted. This would be as long a night as the previous one with him only wanting to get to the only dinosaurs he had known… besides his dear friends. It had been so very long since he had last seen them… why couldn’t he even be with them? Why in earth did he have to be here of all…

“Chomper? H… how are you doing? At least the evening is beautiful, beautiful it is.” She said, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the male’s longing eyes. Chomper sighed again as he turned away from Ruby, his voice beyond heavy.

“Who cares about it in a time like this? I’d accept the worst Cold Time if only I were with my parents right now.” He said, causing Ruby to approach him a little further. She hated to see him like this but inside she understood just why the carnivore felt the way he did. She couldn’t quite imagine a life away from her parents even if she knew she’d have to prepare to part from them even in the near future. They had told her that she might have to do some kind of favor for the whole family in case some new danger arose but she hoped such a thing wouldn’t come to pass anytime soon as she loved her family’s company and protection. Her voice was a soft one as she spoke to the young sharptooth.

“I understand, Chomper, understand I do. But your daddy and mommy left you here for a reason. They still love you but they want you to stay safe and if you stayed with them, you couldn’t be safe!” She said, trying to make the boy see reason. She was still a bit worried by her father’s reaction to his family’s new task as it was clear he wanted nothing to do with the young carnivore.

Chomper glanced at the fastrunner wearily, not really willing to argue with her. Of course he had heard what his parents had told him about their reasons to leave him here but that hadn’t made it much easier. He had usually been willing to give any dinosaur a chance to win his trust but something in the circumstances  of his parting with his family and especially Detras’ coldness towards him had made this day and the last darker than he had even expected himself. His voice mirrored that sentiment as he gave his answer.

“Yeah, right… because I was such a burden to them, apparently. I would have done anything to escape eating some snappy shells and rotten ground fuzzies all the day and looking at your parents’ disdaining looks.” He said with a cringe but those words made Ruby’s own face darken. Yes, she knew Chomper wasn’t that happy with his life right now but those words made her grow slightly annoyed with the other young dinosaur. She put her hands on her hips as she gave her answer, willing to teach the male something about ingratitude.

“Chomper, that wasn’t nicely said at all. Mommy and daddy have done their best to get you food and we have even given you better food than what we eat ourselves! And they do not dislike you but they are not happy in the least with how your parents acted against us! We would be more willing to have you inside that cave with us but you choose to stay here, blaming us about the fact that we cannot hunt as well as two-footers?” She said as she looked at the other dinosaur with a look of deep disapproval. Chomper rolled his eyes, hating to act like this but he was not in the mood to argue with the fastrunner in the least. His voice grew only darker as he answered even if he knew in his heart that Ruby was right.

“As if they wanted me there. I’d just ruin any fun you and your family could have. Just go and leave me here.” He said, not even looking at the girl as he spoke. Ruby’s annoyance only deepened and she snorted as she spoke next.

“Is that it, Chomper? We’d be willing to welcome you among us but still you decide to keep us from helping you? Is that it?” She asked, displeasure at the sharptooth’s words more than clear. She was a kind soul but she expected better from those who enjoyed her family’s hospitality and she was not going to listen to such behavior from her guest. Chomper rolled his eyes as he prepared to give his answer, not willing to continue this conversation any further.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it as you cannot help me. Just go, Ruby, and leave me be.” He said, snorting slightly as he spoke. Ruby looked at him in clear agitation, liking the arrogant carnivore less and less by the second. The omnivore exhaled deeply before turning around and saying her goodbyes to the other dinosaur.

“Very well. If you want to be alone and miserable, then stay alone and miserable, Chomper! But don’t forget I tried to help you!” She said as she walked back into the cave, seething in frustration and anger. The sharptooth looked after her for a few seconds, kicking a large rock next to him, causing him to let out a pained growl. His time at Hanging Rock was growing worse and worse by the second.


After a few hours, the Night Circle had risen to the sky over the dry mountains, bathing the bare hills in its pale light. The warm wind still continued to wander through the maze that surrounded the Hanging Rock, wailing slightly as it moved through the narrowest cracks in the walls. It was a silent night but that hardly bothered Pearl as she looked at the sight around her. She was beyond tired from the previous day but she and her mate simply couldn’t leave their family unprotected. It was a fatiguing task but one of them made a brief tour near the Hanging Rock in order to make sure that they would never be surprised in their sleep by a sharptooth.

The female’s eyes scoured the many passes between the mountains, sniffing at the air for any hints about an impeding danger. At first, she had been prepared to give the alarm when she had smelled a two-footer somewhere nearby but it had taken her only a few seconds to recognize that scent as Chomper’s. She had heard about his and Ruby’s conversation and she couldn’t help but dislike the arrogant brat.

She and Detras were doing their all to keep him safe and still he thinks he’s some kind of victim? She tried to think about her first meeting with the young sharptooth and the positive view he had received of him back then but right now, she’d mostly just want to kick him out of her home. But as she and her mate knew, she couldn’t do that or they’d have two more sharpteeth to worry about so she’d just have to try to tolerate his presence for as long as she had to, no matter what.

The omnivore yawned slightly as she stopped for a moment. The night seemed completely normal with not even a flicker of danger to be seen. She yawned slightly as he prepared to head back home, more than confident that there wouldn’t be any danger coming her family’s way this night. However, when she took the first step, a new scent hit her nostrils, one that stopped her immediately. Her eyes widened immediately and she raised her nose higher into the air and sniffed for a few times. The female didn’t waste any time before she sprinted towards Hanging Rock, knowing that time was of utmost importance if she wanted to ensure the safety of her mate and children.


“Wake up, everyone! There’s a small group of fastbiters out there and we have to get to safety, now!”

Chomper opened his eyes slowly as he heard that voice, awaking from a happy sleep story where he was still in his old island, spending one of the endless days with his dear friends. In that sleep story, they had decided to stay with him and that had changed his life for the better. How he hoped he would one day be able to live with them in peace but… but it was impossible. As he had said to Littlefoot, they both were what they were. But all of that disappeared from Chomper’s mind the moment he heard that warning.

The sharptooth rose into a sitting position, looking at the cave around him while trying to remember just where he was again. His hosts had told him to move into the cave itself to stay safe even if he hadn’t been exactly eager to do so. He turned to look at his companions, his eyes widening as he saw Pearl waking up all the others while telling them to follow her. The boy was slightly disappointed to realize she had just ran past him without really giving him any heed but that disappeared from his mind as the urgency in her words registered in his mind. He ran towards the omnivores and asked in a worried voice.

“Sharpteeth? Where? What will we do?” He asked, earning only a quick glance from Pearl. The other fastrunners were quickly rising up and the female found a moment to answer Chomper’s question.

“I’m not sure, Chomper, but follow us! We have a few routes to escape from danger! Let’s go before they’re here!” She yelled as she sprinted deeper into the cave with the rest of her family. The carnivore glanced at them in growing fear and he looked one more time behind himself, also recognizing the scent of a fastbiter… and it was quickly getting closer! Without further hesitation, the male headed after the omnivores, hoping to get to safety as soon as possible.

The sharptooth cringed as he realized that his hosts clearly didn’t wait for him, cursing as he heard their steps grow ever more distant in the darkness. He could see better in the dark than any of them, true, but it mattered little if he had no idea which one of the many tunnels they had gone to. He looked at the many tunnels in growing panic, not really knowing what to do. He had no doubts that his chasers would kill him as well if they got a chance and fear quickly overtook him. The boy suddenly yelled into the darkness, his heart beating wickedly.

“Where did all of you go? Please, DON’T LEAVE ME HERE!” He cried with tears falling from his eyes. His parents had always made sure he was safe but here he was, facing the prospect of getting slaughtered by a small group of fastbiters.


“Is that brat incapable of even following us? Screw that useless kid…” Detras hissed from between his teeth as he stopped after hearing his guest’s fearful cry. He had hoped that at least this escape had gone somewhat well but here he was, forced to turn back once was again to protect someone had had never wanted in his home. Even now, he knew he had no chance but to go save him as he knew full well what Dein and Terri’s reaction would be should Chomper be hurt during his stay here. Ruby looked at her father in growing alarm, speaking to him nervously.

