Chapter 4- Worries and assurances
Chapter summary- We find out what happened between Ducky and Petrie, and during Littlefoot's conversation with Ducky, we learn about Ruby's view points from the previous events.
Littlefoot curled stiffly in his nest of ferns. His body heaved with a long sigh of relief. Thankfully his grandparents weren’t there to ask him any dubious questions that would prompt them to ask even more questions. Unfortunately this was contradicted as the large form of Grandpa longneck shuffled in the darkness. Littlefoot became still, pretending to be asleep.
The young longneck gritted his teeth nervously as his grandfather’s voice filled the chilly air. “Why so late, Littlefoot?” His tone was quiet, but raspy from age.
Littlefoot reluctantly dragged his head up. ‘Here we go…’ He thought before replying carefully. “I was out..exploring…”
“Exploring ay? I thought you said you were too old for that?” His grandfather croaked with a bit of humor in his voice. It was true, the gang still go journeying, but they hadn’t called it ‘adventuring’ or ‘exploring’ since they were kids.
Littlefoot thought carefully. Let’s see, what’s a good excuse that would work here… He tried to stay calm, and concentrated on keeping his voice steady. “Well, my friends just suggested that we walk along the border and-”
“You got attacked by a sharptooth?” Littlefoot was surprised by his grandfather’s flat tone, as if he saw the whole fight. When Littlefoot didn’t answer, the mighty longneck continued. “Don’t think that you can just sleep it off and ignore it. I see those scars.” His voice was shaky. Littlefoot could tell the pain in his grandfather’s expression. Despite it being nearly pitch black, he could make out the elder’s sad face, it must have pained him to see his grandson injured.
“I’m sorry, Grandpa…I just-”
“It’s not your fault.” Grandpa longneck cut him off once more with a soft tone. “A sharptooth attack is nothing to be sorry for, unless you’re an idiot and you give the first strike. You just need to make sure not to get into trouble like that again. My concern is, are you alright?” The elder’s stare looked over his grandson, making sure his wounds weren’t severe.
“Oh I’m fine. Ruby helped me patch it up.” Littlefoot assured him.
Grandpa longneck leaned back as he relaxed. He let out a content sigh. “Ah…Well, glad you have a friend like her.”
“Yeah…” Littlefoot looked away as his mind drifted back to what had happened that day. He felt empty-hearted. She might be a great friend, but what he saw in her didn’t come close to what she thought of their relationship. Maybe he wasn’t being obvious enough? His contemplative state was interrupted as his Grandfather cleared his throat forcefully. This was turning into a bad habit…”Oh, sorry. I was just thinking…”
“Might I ask what’s on your mind?” The longneck prompted.
And of course, there was no way he’d tell anyone about his ponderings. “Well…Maybe it’s not the right time.” Littlefoot said finally.
“The time of great growing brings many emotions and new experiences. I at least hope you know that if you need to talk about… anything, me and Grandma will be here for you.” The elder held a soft expression as he settled himself for sleep.
Littlefoot’s shoulders relaxed. He noted to thank the stars for keeping his secret. He decided to conversate normally. Suddenly he acknowledged that the valley was now quiet and the night circle was at its peak. It was certainly late. “By the way, where is she?” He hadn’t seen his grandmother since early morning.
“She’s right here…” Grandpa Longneck rested his head on a large boulder, or so Littlefoot thought it was a boulder…Through the darkness Littlefoot could see his grandmother’s still figure beside Grandpa longneck. Littlefoot noticed the faint rise of her body as she slept. His grandfather let out a quiet chuckle so as to not wake up his mate. “It’s so dark you didn’t see her right? You should get to sleep now.”
Hearing that, Littlefoot agreed with a sluggish nod. He was starting to feel tired, he experienced a busy day. From the fastbiter fight, to the heart-melting moment with Ruby, and having to turn down Cera’s suspicion. Cera… Littlefoot noted that he would have to find out what the meaning was to Cera’s shouting words. ‘He’s just going to turn out like the rest of them!’ Her angered roar still lingered in his mind.
“Oh, and Littlefoot?” Grandpa Longneck whispered hesitantly.
Littlefoot lifted his head slightly.
“There’s something special happening tomorrow. I hope you’ll find that you might enjoy it.” The elder longneck’s mouth rested into a soft smile.
