Chapter One: Onward

Yay! I’m finally posting my second LBT fanfic for my Truths series. I know I said that the next one would be called Sincere Heart, but I noticed that the journey to the Great Valley is going to have a lot more in it than I was expecting. Sincere Heart will be the third book.
 
A gray scaled Apatosaurus raised her head into the tree she stood next to. She gripped a dangling branch in her jaws, gently pulling at it. The branch did not come lose. Annoyed, the long necked dinosaur bit down harder, giving the branch a few good tugs. Still, it did not come lose, her attempts only showering the dinosaurs below with leaves. The female huffed, before jerking her head back with as much force as she could. This time, the branch broke away as the Apatosaurus stumbled backwards. Steadying herself, she gradually brought the large branch to the ground where a giddy Stegosaurus waited.

“Oh thank you so much, Hyacinth,” the purple spiketail grinned. “I haven't eaten leaves in forever. You know, my most favorite food are those red fruits that grow in trees. I don't get to eat them often because their always rotten when I find them on the ground. Either the rest of the herd finds the good ones before me or some other dinosaur eats them. I really do like fruit that grows in trees. They’re so tasty and there is a lot more to eat than berries and...”

Hyacinth just smiled down at Orchid as she tuned out the talkative Stegosaurus. The pair may have become close friends during their journey to retrieve Sorrel, Hyacinth’s human companion, but the purple scaled female was annoying at times.

As Orchid continued to jabber about food, the Apatosaurus turned back to the tree. She took a mouthful of the nearest cluster of leaves. Slowly chewing the succulent plant matter, she swept her teal gaze over the dry desert land. At the moment, she and her companions were resting in the small oasis, readying themselves for the journey ahead. All around them was desert. Why did this tiny oasis thrive? She did not know.

Her small, mixed herd was a strange one. No member belonged to the same genus of dinosaur. One was not even a prehistoric beast. Along with herself, an Apatosaurus; there was Orchid, the Stegosaurus, a tiny female Oviraptor named Digger; and a human. They were about to start their journey to the Great Valley once the sun rose completely above the horizon. Sorrel, the young woman, sat on Hyacnith's back, while Digger was perched on a nearby rock; large green eyes watching the insects buzz pass her teal beak.

“What do you think the legendary spiketail boy will look like?” Orchid asked the human seated on Hyacinth's back. Her sporadic conversation had turned from what her mother’s favorite food was, to what the legendary spiketail might like to eat, and finally to the question she just stated.

Hyacinth turned to Orchid again, then looked over at her back where Sorrel was seated. The young woman had discarded her parka, hat, and gloves days ago. In the warmer weather she no longer needed them. She now wore a simple pair of jeans, a t-shirt, hiking boots, and her large hiking backpack. Her short, blonde hair was kept out of her eyes with a leather headband that was adorned with a few dark red Archaeopteryx glued to it. It was a gift from her great-aunt, Angela. The elderly woman had given the headband to Sorrel on her twenty-first birthday, along with the golden, rune engraved ring the young woman wore on her right middle finger. The light blue stone set in the ring enabled Sorrel to travel to the dinosaur dimension and not only understand, but also speak the magnificent beasts’ languages, both carnivore, herbivore and anything in-between.

“I don’t know,” Sorrel replied with a small shrug. “But you should keep in mind that this ëspiketail boy’ could be a ëspiketail girl’.”

“Sorrel’s right, Orchid. The legendary spiketail could be a girl. Or they could be a different species entirely. I don’t think you would want a female spikeback spiketail, or shoulderspike plateback.”

Orchid rolled her eyes at the Apatosaurus. “Of course I don’t want them to be a female. But I just feel that the legendary spiketail is a male. And you already know that I don’t care if he is a different species, as long as he’s a type of spiketail. If he isn’t, then we wouldn’t be able to have kids and that would be pointless. I always wanted hatchlings. I don’t think I could go with someone I couldn’t have kids with. Sure I could adopt…”

Hyacinth let Orchid’s voice fade into an almost meaningless jumble of words. She munched at the leaves of the tree, catching bits and pieces of the conversation exchanged between the Stegosaurus and human. It had turned from how much Orchid adored hatchlings to the dreams she had about the legendary herbivore children.

Most dinosaurs knew that there were five herbivore dinosaur children involved in defeating Sharptooth: a frillhead, a longneck, a plateback, a singer, and a type of flyer. They did not, however, know their sex, species, or even their coloration. That was what Orchid was blabbering on about now.  She guessed what all five would possibly be and what they looked like. The last one was the plateback, whom she had a detailed description of what she thought he would look like and even act like.