“He isn’t that far away from us, far away from us he isn’t! We can still bring him to safety!” She said with a deep frown, causing her mother to turn towards her, speaking both kindly and firmly at the same time.

“I and your father will get him here, Ruby. Take Orchid and Arial to safety and we’ll follow you shortly.” She said, her tone leaving no room for objections. The younger female gulped at those words but this was far from the first time her parents had told her something like this. It was her role to keep her siblings safe for now and she’d do it more than happily. She nodded at her mother and spoke to her in a heavy but calm voice.

“Okay, mommy. Come back as soon as you can. Orchid, Arial, come with me!”


The young sharptooth slowly backtracked against one of the cavern’s walls, breathing heavily as he felt the scent of his chasers grow closer by the second. It wouldn’t take much longer until they’d reach him and at that point, it’d be all over for him. The boy put his snout against the cold stone and whimpered in a broken voice into the darkness.

“Mommy, daddy, why did you abandon me here? I… I… I don’t understand why it has to end like this…” He said, tears falling into the ground as he thought about the misery at all. It had only been a few days since his life appeared to open infinitely before him but now, his fate would be to die here for reasons incomprehensible to him. The poor carnivore was on the verge of falling to his knees when he heard a call that made eyes open wide,

“Pearl, take him now! I’ll try to delay the sharpteeth!” He cried but before Chomper could react to it in any way, he felt himself being pulled up from the ground. The boy heard the fastrunner’s words as he prepared to turn around and escape to safety.

“Don’t make this any more difficult, Chomper. I’ll take you away from here!” She said but before she could do as she said, the young sharptooth could see additional pairs of eyes appearing from the darkness, signaling that the omnivores hadn’t been quite as quick as they had hoped.


Detras cursed as the trio of fastbiters appeared in front of him, knowing just how dangerous the situation was becoming. He knew of course he could never hope to best even one of his foes in a fight but neither was he helpless just yet. The carnivores stopped in front of him for a moment, giving him a chance to try to solve the situation diplomatically.

“Get out of my home, monsters! Know that I am one of Dein and Terri’s closest allies and I am guarding their son right now! Attack us and they will certainly make sure you will not live to see the next Cold Time!” He said in a stern voice, hearing as Pearl ran away from the scene. He knew the female would have wanted to stay by his side but for now, making sure Chomper would get away unhurt was the most important thing. Even then, the situation didn’t seem to move in his direction when one of the predators gave his answer.

“Did I understand right? Does that scent belong to Chomper? We were wondering why another sharptooth was hiding here but that certainly explains it…” He said, something in the other male’s voice making Detras’ heart to skip a beat. Something in that tone made chills creep up his spine but he managed to hide it perfectly. There wasn’t the least hint of fear or hesitation in his answer.

“That is right and if I were you, I’d turn around now and forget you ever came here! Even without Dein and Terri, I promise you will regret your intrusion before the Bright Circle rises again!” He said, knowing well that his threats would hardly scare the attackers to any significant degree. And indeed, he earned only one despising laughter from one of the three sharpteeth, her voice not even trying to voice its poison.

“We’ll see about that. We all know just what kind of monsters your benefactors are and we will only be honored by everyone for killing you and bringing that cursed boy to our leader! Let’s go and send these fools into the next world!” She said and none of the three carnivores questioned that call in the least. The trio started to advance on the hapless omnivore who wasted no time turning around and following his mate, praying that his plans wouldn’t fail horribly.


The shock was slowly starting to wear off from Chomper’s mind as he looked at the cave’s walls pass by with a surprisingly great speed. Not even his parents could move nearly this fast and even more, the female fastrunner’s back was rather comfortable to ride on. He hadn’t expected her to come back for him but here he was, still alive despite the extremely threatening encounter only a minute prior. For the first time since his arrival, he felt some joy as he realized that he was going to survive. He couldn’t see just what kind of an expression Pearl had but that mattered little. In a burst of joy, he turned to look behind him, yelping happily.

“We’re making more distance between us and them! Just a bit more and…” He started but his swift twitch to another position was something that Pearl hadn’t anticipated at all. She managed to speak only a few words before the inevitable happened.

“Chomper, stay still! I can’t…” She started but Chomper’s movements threw her off-balance, causing her to swing slightly to her left. In a normal situation, she would have been able to correct her posture without any major issues but in this narrow tunnel, only a slight swing caused her to hit the wall in a violent force… sending both her and the young sharptooth flying into the rocky ground, cutting their escape short.


The sounds of the accident in front of him caused Detras’ heart sink horribly. He had trusted his mate to bring herself and Chomper to safety but it was more than clear that something had gone horribly wrong. The fastrunner’s voice was an urgent and fearful one as he called into the darkness.

“What was that, dear!? Pearl, answer to me!” He yelled, trying to keep his nerves in control as he listened to the sounds of the sharpteeth behind him. He had created some distance between himself and them, using his knowledge of this network of tunnels to his advantage. Even then, that gave him only a bit of time to think about what to do and the sight that appeared in front of him didn’t help in the least. Pearl was lying in the ground, holding her leg in apparent pain, with Chomper lying next to her, his sides filled with wounds from the fall. Pearl looked at her mate pleadingly, her voice a forced one as she spoke.

“Detras… dear, I cannot run with this leg. Please, do what you have to do!” She said, those words chilling Chomper’s heart for a few seconds as the boy had already expected her to mean that Detras should leave her to die. However, Detras knew better and he wasted no time, knowing that his mate’s life was on the line here. He ran a bit further away from her, hitting against the tunnel’s wall with all his might. He could already see his chasers’ eyes glimmering in the darkness. It would only be a few seconds until they’d reach him and it’d be all too late at that point…

Detras felt his heart beating wickedly in his chest as he looked at the predators approaching him with a scary speed. He only had one chance to make this work or her mate would die here and now… However, it wasn’t long before he felt the tunnel’s wall starting to tremble heavily, causing a smile to appear on his face. It grew only wider as rocks started to fall from the cavern’s roof, causing the tunnel to collapse entirely.

This was one of the wonders of the caverns below the Hanging Rock: their walls were beyond weak and there were many spots were they could be made to collapse utterly in situations like these. The fastrunner leaned against the fresh pile of rocks, hearing the curses of the sharpteeth on the other side. However, it would all be for nothing as this tunnel could hardly be ever opened again. That thought made Detras nearly collapse into the ground in relief but he also knew that losing one of the possible escape routes would be a huge problem in the future. After thinking about the situation for a moment, he spoke to his mate.

“Thank… thank the ancestors that worked! But… what about your leg? Don’t… don’t tell me it’s…” He said, the weight of the situation again falling on him. He walked closely towards the fallen female, knowing full well what would happen if Pearl’s leg was broken.

Chomper, on the other hand, would have just wanted to sink into the solid rock, cringing heavily at the mess he had made. It wouldn’t be long before Detras learned that his mate was hurt because of him and he knew his actions had only made everything far worse. The sharptooth’s spirits were slightly lifted when Pearl rose to her feet carefully, a slight smile rising to her face.

“No, it isn’t broken my love. But I still won’t be able to run in a few days.” She said, causing the male to narrow his eyes for a moment. Of course he was beyond happy that the worst hadn’t come to pass but… it would still be dangerous for his mate to stay still for a few days. However, he was going to stay by her side no matter what and make sure she’d make a full recovery. However, there was another thing that he had to know.

“Don’t worry about any of that, Pearl. I… I just want to know… what happened?” He asked, the implications clear. He glanced suspiciously at Chomper who clearly wanted nothing more than to just escape the fastrunner’s judging eyes. Pearl cringed as she put more weight on her leg, the pain making her yelp weakly. She took a few weak breaths to calm down before giving her answer,  knowing that her mate would be far from happy with it.

“E… everything was going well at first. I fell because Chomper had to twitch and turn too quickly which made me lose balance. I had expected even a sharptooth like him to understand that doing such a thing was an absolutely terrible thing to do.” She said in clear annoyance, causing Chomper’s head to start to droop towards the ground. The young carnivore knew that this was all his fault and there was no other way around it. The boy’s voice was beyond meek as he gave his answer.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.” That was all he managed to say, turning his eyes as far away from the omnivores as he simply could. Detras cringed deeply as he heard those words and his voice dipped with bitterness as he spoke to his quest.