Littlefoot didn’t have anything in mind of what his grandfather said, he was too tired to think of anything else anyway. He gave the elder a slight nod before curling himself comfortably into his bedding of ferns. He closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep.
Then, the young longneck opened his eyes to burning sunlight. He dragged his head up, still groggy from sleep. His face contorted with disbelief, the bright circle was high in the sky. He was still tired, even after waking up at a later time than usual.
He stood up with clumsy movements before dragging his feet to the watering place before-
CRASH!
From what Littlefoot could see in those quick seconds, a flash of pink bolted towards him and crashed with such force that it knocked the breath out of him.
Littlefoot lay on his back, now recognizing the figure on top of him.
“Ruby?” He panted.
“Oh sorry, did I startle you?” The fastrunner said with cheeky sarcasm.
“No, not at all-” Littlefoot rose to his normal height, gasping to replenish the air he lost.
“Seriously though, are you ok?” Ruby said, now with a more serious tone.
Littlefoot found his breath again. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Good…” Ruby’s voice trailed, her soft tone carried such unfamiliar sweetness that Littlefoot couldn’t hide his confusion.
“So what’s the rush?” He asked, wanting to forget the confused feeling.
“Nothing, just wanted to see you…” Her voice faded once more, but that wasn’t what really startled him. Ruby pressed her head under his chin, and feeling the sudden act of affection made him flinch. Littlefoot’s face flushed red and he looked down at her, wide-eyed. Her slow movements allured him, his instincts wanting to return the affection. And although this gave him a burst of excitement, he could feel panic rising over everything else. This was so unexpected of someone like Ruby…Just a day ago she said so herself that they were friends… And even though Littlefoot wanted to have something with Ruby, this was going too fast.
Littlefoot became light-headed as Ruby continued to nuzzle her nose in his neck. He continued to stare with his mouth partly open–speechless. He felt dizzy as a bunch of questions jumbled in his head. Does this mean that she really did love him? And if that was true, she was rushing in too fast…
After a long while of panicking and flustering, Littlefoot gave in to his cravings. If this was really how Ruby felt, then he wanted to savor each moment. Littlefoot relaxed as he cupped her head under his chin, nuzzling the precious fastrunner as she buried her nose in his neck. ‘This is too good to be true, almost as if I’m dreaming…’ He thought with a bit of humor.
“Because you are.” Ruby said flatly, not looking up.
“...What?” Littlefoot stopped with perplexity. How could she read his thoughts? Unless…
Littlefoot shot his head up. He looked around frantically to realize that he still lay in his nest. The bright circle was beginning to emerge above the mountains. It was all a dream…
The dazed longneck stood up, he glanced behind him to see that his grandparents were still sleeping. He let out a sigh. “No point in sleeping now… what a weird sleep-story…” Littlefoot mumbled as he made his way to the watering place. That’s when he stopped.
“Wait… Just like my sleep-story. I was about to get a drink, and then…” He glanced around, expecting a flash of pink. All was still and quiet except for the insects that chirped during the night. He cautiously made his way to the body of water, still glancing around for any pesky fastrunners.
Littlefoot finally reached the water’s edge, and eagerly lapped at it. Savoring the cold taste, he looked at the water below him. From his examination, he noticed a wave of ripples that came opposite of him.. Looks like someone else woke up early for a drink. Only when he looked up did he recognize the unique form of Ducky.
Her expression was filled with happiness as usual. The young swimmer put on a smile, immensely happy to see him. She stretched a hand out and waved it violently. “Hi Littlefoot!” She hollered with a child-like voice.
Littlefoot couldn’t mask his own happiness. He hadn’t seen his friend not too often, since her and Petrie weren’t technically part of the group anymore… He pondered this with sad eyes, which Ducky was able to recognize.
She approached him now, while he stayed where he was, staring at her. She ignored Littlefoot’s upset gaze. As Ducky approached, Littlefoot could make out her newly structured body. She wasn’t as big as her mother yet, but she lost the light green color to her skin. Her legs were more hardly structured, and thankfully she still held a childish head. Her big blue eyes, that cute smile, the sight of her made Littlefoot miss her all the more. What was keeping her and everyone else from the group?