The spiketail mentioned that she had many dreams about him. He was always a plateback spiketail, just like her. Most of the time, in her dreams, he was a red color with darker swirl-like markings on his side. His plates were dark red, almost black. His eyes would be blue, like that of a large lake and so beautiful that she could just drown in them. He would have many scars from the battle with Sharptooth and his name would be Oak. As for his personality, he would be brave and strong-willed. Oak would protect her from anything and comfort her whenever she was sad. He would be the perfect mate.

Orchid sighed happily as she finished her dream telling. “I really hope he’s like that. It would be amazing. We could make the perfect family. Oak and my kids could play with Hyacinth and Cirrus’s kids?”

“What?” Hyacinth asked, drawn to her friend’s words. “Cirrus?”

“Yeah. The longneck. I’m pretty sure that one is male too. He’s a flathead longneck like you too. I envision him being pale gray, almost white with a darker back, and golden eyes. You know, like most longnecks. You two would be perfect together. I can just see it, our children playing together in the meadows of the Great Valley. I can’t wait until we get there. It’ll be so awesome and we can become friends with the other legendary children. Well, they’re adolescents, like us, now. We’ll be famous. I wonder what the singer will be like? I think she’ll be really pretty, like a gemstone. And then the hornface will be a big strong male who can calm Impale down when she gets angry. The flyer has to be a girl then. She’s brave and can fly far and do tons of stunts.”

Hyacinth just rolled her eyes at the blabbering Stegosaurus. They both would just have to wait and see if Orchid’s predictions were right. Orchid had brought up the topic of Impale. She was a threehorn that Hyacinth and Orchid met along their journey to find Sorrel. She had lost her left horn and part of her frill to Frozen Wasteland, the terror of the north. Impale had left them only a few days after finding Sorrel in the territory of a pack of friendly Utahraptors. During that time, Impale had also lost her right eye to one of the raptors.

The Apatosaurus shook her head at Orchid, whom was now talking about the other adventures rumored to have happened to the legendary five. This one including the impossible idea of them catching a carnivore within the walls of the Great Valley. Smiling, Hyacinth turned to the human on her back. Sensing her gaze on her, Sorrel looked up, giving the longneck a warm smile. Hyacinth returned the smile before turning back to continue eating.

Sorrel gazed out at the desert land, just like Hyacinth had done minutes before. She had already eaten her fill of fruit and a few small rodents she had caught and cooked over a small fire, earlier. The young woman knew that soon she and her dinosaur friends would start their journey to the Great Valley. From stories told by Orchid, she realized that this place was only known by rumors, and because of this, there was a great possibility that this valley paradise did not exist. But, like Orchid believed the spiketail of the legendary five was male, Sorrel believed that the Great Valley was real. Why else would her great-aunt, the one that took care of Hyacinth since she was an infant, want her to find it?  

“Something wrong?” Hyacinth asked, having noticed the human’s sudden quietness.

“No…I’m just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Aunty Angie. It’s been bothering me for the past few days. She told Ice Flame that we should go to the Great Valley. Not me or you. She gave me this ring to travel to this dimension to find you, and she even raised you, yet she told neither of us about this plan. I don’t understand why she wouldn’t have at least mentioned it to you.”

“Maybe she told him about her plans beforehand. Like when she was with the raptors. She probably just did not want to worry me with needing to get to the Great Valley after I found you. She always liked taking one step at a time.” Hyacinth then lowered her head to Sorrel, giving the young woman a light nuzzle. “It’s not like she was hiding anything from us.”

“Yeah. You’re right, Hyacinth,” Sorrel said. “I’m just worrying myself about this. The young woman shook her head at the thoughts crowding her mind. So much had happened over the past few weeks since she had arrived in the dinosaur dimension. She had met so many new faces and numerous, terrifying events had happened already. She could not even fathom what lay ahead. Either way, she could not wait to start the voyage.

“I should go get Digger,” Sorrel mumbled, standing up.

At the young woman’s words, Hyacinth began lowering her head to the ground, allowing Sorrel to skillfully climb down it before she hopped off. Turning around to give Hyacinth a nod of thanks, the young woman ran off to the tiny Oviraptor still preached on the rock.

“Come on, Digger,” Sorrel called out. “We’ll be leaving soon.”

The omnivorous dinosaur looked up from the rock. She snapped at a large beetle flying a bit too close to her face. Her teal beak made quick work of the large insect, shell crunching and a wing sticking out of the side of her mouth. Swallowing the little meal, the mauve feathered dinosaur hopped off the rock, trotting up to Sorrel.