“Well, from now on, do nothing if you don’t know how to act! You nearly killed my mate and forced me to ruin one of our escape paths for good! And to make things even worse, we can’t go back to Hanging Rock in a few days because those cursed sharpteeth might be waiting for us! Are you happy now? Chomper, answer to me!” He said in a hateful voice, no longer able to hide any of his vitriol towards the sharptooth. Tears started to fall from the younger male’s eyes as he heard those words, no one ever speaking to him like that before. His words were barely intelligible as he spoke.

“I didn’t mean for any of it to happen! I only wanted to see if we were losing them, mr. Fastrunner! I couldn’t know you could be felled that easily! I’ve never spoken to any of your kind before I arrived here! I’m sorry that happened but I didn’t mean any of this!” He cried, his frustration at his life more apparent by the second. Detras would have wanted nothing more than to slap the arrogant brat on his cheek but he restrained himself as he remembered that he’d still have to avoid hurting Chomper even by accident. He merely
brought his fingers to his forehead and shook his head weakly while sighing.

“Just don’t do that again, Chomper. Let’s go, dear. I’ll help you move to some place safer. The sharpteeth will find this cave sooner or later.” He said, knowing full well it to be true. It would take a lot of time but no predator would give up a free meal if there was even a chance of still catching it. Pearl knew that the coming minutes would be painful but she had no choice but to ignore her pain and move forward.

“V… very well, dear. Just… try to be gentle.” She said when the male took her hand and slowly helped her take one step… and then another. Chomper looked at them, his eyes still filled with tears as he started to follow his reluctant benefactors.


“Where are mommy and daddy, Ruby? They’ve been there for a long time!” Arial said as she and her siblings looked at the cave’s mouth, each of their nerves starting to get stretched further and further. They knew full well that the situation was dangerous but at the same time, they still wanted to see their parents as invincible. Especially Orchid and Arial were young enough to truly think so but Ruby knew it was not true. Even if she prayed otherwise, she knew that there was a possibility that her parents might not make it. Her voice was a pained one as she gave her answer.

“Indeed they have, Arial. But I’m sure they’ll make it, make it they will.” She said even if the lack of optimism in her voice was deafening. At this point, she didn’t even care what had happened to Chomper as she still didn’t approve of his antics in the least. Orchid was just about to ask something but before he could open his mouth, the trio heard a relieved cry from the cave.

“Thank the Bright Circle you’re alright, children. Your mother had an accident but otherwise we’re okay.” Detras said just before he appeared from the darkness to excited cheers of his children. Ruby yelped in happiness as she ran towards her parents but as she saw Pearl, her enthusiasm died somewhat.

“Wh… what happened to you, mommy? Are you okay?” She asked as she saw the older female limping forward in clear pain. She stopped for a brief moment to catch her breath and speak to her daughter.

“I’m fine, Ruby, especially after I’ll be able to rest for a few days. My leg got hurt due to our guest.” She said while nodding at Chomper’s direction. The sharptooth tried to look as small as possible as Ruby’s usually friendly face turned into a disapproving frown. She was far from happy to see her mother like this, especially because of the one who clearly saw himself as the one who had been wronged. The fastrunner merely snorted as she turned at her father.

“Mommy can’t get back home like this, daddy.” I think we’ll have to go our other hideout, to our other hideout we have to go!” She said, knowing this area as well as her father did. Detras nodded at those words, looking at the dark skies in slight worry. He hated to have his mate in this condition on the open as even if their initial chasers were still far away, there was zero reasons to expect they were the only sharpteeth in this region. They had to get to safety without any further delays.

“You are completely right, Ruby. Let’s get on the move now before anything worse will happen. You too, Chomper.” He said, trying his best to hide his loathing towards him. Chomper had no illusions about his situation but he did as he was told. There was nothing else he could do anyway.


The seconds were turning into hours as Chomper merely stared at the night sky. The fastrunners’ “hideout” was nothing but a small rocky area in the middle of two hills not far from the Hanging Rock. He knew it would be more than fitting for the fastrunners as a temporary refuge as there were many flowers growing near its entrances, much like in the bush he had used hidden his friends in back in his old island. That fact didn’t make him feel any better, though.

The boy glanced at the sleeping forms of Ruby, Orchid and Arial not far away from him, his face turning into a frown as he thought about it all. He had very nearly robbed their mother from them as well as their home and even the other children seemed to be becoming more hostile to him. Of course he understood why but it only made him feel more and more hated in his new family. Moreover, regret and self-pity gnawed at his heart. It seemed like he was capable of doing absolutely nothing right and that everything he did would make his hosts’ lives more miserable and as a consequence, his own as well.

As more and more moments slipped by, the sharptooth started to notice that he simply would not be able to fall asleep. Far too many things bothered his mind and even if he was dead tired, it wasn’t enough to send him to the land of sleep stories. Suddenly, the boy heard something faint in the distance. It sounded like… like some sort of speech and even now, he recognized the voices belonging to Detras and Pearl.

Before he noticed it, the sharptooth had risen to a sitting position. Had the fastbiters returned? Were there any news about Pearl’s condition? Chomper simply had to know and carefully, he started to walk towards the voices. He made sure to move as silently as he could as he had found himself underestimating the omnivores’ senses in the past. He knew they were weaker than his own but Ruby and his family had surprised him before.

Slowly, the voices grew louder and he could slowly start recognizing some words. The duo were in a small pass leading to the lower reaches of this hilly area, just far enough to keep the children from hearing what they were speaking of. Chomper put his back against the wall next to him, trying to prevent his scent from reaching the two fastrunners. The boy’s face turned into a frown as he started to listen to the duo’s conversation.

“It’s okay, dear, as I said! I’m sure I’ll be up and running in only a few days!” Pearl said in an almost annoyed voice. Chomper was happy to hear that but the sigh that followed from Detras dampened his spirits again.

“It’s not fine. We need both of us capable of running if there are some cursed fastbiters out there looking for us! I’ll be more than happy to get us food during that time but I cannot defend all of you if they return.” He said, causing his mate to stay silent for a few seconds. It was clear she was far from happy with the situation either but she tried to stay calm.

“I know, my love, and you have to leave should that ever happen. Just keep the children and Chomper safe. At least Dein and Terri will then make those bastards pay.” She said, knowing full well what the reality was. Chomper was happy to hear that he still enjoyed the omnivores’ protection. Yet, all of that changed very quickly when Detras spoke next.

“Keep Chomper safe? How can I keep that moron safe when he can’t even follow the simplest of solutions?” The hate within Detras’ voice was more than clear and it his Chomper even more severely than he had expected. At least thus far the others had tried to show some understanding towards him but now, Detras’ face was just a mask of disdain and outrage. Pearl’s answer hardly improved the poor sharptooth’s situation any.

“Of course that brat is one of the worst burdens anyone can have but remember his parents. We need their help also in the future.” She said with a clearly saddened voice. It was very clear that she had very little more patience towards the blue sharptooth which made Chomper fall into a sitting position. His misery only deepened when Detras answered his mate.

“Indeed, about that! I will make sure to tell Dein that if he doesn’t change his ways, that weakling won’t make it even to the Time of Great Growing. Chomper is the very epitome of uselessness and someone who will never achieve anything on his own! If it were up to me, I’d kick him out of our home in an instant after he did this to you.” The male said, meaning every last of those words. Pearl couldn’t really disagree with those words and she hardly sounded any more positive than her mate.

“So would I, Detras, so would I. But you know we cannot do that. We have to bear with him no matter how difficult it will be. But if he were just gone the next morning, I’d only be happy about it.”

Those words hurt Chomper terribly, the boy’s eyes staring into nothingness as the two fastrunners’ conversation continued. Th… they really wanted him gone? They thought he was an absolutely hopeless loser who would be able to survive on his own? Tears of hurt started to flow down his cheeks as he thought about it all. He had never considered himself anyone excessively skilled or gifted predator but neither had he ever expected to hear such words from anyone.