Eager to find out, Littlefoot made his way to her side. “How’ve you been, I know we don’t see each other often…”
“Yeah…” Ducky said hesitantly. “Well, I was not expecting you here, nope nope nope!”
He chuckled at her so familiar verbal tic. It was certainly annoying, but that’s what he loved, her uniqueness.
“But since we are together I think it is a good time to mention something…” She began again, only this time her joyful expression loosened. “It is about me and Petrie.”
Before she continued, Littlefoot could already tell what the swimmer was to announce. Finally! Some answers to what’s been going on! Thankfully he wouldn’t be getting this information out of Cera, and the whole world knew she wouldn’t reveal anything about her this current situation.
“Does it also have something to do with why you, Petrie and Spike don’t hang out with us anymore?” He spoke with a hissed whisper, not wanting anyone else to hear.
Ducky frowned. She could hear his flat tone, as if he already knew the answer. She drew back a breath and released a long, soft sigh. “Yeah, well… “ She sighed with sad frustration. “We did not mean to upset her…” Her voice drifted as she looked away.
“Cera?”
She turned back. “Me and Petrie, we kind of…” She clenched her hands together. She let out a nervous mumble.
Littlefoot could tell what she was thinking, but he dared not to say it. But could it be possible that Ducky may be in the same situation as he is? No, that can’t be right!...Right?
“Let us just say that me and Petrie supposedly did something wrong… and yes, it did upset Cera.” She confirmed with a nervous nod.
Littlefoot took these words to thought. So maybe it was true? He didn’t want to jump to conclusions however, so he prompted more questions. “Why was she upset?”
“It was a few night circles ago, but I think I remember her saying things…as if she did not want to be friends anymore.” Her voice was hesitant, and her eyes focused on nothing.
“Ducky…” He began with a gentle voice. “Tell me what’s going on.” Even though they hadn’t spent time together recently, he was still her friend.
The air felt still as Ducky paused. She tried to look into his expression. Finally, she spoke, her words so quiet Littlefoot had to lean closer for him to hear. “Promise me you will not tell a living soul about this.”
Littlefoot nodded sincerely. He was getting tired of having to guess what was going on; trying to read Ruby’s expressions, not certain on if Chomper’s suspicions grew, exasperated by Cera’s confusing outbursts, and now Ducky is struggling to tell him something. He held her stare carefully, showing her that he could be trusted. He waited for her to continue.
“Me and Petrie. We…” She sucked in a breath. “We are in love.”
Ruby woke to a soft touch. She raised her head to see Chomper prodding her gently. “Phew, I thought you’d never wake up.” He joked with gentle eyes.
“What’s the matter?” The fastrunner stood, stretching each leg carefully.
“Nothing, you would normally be up by now. The bright circle is over the trees now.” Chomper stared curiously at her weary stance.
She tried to stifle a yawn. “I’m fine…” She said simply, looking away into nothingness.
Chomper knew that look well. “Something on your mind?” He smiled down at her. Even though Chomper was a lot bigger, he wasn’t all THAT big, so thankfully they didn’t have to find another cave.
Ruby noticed his large form and his soft smile, he was a sight that one wouldn’t normally see everyday. She was proud of his growth. But suddenly her sweet expression faded as the sharptooth’s smile brought back last night’s ponderings…
However tired she was, Ruby’s mind had raced restlessly during the cool night. While in that time she rolled and fidgeted. Now aware of why she was so tired, she gazed back up at Chomper. For a while she stayed like this, until finally answering his cautious question. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
She lied.
They reached the line of trees just outside their cave. Chomper had waited for Ruby to catch up, but she fanned her hand at him, gesturing him to go on ahead.
Ruby watched as Chomper disappeared into the band of trees. Her eyes looked distant as she recalled her previous thoughts. She noted that Littlefoot was acting strange lately… She had a feeling of what it was, but feared too much to even consider it. Her suspicions rose each moment she spent with the young longneck, and she hated herself for enjoying it too. It was all mindless play, and during those sweet moments she acted uncharacteristically impulsive. And sure, she and Littlefoot shared similar traits, and bonded quite well over the years; but Ruby hadn’t realized until later on that their friendship would grow.
Ruby slid her eyes to the ground. The time they spent was enduring–she smiled at that–but then the haunting questions and possibilities dawned on her again. She asked the same questions Littlefoot had done, and still, neither of them could make out an outcome.