The woman grinned at Digger, picking up the housecat sized Oviraptor. She may have been an adolescent, but she was tiny for her age. Much smaller than she should be. It did not seem to bother the black and dull pink feathered dinosaur though.

 Sorrel ran a thumb along Digger’s cobalt crest, repeatedly rubbing the crack along its length. The tiny omnivore had received it in a skirmished with an Utahraptor named Shadow Watcher. He was part of the pack that took care of Sorrel while she waited for Hyacinth to arrive. She and Shadow Watcher had quickly become friends over the days she knew him. He had attacked Digger over a misunderstanding over his younger sister’s egg. In the end, everything was resolved.  

Patting Digger on the head, Sorrel walked back to Hyacinth. The Apatosaurus had already lowered her neck to the ground. The young woman quickly climbed onto Hyacinth’s head, sliding down to the juncture of her neck and shoulders. Getting herself situated, Sorrel let Digger lay in her lap. The young woman took in a deep breath of air as Hyacinth raised her head to the sky.

“Should we start?” the gray scaled longneck asked.

“Yes! I can’t wait to see my Oak!” Orchid shouted. The Stegosaurs began walking forward out into the desert. She glanced over her shoulder, grinning at the other three. “Come on! Let’s get going!”

Hyacinth glanced to Sorrel before she began to move, her lumbering body swaying back and forth with each step. The purple Stegosaurs stood where she was, wiggling with excitement. “Each step brings us closer to the legendary children. Oak, here I come!” She shouted, almost dancing with enthusiasm of the journey ahead.

“We have to make it to the Great Valley first, Orchid,” Hyacinth said, smiling down at her friend. “And I have a feeling it’s going to be dangerous.”

“Do you guys even know the way to the Great Valley?” Digger asked.

“Umm…” Hyacinth stride stuttered, jolting the two passengers on her back. She looked to the rising sun before she turned to her back. Sorrel shook her head as she shrugged her shoulders. Orchid had also stopped her jittery dance, her mood dampening.

“You don’t, do you,” Digger stated, rolling her green eyes. “So how are we going to get this this ëGreat Valley’ when we don’t even know the way?”


Dacentrurus: Spikeback spiketail
Lexovisaurus: Shoulderspike plateback
Ceratopsian: Hornface/frillhead  
Plated dinos (Stegosaurs-like): Plateback/spiketail  
Hadrosaurus: Singer (Swimmer makes no sense since Hadrosaurus are not known to be aquatic.
                         Bigmouth made some sense, but I liked singer best since that is what Hadrosaurus are
                         known for)


The updates won’t be as often as my first book since I do have a creative writing class this semester and want to keep my grades up. I also would like to keep working on my original books, so updates will be a bit more sporadic.


Characters from readers are always welcome. PM me if you want your character in my book.
Digger was created by Marblesaurus on Fanfiction.net

Is it possible that I could get another request? I just loved how your drew Coldbreath/Frozen Wasteland. You’re a super awesome artist. You brought my character to life.  If you would be willing to draw more of my characters, I’d be willing to give you DA points.

Chapter Fifteen: Friends or Foes

“Stone Claw!” Shadow Watcher shouted again, rushing forward to his fallen packmate. The black Utahraptor began to sniff at the brown feathers around his sandy colored companion’s neck. He nipped at them before rasping his tongue over the soft feathers, hoping to wake the larger male. “Damn it! Shifting Sand is going to kill me,” he mumbled under his breath as he tried to revive the female raptor’s older brother. Letting out a low growl, Shadow Watcher nudge the back of Stone Claw's neck. “Wake up, Stone, please.”

Sorrel slipped off the black Utahraptor's back, dark brown eyes trained on the unconscious Stone Claw. “Is he still alive?”

Shadow Watcher glanced over his shoulder at the young woman before sniffing at Stone Claw again. He rubbed his snout on the top of the Stone Claw’s sandy one. Shadow Watcher could just feel the faint flutter of warm air from the other male's nostrils. He then pulled away, stepping over Stone Claw and burying his snout into the thick sandy chest feathers. Shadow Watcher pressed the side of his head to his chest, listening for a heartbeat. Just able to hear the soft, rhythmic thumps the black feathered raptor drew away with a soft sigh. “He's alive. For now.”

At his words, Sorrel kneeled down next to the larger Utahraptor. She buried her hands into the soft dark brown feathers around his neck before moving her hands to his soft feathered snout. Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman continued to pet the raptor, rubbing the feathers backwards, ruffling them even more than they were normally. She brushed her fingers over his soft feathered snout, taking in the faint warm air he breathed out. Suddenly, a roar ripped through the air.