But even then… what they said was true. He had only made everything worse ever since arriving with the fastrunners so it only made sense they’d only disdain him. However, it was Pearl’s last words that continued to ring within his ears. “But if he were just gone the next morning, I’d only be happy about it.”

Well, so would he! It would be the best thing he could do to everyone if he just left the fastrunners alone and headed to search for his parents. That way he could also prove that he wasn’t utterly useless and that he at least would know how to track. With a determined expression, the young sharptooth headed for another exit from the small hideout, more than ready to leave the memory of this place behind for good.


“Where’s Chomper? Has any of you seen him?” Detras’ panicked voice rang through the tiny plain, causing Ruby’s eyes to flash open in an instant. She turned to look at her father, seeing the distressed and fearful expression on his face. The girl wasted no time giving the only answer she could.

“I don’t think so, think so I don’t! Is he missing?” The younger fastrunner asked, her siblings also waking up quickly. Detras seemed far from content with that answer and his voice neared despair as he answered to her daughter.

“We haven’t seen him anywhere this morning! It seems like’s just disappeared utterly! Because of the flowers we can’t even catch his scent anywhere!” He cried, causing Ruby’s mood to crash completely. She was far from happy with the sharptooth’s antics on the preceding night but she knew very well what his presence meant for her whole family. Her voice grew alarmed as she asked her father.

“When did you last saw him? Are there any hints where he might have gone? She asked, praying deeply that there would be some ray of light to all of this. However, Detras’ reaction hardly have her any extra hope.

“No, there isn’t. We haven’t seen him since we arrived here last evening. But we have to find him or we’ll all be lost! Dein and Terri will have our heads for this!” Detras yelled, already seeing Chomper being torn to pieces by other sharpteeth in his mind’s eye. He was growing increasingly panicked but it all and Ruby couldn’t blame him at all.

“It cannot be the fastbiters as we would have noticed them while they got here! He must have left on his own!” She said, causing the male to take a more thoughtful expression. Slowly, he started to calm down but it was clear that the situation had taken a horrible toll on him. His voice was a silent one as he commented on the girl’s observations.

“Hmm… you’re right. No sharptooth will ever be able to sneak on my family and get away with it! I don’t even want to know what made that brat run away like this but I’m sure he headed after his parents. That unthankful idiot always wanted to stay with them instead of giving us a chance. I don’t want to move one finger to save him but sadly, it isn’t an option.” He said while gritting his teeth. He had no wish at all to save Chomper but the price of doing otherwise was simply too great. Detras felt even worse due to the fact that his mate was unable to help him in any way which meant that everything was falling on him. How could he search for Chomper and defend his mate and children at the same time? He didn’t notice the thoughtful look on Ruby’s face until she opened her mouth.

“Do you have any idea where his parents might be?” She asked, causing Detras to take a deep sigh. It was clear the answer was not making him any happier.

“If they’re trying to take out Red Claw, they probably went south from here, to the lands near the Great Valley. But it’s a long way and we have no way of telling which way Chomper took to that direction. It might be days before I found him and even if I did, that brat would likely just try to send me away. I have no wish to carry him all the way back here with force only for him to escape again.” He said, cursing his options. He couldn’t force anyone to stay here against his or her will and he had no idea how to reason with the stubborn sharptooth.

That answer made Ruby frown slightly. Her father’s words weren’t wrong in the least as she knew very well that he and Chomper weren’t on good terms in the least. She hated the idea that was starting to form in her mind but the more she thought about it, the more sense it seemed to make. She gulped slightly as she spoke but didn’t hesitate to say it.

“Umm, daddy… maybe I should go look for him.” She said, causing Detras’ eyes to flash in clear shock. His voice rose immediately and he stuttered in clear shock.

“W… what? Absolutely no, Ruby! What brought such a thing into your mind!?” He asked in utter disbelief. Ruby, on the other hand, cleared her throat as she started to explain herself.

“Daddy, I know what you think but mommy, Arial and Orchid need you here to protect them and get them food. Besides, as you said, Chomper might not listen to you and your quest could fail because of that. I don’t know if he likes me either but I still have a better chance. I hope.” She added as an afterthought, causing Detras to rub the corner of his eye in clear fear and worry. His voice wavered as he gave his answer.

“Ruby, you have to understand those fastbiters are still out there and you simply are not ready to face them on your own. And besides, you are never going to find Ch…” He started to say but at that point, Ruby decided to interrupt him. Her voice carried no malice or disrespect but she knew she was right. This was something she had to do and her father had to see it as well.

“Then when will I be ready, daddy? You hardly trained me for all these seasons just to do nothing and this would be the time for me to prove that all those lessons weren’t for nothing. Please, give me this chance to prove that!” She said pleadingly, not wanting to push her father more than absolutely possible. The girl knew that she was asking a huge show of trust from the male but she had great trust he would understand that this would be the best way to move forward.

Detras, on the other hand, could only stare at his daughter in clear confusion. Of course Ruby was right but… she had never done something like this before! It seemed to be a mere moment since she had been as young as her siblings were now, someone who could hardly be left alone for even a moment. He could already see Ruby being torn to pieces and all he’d find would be some bloody remains of her plumage… he was already on the verge of declining her request once and for all but… he couldn’t.

After all, what were his options? He couldn’t possibly leave the rest of his family here alone and as Ruby said, she was the only one that could find Chomper besides her father. And the more he thought about it, Detras had to admit that he hadn’t been utterly helpless at her age either. With a pained look on his face, he knelt in front of Ruby and put his hands on her shoulders and looked at her eyes with a grave expression.

“Ruby, look at me. Do you have any idea what you are planning to do? Do you realize just what can happen out there? Do you know how I, your mother, brother and sister would feel if you didn’t return to us? I want to believe you are ready but I ask you directly, do you think you will succeed yourself?” He said while looking right at Ruby’s eyes, his eyes radiating nothing but worry and genuine curiosity.

Her father’s gesture caused Ruby’s heart to skip a beat. Of course she had gone through this herself but it felt far different when her beloved father asked her that question. In her heart, she could already see Detras’ face turning into a mask of sorrow and self-loathing should he learn of her death. She nearly burst into tears but suddenly, her expression became firmer and she took a deep breath before she gave her answer.

“Don’t you remember what you told me, daddy? You’ve always said that in times of danger, every one of us have to work for the common good. You’ve done so very much for all of us and it’s time for me to do so as well and right now, that is all I can do! I am ready for this, ready for this I am!” She said with a firm look, clearly meaning every words she said. She had made her decision, now all she could do was hope that her father accepted it.

The older fastrunner continued to look at her daughter for many more seconds. He hated having this talk with her right now but something within her confidence gave him hope that she knew what she was doing. Intense concern and pride filled him as he suddenly embraced Ruby wholeheartedly, his voice wavering deeply as he spoke to her.

“Just promise me to be careful, Ruby. Please, don’t do something careless and I’m sure you’ll be more than ready.” He said, his heart beating wickedly in his chest. Ruby was astonished by the gesture at first but it wasn’t long before she calmed down and returned her father’s gesture. Her voice was beyond soft as she gave her answer.

“I promise, daddy. But I have to get going as Chomper gets further away every second I spend here!” She said, earning a nod from the older omnivore. Detras released him slowly and spoke to her in deep approval.

“Indeed he does. Don’t waste more time and I’ll make sure all’s well when you and Chomper return!” He yelled, causing the girl to turn around. She turned to look at the southern entrance to the fastrunners’ temporary shelter and sprinted towards it as fast as she could.


Chomper’s already low spirits continued to grow ever worse as he continued his lonely march forward. The Bright Circle was high in the sky and the pleasant warmth of the last night had turned into oppressive heat. He was feeling horrible and even worse, he had very little idea where he even was going. He knew his parents had gone to fight Red Claw but they had never truly told him where his territory was. And he had no way to catch his parents’ scent this long after their departure.

Even then, the young sharptooth wasn’t willing to give up. He had been taught to track in his old island even if it had never been his forte. But sooner or later, he would find his parents’ scent again and after that, it’d be only a matter of time until he’d be able to reunite with them. At the very least he didn’t have the hostile fastrunners on his heels at every last second of his waking time and that alone was something that made breathing at least a bit easier.