She sighed. So far, she had kept a passive expression during some close calls. She was a master at concealment; for many years of living in the Mysterious Beyond, she had learned to not reveal her current thoughts during danger or suspicion. She had learned to disguise her emotions, whether she was scared, sad, and… something else…something new…
The fastrunner put her hands together. Was it that the time of great growing had maybe caused these new temptations? Ruby could hardly remember the day she started to feel her attraction, it was a while ago in fact, but she had brushed the thought aside.
She bit the bottom of her lip nervously. She could feel her instincts itching, and she wanted to relieve that itch… With severe concentration, she concluded two options: She could participate in the forbidden love, or never interact with the young longneck ever again. The thought of never seeing Littlefoot again made her heart empty. But even she knew that that would be unhealthy, and eventually, she would give in to temptations.
However, the negative outcomes opened up to her, and they were so great that Ruby shot an uneasy glance in all directions, wondering if anyone was watching her ridiculous state.
The overwhelming thoughts were too unbearable, so Ruby walked into the group of trees, searching for her childish friend. But to conclude her aching thoughts, she told herself one final assurance. The assurance that would forever break their bond, that would keep them from ever meeting eyes again. Even speaking to him would cause suspicion from the other residents, and their friends…
Ruby spotted a patch of purple in all the ferns and brambles. He crouched over something and lifted his head to reveal a plump ground fuzzy between his jaws. Her mouth watered at the sight. Even though she had agreed to the valley that she wouldn’t eat meat, Ruby would often sneak a mouth-full from Chomper’s kills. Yes… they have all gotten persistent, even Ruby–thanks to the time of great growing. This was something else that she had to hide.
Chomper trampled through the undergrowth to greet her. “Fwook you wong enouff.” His voice was muffled by the creature’s fur. He dropped the stiff body to the ground. “Ya know… Makes me uneasy that I can’t live off of stinging buggers and crawlers anymore… Like you said, I’m starting to feel like the whole valley’s watching me.” He glanced around as he said this.
“You shouldn’t be worried.” Ruby started with an assured and soft tone. “You’re a sharptooth, and the valley needs to realize it. Plus, they know you, they know you wouldn’t kill in… that way. And even if they found out that you have a new habit of killing ground fuzzies, they would confront us about it.”
Chomper paused for a moment. “Can you explain all of that again? I was distracted by all the ‘knows’ in each sentence.” He was partially teasing, but he was barely paying attention.
Ruby put a hand to her forehead. “You haven’t changed at all have you? Still not listening to me like when you were a little biter…” She shook her head with mock disapproval.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry my supervisor.” He bowed down to her dramatically.
“Is that sarcasm I hear? That’s it- I’m eating half of this now.” With amusement glittering in her eyes, Ruby swiftly seized the creature in her mouth and darted away.
“Hey!” Immediately Chomper bolted after her, his heavy footsteps shook the earth. He could hear Ruby’s muffled laughter as she still held the furry creator in her beak.
Littlefoot stood there with his mouth ajar. He couldn’t have known that Ducky and Petrie were together, the feeling carved a hole in his heart. They were his friends, and yet he didn’t even know about this.
A mixture of alarm and disbelief mingled with happiness for his friend. He was glad to know that he wasn’t the only one. Even though he was bewildered, the excitement and eagerness washed over everything else.
“How did you do it though? Were you not concerned that you love someone of a different species? Wha-how did you make it work?” He fumbled over his words, trying to get Ducky to answer the questions he’d been asking for several days.
Ducky was taken aback by his reaction, she stared at him, wide-eyed. “Are you not upset about this? Are you not mad? This is an interspecies relationship I am talking about here…” Her face showed nothing but astonishment.
“I know, yes, I was surprised, but… “ Littlefoot was about to continue, but he stopped abruptly, realizing that he also had a similar secret. He paused and looked around. The bright circle was on its way to its peak, and other residents began to make their way around the valley. “We can’t talk about this here.” He whispered.
She noticed this and nodded.
They made their way to the shelter of a group of trees. The shade made Littlefoot’s wounds stop stinging from the beaming sun. When they finally settled, Ducky continued with a shaky breath.
“I just thought… that since this is wrong, you would be upset and maybe run off to tell someone.”