The young woman drew back, head snapping in the direction of the roar. She quickly stood up as Shadow Watcher stepped over Stone Claw again, standing beside Sorrel. He gave a low growl, shielding the blonde woman with his feathered forearm and Stone Claw with his body. He brandished his three-clawed forepaws and barred his teeth at the approaching predator. Sorrel silently un-clipped her backpack and slipped it off her back. “I should really keep this on my leg from now on,” she thought as she pulled the rune carved blade from her backpack.

Shadow Watcher let out a loud caw, calling back to the approaching predator. He could not disappeared into the darkness. He could only cover one creature in darkness at a time. He had both Sorrel and Stone Claw to protect. It would also waste his energy with the sunlight shining down into the canyon. They may be shrouded in shadows right now, but they were not dark enough to simply disappear into.

Letting out another low growl, Shadow Watcher sniffed the air. Just as he did this, the larger predator gave another roar before its white feathered head appeared from behind one of the larger fallen boulder. Its emerald green eyes glared at Shadow Watcher as it gave a low hiss. Shadow Watcher gave his own hiss, but stepped away from Stone Claw and lowing his raised forearms.  “Heat Flare,” he greeted the larger Utahraptor.

The large female raptor stepped out from behind the boulders, giving a grunt as her eyes shifted to Sorrel. “Why is the human with you? I thought you got rid of it.”

“She was separated from the Apatosaurus during the earthquake. A Yutyrannus stole her from the herbivores. Never mind about her. What happened to Stone Claw?”

“Rocks fell. One landed on him. Crushed the lower half of his body. We managed to move it away but he has not regained consciousness. We did not want to move him and cause more damage. He is still alive. I do not know how long. The last caw, he passed out. I sent Snow Feather and Ice Wind to get the healer.” The female Utahraptor explained in clipped phrases as she approached Stone Claw. Laying down next to him, she began to preen the long white decorative feathers on her brown feathered forearm. Her white feathered feet just brushed against Stone Claw's back. Her white feathered forepaws scraped at the rocky ground as she lowered her arm. She laid her white head down onto the ground, letting out a loud huff.  “I wish I could go out and finish the hunt.” She muttered, green eyes closing at the metallic scent of blood that flooded her nose. “Almost took down an Iguanodont. I’m sure I could kill it and drag it back. I injured it badly. I’m so hungry....”

“I could get you some food...” Shadow Watcher volunteered, eyeing the giant female wearily.

Heat Flare raised her head, emerald green eyes lazily gazing over the black feathered raptor. “I guess...I would prefer to catch my own,” she trailed off dismissively, grooming the soft brown feathers on her back before flexing the killer claws on her white feet. She sighed, closing her eyes, stretching out once more.

Taking this as a yes, Shadow Watcher crouched down next to Stone Claw. “I'll get some food for you too, Stone. Heat Flare won't let you die. Besides, if you do, Sand's going to kill me. You know how your little sister can be.” With a nervous huff, he gave Stone Claw a small nudge.

At the touch, Stone Claw's pale, sandy eyes opened. The larger Utahraptor gave a small huff, as if saying thank you. Shadow Watcher grinned at the sight as he raised to his full height, aware of Sorrel's weight on his back once more. “We'll be back.” With those words, the black feathered raptor began to climb his way out of the canyon, carefully placing his feet as not to disturb the fallen boulders he walked upon.

As the human and Utahraptor made their way out of the canyon and back to the slushy, muddy earth, Shadow Watcher glanced over his shoulder at Sorrel. “You didn't want to stay with Heat Flare?” he teased.

“No. She would probably eat me. Why is she so big anyway? She seems bigger than the average raptor in your pack.”

“She is. Heat Flare’s grandmother came from a pack way down south in the tropical area. They grow humongous for Utahraptors because of the abundance of larger prey. She’s probably on the medium to small size of the spectrum if she was with that pack right now.”

“Really? Wow. Would she even be considered an Utahraptor if she grew that big? Maybe her grandmother’s kind is a sub-species of some sort.”

“Then that would make us a type of sub-species too. We live more in the north and I know we’re more feathered than most Utahraptors,” Shadow Watcher spoke up, silver eyes scanning the scenery for any movements of possible prey.

“I guess you’re right about that. Does everyone in your pack have a different ability? I think I’ve only seen yours in action.”