However, it was more difficult to get out of the mountains surrounding the Hanging Rock than he had expected. The terrain was a complete maze and he had really no idea which path to take. His parents had most likely taken some wide and direct path towards the south but finding one was turning out to be a real challenge. Chomper increased his pace as he moved to explore the next pass near to him, frowning as he noticed how narrow it was. His parents would have never been able to fit there but even then, what better options did he have? He could as well take a look and hope that he’d find something of value out there.

The only things Chomper heard were his own footsteps. the atmosphere was getting ghastly for him and the echoes in the surrounding walls made shivers creep down the boy’s spine. The situation was slowly turning into a somewhat threatening one and Chomper sprinted forward to get out of this place as soon as possible. He wanted nothing more than to get out of this wasteland and again see the faces of his parents. The sharptooth panted heavily as he approached the opening of the pass, hoping that he’d finally see something of interest out there. However, the only thing that greeted him was a loud cry from his right.

“There he is! Don’t let that brat escape!” A rough male voice cried and before Chomper could even react to that call, he felt his arms being grabbed firmly, robbing him of any of his chances of escaping. His eyes flashed open as he stared at his captors, noticing that it was the very same trio that had tried to get him on the previous day. Realizing that any further resistance was futile, he simply inhaled in fear and whispered in a fearful voice.

“W… what will you do to me?” That was all he could say, surprised they hadn’t just finished him immediately. He was of course glad about that but even then, a very worrying feeling stirred within his chest. One of his captors then knelt to his level and answered in the most venomous voice imaginable.

“Now, Chomper, understand a few things. You will stay silent no matter happens and maybe we won’t hurt you. Try to escape and I promise you that you will regret the day you hatched. Now, follow us and do as we say. Did I make myself clear?” He said, almost provoking a prompt answer from Chomper before he remembered the first point. He merely nodded awkwardly, earning a slight smile from the fastbiter. The young carnivore had no idea what kind of mess he had got himself to but he knew that the coming hours or days could well be his last ones.


Ruby snorted as she smelled at the ground, again noticing that she couldn’t find Chomper’s trail anywhere nearby. She cursed the fact that the flowers around her family’s hideout  made tracking anywhere near it almost impossible. Because of them, she had a far larger area to probe than in a normal situation but she simply couldn’t afford even thinking of giving up. If she did so, she would just have wasted precious time her father could have used to find the young sharptooth. An uncomfortable feeling was starting to form within Ruby’s stomach as she thought about her situation.

A deep sigh escaped Ruby’s mouth as she looked around herself. There were so many directions he could have gone to and she could only start guessing which one it was. However, she realized that it would be impossible to investigate this entire area and she brought her fingers to her chin as she started to think about where Chomper could have went. After all, the world had to look different from a sharptooth’s perspective.

The first thing that jumped to her mind were the boy’s much shorter legs that made moving much slower for him. The omnivore looked at the countless openings around her, realizing that while they were relatively close for her, it’d take Chomper much longer to reach. It was unlikely he’d want to walk any more than necessary in this heat and with a determined look, Ruby turned to look at the closest opening southward. She couldn’t smell the carnivore’s scent anywhere but maybe she would if she risked it and run a bit further away from home.

The female felt her heart starting to beat harder in her chest as she thought about her situation. She did her best to stay silent and listen to any signs from possible predators but even then, she knew she was in clear danger. It was very possible for a group of sharpteeth to surround her in this kind of a hurry and at that point, none of her kind’s tricks would help. Even then, she tried to keep her focus on the task at hand and after a few minutes of sprinting, the fastrunner stopped to smell at the ground.

At first, she thought she would be disappointed again but after a few seconds, her sniffer sensed something that made her eyes grow wide. Her guess had been correct! This was the direction the young predator had went! Her eyes grew wide with newfound hope as she realized that she had almost done it! All she had to do anymore was to follow this trail and convince Chomper to come with her! With a careful smile, the omnivore ran forward faster than ever, knowing that the faster she found Chomper, the faster she’d be back home relieving her father’s obvious worries.

Now that she had his scent, the maze turned into a near-linear path for the omnivore. She knew just where the boy had went and of course, the closer she got to him, the stronger the trail became. However, before long it was joined by three other scents and it didn’t take long for her to recognize them. They belonged to the same fastbiters that had attacked her and her family last night! The girl shook her head in clear distress, knowing just what this meant.

“Oh, Chomper, why did you have to do this? I will do my best to help you but I don’t know what’ll happen if my best isn’t good enough.”


His steps were beyond forced and nervous as Chomper walked between his three captors. They had walked in complete silence for nearly an hour at this point and he had absolutely no idea where they were going. They were taking him towards the east and he had no idea what was out there. At least the ground had started to turn from rocky to a softer type which made walking a bit easer but that was only a slight relief. The continuing uncertainty and silence was seriously getting on his nerves, especially as his mental state was far from the best either.

The young sharptooth looked at his companions, frowning as he saw the expectant looks on their faces. They clearly thought that this trip would help them in some profound way. All explanations to that optimism made the boy cringe and deep down, he was starting to believe this could be his very last day. After all, who would save him from this mess? His parents were likely nowhere nearby and the fastrunners had hardly bothered to even look for him. They had always hated him after all so he had only himself to trust on right now. Little did he knew that he was being watched right now.


Her breaths grew tenser as Ruby looked at the four sharpteeth not far in front of herself. She was using the vegetation to her advantage and the wind was blowing in the perfect direction for her. She knew her color was far from the optimal one for camouflage purposes but that was something she couldn’t help now. All she could do was try to get Chomper and head away from here before the hostile carnivores could hurt her or Chomper.

But it was easier said than done. She had to start this effort alone and it was far from sure whether Chomper would be able to help at all. One wrong move and she’d serve as the trio’s feast tonight. The plus was that if everything went well, this entire task would take only a few seconds but as usual, Chomper could ruin it by hesitating or by being unable to do as he was told. But that was something that she had to live with and besides, there was no reason to waste any more time on thinking about everything that could go wrong. Every step she took would be another step she’d have to take on the return journey.

Practically speaking, alarming the sharpteeth and forcing their attention away from Chomper was the safest route to take. That would buy her a few seconds to get Chomper and then try to disappear into the distance before the sharpteeth even realized what was going on. The problem was that she had no idea how to do it and how to get Chomper way from here quickly enough. The fastrunner looked at the scene around her, noticing that there were very few trees around here which took one opportunity away from her.
With a deep sigh, Ruby had to admit that there was only one way to deal a blow to her opponents’ courage and that was to make a move against them herself. Maybe, just maybe, if she could ambush one of them, Chomper could try to take another one of them out, giving them a real chance to make it out of here. After all, Chomper was still a sharptooth and he could be helpful in attacking the fastbiters to win his own freedom.

The female knew it was an extremely risky plan but there were no possible tools to help her cause mayhem among the trio and sometimes even her kind had to dirty their claws. Knowing that it was all or nothing at this point, Ruby took a deep breath as she moved ever closer to the predators. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, picturing the coming minute in her mind before she finally rose to her full height and charged at the three fastrunners. It was but a few seconds before she jumped at the closest sharptooth, tackling her into the ground in a violent force.


The thud caused by that attack made Chomper’s heart skip a beat and he wasted no time turning towards that scene, his eyes growing wide as he saw the sight in front of him. He had never expected Ruby of all dinosaurs to come after him and he couldn’t help but feel a small burst of warmth filling his heart. However, before he could speak, Ruby snapped at him in a sharp voice.

“Chomper, take another one of them out! I’ll help you but please, act quickly!” She yelled, hitting her own opponent in the head as strongly as she simply could. The female
fastbiter let out a pained groan, signaling to Ruby that she wouldn’t be able to chase her and Chomper at least in a while.

Ruby’s order caused Chomper’s mouth to turn into a slight smile. While he didn’t love fighting or bloodshed, his blood still cried for him to defend himself against those who had tried to harm him. With a prompt jump, he leaped towards a nearby male but to the younger carnivore’s unfortunate, his opponent had had time to prepare for his attack. He dodged Chomper’s attack and instead hit at his side, sending him into the ground. He moved closer to Chomper, preparing to finish the job.