“Ducky, I’m your friend, and I already gave my promise. You and Petrie’s secret is safe with me.” He assured her with a gentle voice. “Does your parents know?” He asked curiously.
“Not that I know of, yep yep yep.” She shook her head happily. “Me and Petrie only spend time together alone.”
Littlefoot’s questions still buzzed in his head. He felt like a naive child, as if asking his mother questions with curiosity about things he was just then learning about. “But… Might I ask how you made it work?”
“What?”
“Your relationship, how did you work it out? You know, despite the downsides of it.” He asked slowly, curious of her answer.
“Well, once we noticed we felt the same way, we started hanging out with each other. But eventually we knew it wasn’t right…So me and Petrie talkeded it over and we decided that it was better to share love rather than avoiding it. So what if it was wrong? I love Petrie more than anything. I do not care if it bothers a few dinosaurs.” Her voice rose, as if she was proud of something she was fighting for.
“So…no one knows?” Littlefoot said with a skeptical look.
“No one but you.” She smiled warmly.
Littlefoot was listening intentionally to her words, but he thought of his own predicament. “Are you sure that Petrie loves you?” He didn’t meet her eyes, he spoke as if he was talking to himself.
Ducky paused, she was taken off-guard. “What? Of course he does! Petrie was the one who confessededed first.”
“So… is that all you have to do? Confess?” Littlefoot looked hopeful.
“You sound as if you are living in this kind of situation. Is something wrong?” Her curious glance burned on him. Could he tell her? It would matter anyway, being that she had already spilled her secret to him. He wanted to go back to the way things were, having his friends back, being able to trust everyone…Littlefoot sucked in a breath.
“You’re right. There’s also someone out there that I love.” He began with a shaky voice. He felt hot with embarrassment, Ducky would be the first to know of his longing relationship with Ruby… Thankfully he was sure of her loyalty.
A bright smile sprouted on her face. “It is about time! Who is it? It is not Ali right?” She talked fast with excitement.
Ali? Littlefoot hadn’t heard or even thought of the young longneck ever since their last meeting…and how long ago was that? She was probably about as big as he was now. “No, not at all!” Ali was certainly one of his best friends growing up, but he didn’t see her in that way. “Someone else… in the valley.” He looked away, preparing for her reaction.
She stared with a blank expression. After a long pause, she answered, confused. “Cera?”
Littlefoot was completely surprised, and hearing this he couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “Oh gosh, when yellowbellies fly!”
She joined in his laughter, and after they relaxed, the answer began to dawn on her. “So if it is not Cera, and I do not believe it is me…” She looked up to see Littlefoot shake his head. “Then… “ Her eyes became bright. There were no other dinosaurs who were their age except… “Ruby.” Ducky whispered with happiness. “I always thought you two would be a great pair, yup yup yup…”
Littlefoot sighed with a faraway look. “I wish she thought the same…”
“Wait- so she does not know?”
“I don’t think so… Oh Ducky, I’ve been through some tough times with her. And I’m worried, all of these possibilities are so overwhelming. I love Ruby, I really do! But what if she doesn’t think the same about me? O-or what if my grandparents find out…” His body shivered with anxiousness. Saying these familiar questions out loud made it even worse. He felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Do not think about it that way. Do not worry, me and Petrie will help you.” She gazed at him gently, and her expression shown with sympathy for her beloved friend.
Littlefoot met her gaze, and he nodded slowly. “Thanks…”
“We understand what you are going through, so that’s why me and Petrie are here for you. It is just a shame that our parents can’t help us, because then they would be furious if they found out about all of this!” She laughed to herself. And even though Littlefoot could recognize the child-like personality in her, he had noticed that she too had grown. She was about head-leveled of him; and despite her verbal tick still prominent, he noticed that she would use big words while talking, and—he had to admit—she gave good advice. They leaned forward in a hug, he missed his friend deeply, and he was glad to have her back.
They exited the protection of the trees, but just before they could advance any further, a large group of longnecks filed into the valley. Littlefoot and Ducky stopped in place, their eyes narrowed to watch the herd in the distance. Littlefoot heard a sharp gasp from Ducky, and he soon found out what was the cause of her startled noise. In the band of gray longnecks, Littlefoot caught a glimpse of a light-purple figure. Ali!