“I think we made it clear that we wouldn’t tolerate any such follies, Chomper. While our boss would prefer to have you alive, he’ll accept you as dead as well.” He said, preparing to strike at the poor predator. Chomper, on the other hand, was far more spirited than he could remember in a long time. Something within his abduction and Ruby’s arrival made him more than willing to give his all to beating these cowards.

The boy rose back to his feet and moved to his left, immediately biting at other carnivore’s hand, feeling blood trickling down his snout. The fastbiter cried in pain at that development but he wouldn’t have lived for this long if he had allowed such a thing to render him incapable of continuing the fight. He cringed and kicked right at Chomper’s belly, causing him to again fall into the ground. However, doing so also caused Chomper’s teeth tear his entire arm open all the way into the bone which made the older predator to scream again agony, making him unable to finish the job before the two-footer managed to regain his footing.

He wasted no time running back towards his foe and striking him in his abdomen, causing new wounds to appear. The fastbiter was still reeling from the sickening wound in his arm and before he could do anything else, he felt another massive blow in his back. Ruby charged against him with all his might, sending the sharptooth into the ground with a violent force. The girl panted a few times before crying to her companion.

“Let’s go, Chomper! Two of them are knocked out, now’s our chance!” She cried, not making the mistake of running away immediately after speaking those words. Chomper’s eyes widened as he looked at the fastrunner, more than willing to ask her the few obvious questions but he realized there was no time for that. He did as told while saying the only thing he could in this situation.

“Thanks for coming to save me, Ruby! Let’s get away from here!” He cried, running with all his might towards the grassy plain not far from him. He looked at the surviving fastbiter nervously, knowing full well that he could turn out to be a danger in the minutes to come. Even if he was alone, a sharptooth still couldn’t give up without a fight. Besides, he was a much faster runner than Chomper was which would make it difficult for the latter to make distance between himself and his chaser.

Ruby knew this as well but even then, her spirits were much better than only a few minutes earlier. She and Chomper had at least momentarily taken out two of the fastbiters and she had no doubts the third one could be handled as well. It wasn’t long before she and Chomper disappeared into the tall grass, immediately followed by the hostile carnivore. A slight smile rose to Ruby’s smile as she saw a large stone in front of herself, realizing just what she’d have to do. She turned at Chomper and spoke to him deviously.

“What do you say, Chomper? Would you be able to help me handle this sharptooth as well?” She knew perfectly well that to be a rhetorical question. Chomper had no options but to help her in any case right now and she wasted no time throwing the stone at the fastbiters with all her might. It landed right between his eyes, the impact stunning him for a brief moment. The duo used it to jump towards him simultaneously, determined to make this brief opening count. The older sharptooth was astonished by this turn of events but he wasn’t helpless by all means. Determining that the omnivore was a larger threat due to her age and size, he kicked at Ruby as she approached him, the female only barely able to dodge its full impact.

However, she still wasn’t completely successful in evading the hit. Ruby cringed deeply as she felt the beast’s claws hit her left thigh, that moment seemingly lasting for hours as she felt the wound growing larger bit by bit. With a pained look, she noticed that her own blood was dripping into the ground with a steady stream, causing the young omnivore to grow numb for a few moments.

That sight made Chomper’s eyes grow wide, something within it making him feel beyond furious. Ruby had come all this way to risk her life to help him and this was her prize? Suddenly, Chomper was no longer feeling helpless or lost. Ruby had done this all to help him and that knowledge made him more determined than in ages. He would pay back Ruby’s kindness and he wouldn’t allow her to be hurt any further.

The sharptooth jumped towards the fastrunner before he could recover his posture after the last hit. He bit him in the shoulder while scratching the carnivore’s leg with his claws. His heart beat with righteous fury as he dug ever deeper into the other carnivore’s flesh, a predator’s instincts filling him for the first time in ages. Right now, he was no longer the Chomper most had known but a predator going for the throat of his enemy. His size and youth were the only things preventing him from doing just that.

Ruby looked at that sight with wide eyes. She had fully expected Chomper to be a completely useless weakling like her parents had implicated but here he was, completely proving himself to be both a faithful friend and a trustworthy ally. While she couldn’t help but feel slightly unsettled by Chomper’s sudden brutality, she knew he was doing this because of her. He could have just used this skirmish as an opportunity to leave her fight off the sharptooth while he ran off but he had decided to stay here and fight for her. However, she still didn’t want Chomper to slaughter his opponent and she cried at him in a mixture of uncertainty and eagerness.

“Chomper, let him be! He’s far too badly hurt to keep up with us! Now, we have to go before the others recover and find us! Chomper, please!”

Those words hardly registered within the young sharptooth’s mind at first. He was far too keenly invested in avenging Ruby’s injury to care about anything else right now. However, she wasn’t completely successful in ignoring her and she continued to plead him to give up, his more rational mind slowly started to fight back against the bloodthirst. Most of the grief she had caused Ruby and her family was namely because of his inability to listen to reason and even if it was beyond difficult for him, Chomper suddenly disengaged from the melee and turned at Ruby.

“Lead the way! You know much more about hiding than I do, Ruby.” She said, his last word even holding some affinity towards the girl. It wasn’t lost on the omnivore and her spirits continued to improve as she started to create more and more distance between herself and the last fastbiter. Indeed she knew how to get away from her chasers as her sniffer caught the scent of something that made her spirits improve immediately. She looked at Chomper quickly before speaking to him in a spirited voice.

“There’s a water path not far from us! We have to use it to wash away our scent because if they don’t have our scent, they can no longer follow us!” She said, knowing full well that the situation was turning to her and her companion’s advantage. However, she couldn’t help but regret the wound in her leg as it prevented her from running as fast as normally. But to her surprise, it seemed as if Chomper still struggled to keep up with her which brought a new thought to her mind.

How different would the world seem if this was her maximum speed all the time? The omnivore was beyond thankful that the three fastbiters weren’t in their best condition either but she could already feel the terror of being unable to escape from a sharptooth only because her legs didn’t carry her fast enough. Of course Chomper’s kind had its own ways to deal with threats but Ruby couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of what her companion had to be going through while trying to do as her parents told him. The difference between their and Chomper’s speed was astounding and one that Ruby knew she’d keep in mind even after she managed to get back to the Hanging Rock. However, those thoughts were soon cut short as the water path appeared in front of her. She didn’t waste time saying her command to the sharptooth.

“Let’s swim right! Let’s not waste any more time!” She said but Chomper’s eyes widened as he heard those words. His voice trembled as he spoke.

“But… that’ll only take us closer to the fastbiters! Let’s go the other way, Ruby!” He said, convinced that the wound was preventing Ruby from thinking straight. However, the girl’s answer was as prompt as it was decisive.

“And that’s why they think we’d go left, Chomper! They’ll head the wrong way and once they realize their mistake, it’ll be far too late for them to ever find us again! Now, come with me!” She said, that explanation causing Chomper’s worries to dissipate to a large degree. Ruby’s plan suddenly made more sense and he wasted no time running into the water right after the omnivore. The water path was rather narrow but it was just wide enough to wash away the duo’s scent once and for all. Ruby knew that just as well and she spoke to her companion in a kind voice.

“Try to keep your head as low as you can so that they won’t see us even if they find the water path in time. We will survive from this, you’ll see.” She said as she continued to swim as fast as she simply could. The seconds passed on slowly and bit by bit, the two young dinosaurs managed to get ever further away from the spot they had entered the river in. Ruby took a deep breath as she determined that she and Chomper were now far enough from danger and she then spoke to the sharptooth.

“We’re far enough from the fastbiters now, Chomper. Let’s get away from here.” She said as she headed towards the shore, allowing herself a deep breath of relief as she looked at the sky. She had done it! She had found and saved the young sharptooth and she had survived that quest as well! She hadn’t betrayed her father’s trust and with any luck, she could get back home before the Night Circle rose into the sky. She turned to look at her companion and spoke to him in a soft voice.

“Chomper… thank you so much for what you did out there! If you hadn’t attacked that sharptooth, I… I wouldn’t be here, here I wouldn’t be!” She said, knowing it to be true. The sharptooth had nearly slaughtered her and it had only been the young carnivore’s quick actions that had saved her.

The boy, on the other hand, couldn’t hide his surprise at those words at first. It even took a long time for him to realize what she meant as it had been Ruby who had helped him so many times. The girl’s genuine humbleness and warmness caused Chomper’s face to turn into a wide smile and he crossed his arms behind his back as he silently gave his answer.

“D… don’t worry about that, Ruby. I just acted even if I hadn’t meant to. It was you who saved me from those fastbiters and… it was my fault any of this happened. I’m so sorry about everything. I hurt your mommy that badly and still you risk your life for me.” He said, almost hoping that he could simply disappear from the female’s eyes for good. The things he had done made him beyond sickened but Ruby’s next gesture caused him to grow more than puzzled. She knelt in front of him and grabbed his arms while looking at him with keen eyes.

“Chomper, listen to me. It is true that you did a terrible thing for mommy and it hurt daddy really much. I would be lying if I said I was happy to come after you and if I were completely honest, I hated the idea of having to do all of this because of you.” She said, those words causing Chomper’s heart to drop immediately. Had Ruby come here to simply make him feel worse again? However, something within the female’s voice told him to listen to her until she finished.

“However, I see some sides of you in this fight and escape that I hadn’t seen before. You looked only like a confused hatchling when we first met and if completely honest, I didn’t really like you. I didn’t like how daddy and mommy spoke about you but neither did I disagree with them, especially as you sent me away when I tried to help.” She said, crossing her arms as she stopped to hold  a brief pause. Chomper looked at her in clear shame, able to only form a few words in his defense.

“I’m sorry, Ruby. I should have listened to you.” He said, trying to avoid the fastrunner’s gaze. Ruby’s expression, however, softened slightly as she heard those words. She cocked her head slightly as she continued, hoping that this talk would have a satisfactory conclusion,

“Yes you should have. You shouldn’t have done anything you did yesterday but what’s done is done. But as I said, I saw a new part of you today, a new part of you I saw! You can be a good friend when you can and please, don’t keep me and my family away from you! Neither of us has a choice but to live together and at least I am willing to be your friend if you just let me.” She said, the duo’s eyes again meeting as Chomper considered those words. He could hardly believe those words as he had already thought that the fastrunner hated him. The boy stuttered as he tried to give his answer.

“Are… are you serious, Ruby? Even after forcing you through this entire chase?” He asked, hardly able to form words at this point. Ruby glanced at the sky for a brief moment, thinking about how unlike any other sharptooth she had seen Chomper was. There wasn’t a hint of arrogance or hostility within him and she started to like that more and more with every second. There wasn’t any sign of hesitation or insincerity as the omnivore gave her answer.

“Yes, that was very stupid of you but look at it this way: if you hadn’t ran away, you would never have had a chance to prove yourself to me or myself to you. It is a very stupid reasoning, I know, but even a stupid reasoning can be the right one in retrospect. After all, we learned so much about each other today. So was it worth it? Of course!” She said with a wide smile, knowing that deep inside the male agreed with her.

And indeed, he could only stare at the female with a blank expression, not really able to deny her words. Even then, he was astonished that his companions was able to act like this even after everything that had come to pass. It was becoming more and more clear that the omnivore was a very special dinosaur in many ways and the smile that appeared on his face sneakily mirrored the array of emotions that streamed into Chomper’s heart as he gave his answer.

“I… I think you’re right, Ruby. Things could have gone differently but here we are. And of course I accept your friendship… if you truly want it.” He said meekly, causing Ruby’s smile to only widen. She was just about to say something in response but she suddenly s topped as she sniffed at the air. She blinked once before whispering to her companion.

“The fastbiters are at the river, Chomper. Let’s get out of here before they get even a chance to find us.” She said to which the boy merely gulped and nodded. After all, they still had a long way ahead of themselves if they wanted to get to the Hanging Rock today.


The fastbiter’s face turned into an ever deeper frown as he looked around himself, cursing as he realized that Chomper and her helper’s scent just stopped hear once and for all. He shook his head as he heard his two companions approached him, knowing just what this failure meant. Every part of his body still ached from the beating the younger sharptooth
had given him and the first question from one of his companions hardly improved his mood any.

“I can’t believe you let them away, Keeneye! You should at least have stayed near them so they wouldn’t have been able to lose us!” The female said to which the other sharptooth growled threateningly, revealing his teeth towards the other fastbiter. His voice was beyond enraged as he gave his answer.

“You didn’t do any better, you fool! But stop whining and get to work! We have to find that brat or Stealth will show us just what happens to losers like us! Don’t waste any more time!” He yelled and the two others did as they were told. After all, they knew that even if their master wasn’t known to be as cruel as the other sharpteeth, the sailback still would make them regret their failure many times over. Sadly for them, the duo he was after was already long gone.


“She’s been gone for a long while, dear. You shouldn’t have let her go.” Pearl said in a tensed voice, still socked to hear that the male had allowed their daughter to go after Chomper alone. The day had been beyond tense as the wounded female was far from sure on how to respond to that development. Detras looked at her with a tortured look, leaning against the rocky wall in clear anxiety. His breaths were beyond forced as he looked at the late evening’s sky. Ruby had been gone the whole day and the more time passed, the more sickening his thoughts became. His voice trembled in fear as he answered.

“I know, Pearl. I don’t know what I was thinking but it seemed like the only way at that time. I’ll go look for her if she doesn’t return by morning.” He said with a worried voice. He had made many decisions he regretted in his life but this was certainly becoming one of the worst ones. What in earth could her poor daughter do to stop a trio of fastbiters? He had practically sent Ruby to her death! How in earth could he move on from her loss? How could he ever even start the process of forgiving himself?

Seeing her mate’s increasing mental anguish made Pearl’s own fury at Detras’ decision die down a bit. Even if she couldn’t even start understanding the male’s reasoning, she knew he had done it only for the benefit of his family. And in a way, the situation was her fault as well. If she hadn’t fallen back in the cave, Detras wouldn’t have had to make such decisions in the first place. She took Detras’ arm and tried to prevent the situation from turning from bad to worse.

“Dear, we don’t know how Ruby is doing now. It is possible she might not even find the fastbiters and that she returns to us alive even if she failed. She is more clever and resourceful than we give her credit for.” She said, believing every last one of her own words even if she still was far from certain whether it’d be enough. However, those words were far from enough to calm Detras down.

“And then what? Dein and Terri will be on our heels and that means Ruby’s end soon enough as well! I’ve doomed us all, Pearl.” He said in a morbid voice, willing to hurt himself for his utter idiocy. It was only his mate’s presence that kept him somewhat calm but even then, he knew he was right. If Chomper didn’t survive, there was little hope for the fastrunners either. Pearl sighed deeply before starting to speak.

“My love, calm down. Let’s try to live a moment at a time. We don’t know anything about how things will turn out.” She said, causing the other omnivore to sigh deeply and look at the ground. Detras’ expression communicated nothing but self-loathing and fear as he spoke, the entire last day feeling like a bad sleep story for him.

“That’s all we can do. But I can’t help but see her already lying half-dead somewhere out there, crying for us to help her…

“Um… hi, mommy and daddy. I’m sorry I took so long, sorry I am.”
Those words spoken by an unusually meek voice nearly made Detras’ heart stop. He could hardly move his finger but somehow his head turned towards the direction of her daughter. Here she was, alive and with all her limbs intact… and Chomper was with her! Detras could hardly even start to control his actions as he rushed towards her, closing her in his embrace. Tears of joy flowed down his cheeks as he spoke to the girl.

”It really is you, Ruby! I had already feared that I’d never see you again! You never cease to surprise me!” He said as the tension of the last discussion wore off. Ruby welcomed her father’s appreciation but her next words weren’t quite what Detras had expected.

“Daddy, I can’t breathe! I’m okay, really!” She said, slowly prompting the male to release her. Pearl slowly limped towards her daughter, trembling as she also embraced her softly. Her voice wavered with emotion as she spoke to the younger omnivore.

“Somehow I knew you’d return to us, Ruby. Thank you for proving our worries wrong.” She said as Ruby looked at her parents with wide eyes. Chomper looked at them awkwardly, deciding it’d be a good idea to be silent for a while longer. Ruby took a slight sigh as she gave her answer.

“It was a long day but Chomper is back with us again, again with us he is! And we lost the fastbiters far away from here. I don’t think they’ll be able to find the Hanging Rock again.” She said, knowing that the carnivores had always had a hard time solving the labyrinth of passes and tunnels that surrounded her home. It was now as safe as ever. Detras nodded at her with an approving nod before turning at the other returning dinosaur.

“You truly were more ready than I had dared to hope. I’m very proud of you, Ruby. As for you, Chomper, I…” He started but before he got further, Ruby cut him short. She and Chomper knew this talk was inevitably coming and she didn’t hesitate to give her answer.

“Daddy, stop. I know what you’re thinking but let me speak a few words in his defense. We all know what Chomper did and he is very sorry about that. But he showed to me that he isn’t nearly as weak or untrustworthy as we thought. I’m sure we can all live together if we just forget what happened and move on. Chomper, apologize for what you did.” She said, knowing that only Chomper himself could speak on his own behalf. The sharptooth cleared his throat as he stepped forward, trying to look as normal as possible.

“Hi again, Mr. and Ms. Fastrunner. I indeed am sorry for all the things I caused you and you have all the right to hate me. But I’d be very happy if you gave me another chance. Ruby’s efforts to save me from the fastbiters showed me she really wanted to help me and in our journey back, I really learned to think of her as… as a friend. I’d like to stay here with her but please, don’t think of me as an outsider. I really want prove to you that I’m not the sharptooth you think I am.” He said while crossing his fingers, looking longingly at Detras’ eyes.

The duo’s heartfelt eyes caused the male fastrunner’s eyes to narrow as he thought about what he had heard. He had very little affinity for the boy after what he had done and even now, he would have wanted to banish him from his home for good. However, Ruby’s expression didn’t even flinch as she heard Chomper’s words which made Detras more than puzzled. It seemed that the two really liked each other’s company and that Ruby didn’t find the sharptooth’s words exaggerated in any way. And truth be told, he’d be beyond stupid to start fighting with Chomper over that as it’d make guarding him much more difficult. Detras knelt in front of him and spoke to him calmly but firmly.

“I would more than welcome that, Chomper. But that requires something from you as well. Promise me that from now on, you will do as we say and never run away from here again. In return, we will make sure to regard you as one of us for as long as you stay here. We both made mistakes in the past but I’m more than willing to move on. As I think we all are.” Detras said as she glanced at his mate and Orchid and Arial’s sleeping forms in the distance. Chomper’s eyes widened in happiness as he spoke to the older dinosaur.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Fastrunner! I am sure I won’t let you down again. And Ruby, thanks for coming for me. I was such an idiot.” He said to which Ruby merely smiled widely.
Her voice was beyond soft as she gave her answer.

“We all make mistakes, Chomper, but without that misadventure of sorts but this one had a happy ending. So when it comes to mistakes, your was one of the better ones.” She said with a chuckle, causing Chomper to also smile. Detras looked at the two young dinosaurs, feeling for the first time since Chomper’s arrival that there might be a bright future for his family after all.


And here’s my entry for the April prompt. As you may have noticed, I’ve had bit of a hiatus in the past months and I apologize for that. Those months have been harsh for me as they’ve been filled with anxiety and other mental issues but I finally feel well enough to write again even if not as much as before. I truly hope this fic is at least close to the quality you’ve come to expect. However, my future works are far from clear right now. I left the Discord server nor do I have plans to be active here on the forum either so this will be my last prompt for the foreseeable future. That being said, I hope you’ll like this offering.

[Anagnos]

It is quite melancholic that this story is unarguably the last that we will see in a while from such a brilliant writer. Over the time that I’ve gotten to know you, it continues to amaze me how immersive your stories are and it is with great compunction that the recent events have affected your life so negatively. But if there is one good thing among all the bad, it is that these stories will never leave my mind and I’ll forever preserve them in my memory should we lose an exceptional author like yourself.

First of all, I would like to congratulate you for writing a stalwart sequel to Chomper and Ruby’s early life in the ever so hazardous environment. And dare I say that this one was much more intriguing than the predecessor for one reason above all: the previous installment lacked the familiar feeling of consternation these characters go through. While it is not the highest of quality one can expect from you, this story in itself is deserving of acclamation for the message it evoke in the reader – friendships can be formed even if the future looks disconsolate. To me, this story was more about the forming of friendship that would last ad infinitum than the perilous journey.

While I did not expect to see Chomper and Ruby resort to arguing about what transpired between their families, there was a lot that needed to be said on both sides of the argument to understand the hidden feeling beneath. The way these two behaved in this scene is greatly disparate to the duo we know in the series and you managed to sell the idea of their incipient meeting well here that is sure to surprise the reader. Albeit you did bring out the best and worst of them both in a way that was interesting, the confrontation was concluded too early in my opinion and I would have liked to see them engage more in discussion. This could have provided us a more clear viewpoint of what they felt like, although your approach worked as well.

The relationship between the fastrunners and sharptooth started out as a necessary precaution forced upon the former group by their supposed allies, in which you can clearly see how it affected the fastrunners both mentally and physically. However, when it came down to the main antagonist force in the story, the fastbiter trio didn’t come off as a real threat at all, but more like an annoying nuisance reminding us of its presence in the background. Although the revelation that they were working for the sanguinary sailback, Stealth, worked to improve their status. It also showed just how desperate Stealth is to kill Chomper if he keeps sending sharpeeth to do his dirty work for him.

I truly hope to see more stories from you in the future as they were one of the main reasons I wished to start writing fanfiction as well and it would be a major loss for the entire community to lose someone of your stature. The future is not written, but should you return, I’ll be awaiting heartily for more engaging stories should you find inspiration.

[rhombus]

I must second what Anagnos has already said, it is quite bittersweet to read this good story and to realize that it is the last offering that we may see from you for quite some time.  I do hope that, with the passing of time that you will consider returning to the forum again on a regular basis.

This story presents to us how the friendship between Ruby and Chomper began in the continuity which you have established in Separate Ways.  It soon becomes apparent to us readers that the start of Chomper's time with the fastrunner family was a rocky one, with the sharptooth first being greeted with a sense of burden, and then actual contempt after the mishap with the initial escape from the fastbiters.  How both of these dinosaurs react here (and Ruby's parents as well) is quite jarring when compared with the depiction presented in the television series, but this showcases to us the general premise of this story: Not all things begin in the same manner that they end.  That is certainly true in this case and I think that you present this initial growth from allies of necessity to the beginnings of friendship quite well.

If there is one weakness in this story then it probably rests with the antagonists being eliminated as threats a bit too suddenly.  That being said, if one looks at this from an episodic perspective, the pacing does fit the nature of the story well.  The fastrunners were presented rather suddenly with the duty to watch Chomper and had to adjust to this new reality.  As such, the sudden resolution to the antagonists and the lingering of some tension between Chomper and the fastrunners creates a kind of symmetry with the beginning of the story.

With all that being said, I quite like how this story filled in some of the details concerning the Separate Ways continuity and the beginnings of the fastrunners' duties towards Chomper.  This adds to our understanding of these characters and how they have changed over time.  As such I quite enjoyed this story and think that it is a worthy addition to your continuity.

[OwlsCantRead]

I definitely felt unease seeing the chasm between host and guest in this one, so you succeeded in showing that Ruby and Chomper's relationship wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Although Detras admittedly grated on me due to his malicious outbursts, I could see where his frustration was coming from, having been coerced to care for Chomper against his will caused him to lash out at his charge by proxy in place of the sharptooth parents.

My one gripe is that Chomper running away due to being insecure about himself was also somewhat used in the TV series, but the tenuous reconciliation as Ruby and Chomper escape the fastbiters and truly forge their bond through forgiveness made up for that. A dramatic story of tenuous emotions was not what I expected for a story of forged friendships between caregiver and child, but it's so quintessentially you as an author that I suppose I can't even be surprised now.