“Naw. It’s mainly Fire and Earth Manipulators with a few hybrids here and there. My family is the only exception. My mother came from a pack located farther southwest. Although I’ve never met them, my mother explained that every member of the pack are either black or a dark variation of some color and almost all of them are Dark Manipulators like me. My dad's a Fire Manipulator if you couldn't tell from his name, Ice Flame. Heat Flare is too.”

Sorrel opened her mouth to ask another question, but Shadow Watcher stopped in his tracks. With one hind leg raised in mid-step, his nostrils quivered and silver eyes trained on a nearby bush. Letting out a low threatening growl, he crouched down, letting Sorrel slip off before he began to stalk forward. He had just spotted a flash of mauve and black feathers. He was positive he knew whom they belonged to. The thief and killer of his younger sister's lone egg.

Shadow Watcher advanced forward, carefully placing his feet with each step as not to make a sound. His jaws parted as he took in the tiny thief's scent. When his killer claws were mere inches away from the bushes he had spied the dull pink creature hiding in, he thrust his head into the foliage, jaws opened for the attack.  An ear-piecing screech filled the air as Shadow Watcher picked a tiny feathered Oviraptor from the bushes by the right hind leg. He tossed her aside, the little female landing into the muddy slush with a small splash.

Shadow Watcher took a step forward, silver eyes trained on the scarlet blood that flowed from the wound he had created with his razor sharp teeth. Was she already dead? Did he break her neck with just a simple toss? She seemed tougher than that. Shadow Watcher took another step forward, nostrils quivering as he began to sniff at the unmoving body. The multicolored Oviraptor shifted as the larger Utahraptor lowered his head to sniff at her sodded mauve feathers. As she slowly raised her black head, the Utahraptor gave a low growl, bearing his fangs at her tiny form.

“Shadow Watcher!” Sorrel shouted. “What the hell are you doing? It’s just a baby Oviraptor!”

“No it’s not,” he snarled, tearing his silver gaze away from the little female. “It stole my sister’s egg.”

The Oviraptor gave a small chirp as she snapped her deadly beak as Shadow Watcher. An arc of white electricity jumped from her teal beak to the much larger carnivore’s head. Shadow Watcher let out a screech as he stumbled backwards, shaking his head in pain as smoke wafted off his gloss black feathers. “Why you,” he snarled as the little mauve feathered creature struggled to her feet.

The little Oviraptor’s teal beak and cobalt crest stood out against her black head. Her green eyes glared at the solid black Utahraptor as she struggled to put weight on her bleeding right leg. Pain shot through it every time she placed just a small amount of presser on it. It was the sickleclaw’s fault. She knew he was after her. She had stolen an egg from a similarly colored female a few days ago.

Crouched on all four black paws, the tiny Oviraptor gave a loud hiss, fanning out the dark violet feathers that lined her forearms and tail tip. The darker mauve feathers along her spine raised similarly to that of a frightened cat. She fluffed up the rest of her shorter dull pink pinfeathers, trying to look bigger than she was. She also puffed out her lighter mauve feathered chest, which was the same color as her throat and belly. It was as if she was daring the much larger dinosaur to attack her again.

Shadow Watcher took the bait. He stalked forward again before diving his jaws forward, ready to break the tiny Oviraptor spine. Just as his fangs grazed her dull pink feathers, another arc of electricity jumped from her body. This time the black feathered Utahraptor body tensed and he collapsed onto the ground. Smoke rose from his parted jaws.

“Shadow Watcher!” Sorrel cried. The blonde woman did not know what to do. On the one hand, her raptor friend was hurt, but on the other, he was trying to kill a little Oviraptor that was probably only as big as his head. The mauve, blue, and black omnivore did, however, steel his sister’s egg and more than likely eaten it. How else was she to get nourishment in the cold environment? Unable to decide whom to help, Sorrel stood helplessly, dark eyes trained on the shallow rise and fall of Shadow Watcher’s chest.

A long moment passed before the black Utahraptor kicked out a hind leg, his killer claws flexing forward. Sluggishly, he rolled to his belly, panting in pain. His own blood dripped down his jaws from the burn wounds within his mouth. The Oviraptor only stared him down, white electricity dancing across her teal beak.

“I didn’t think you would have enough power to knock me down like that. You’re so small,” Shadow Watcher grunted, slowly shifting his feet underneath himself. Agonizingly slow, he raised himself, silver eyes glaring at the tiny creature who caused him this pain. “But I know there is no way you have enough to knock me dead.”

He snapped his jaws forward only to wince as a hot burning pain coursed throughout his mouth and a metallic tang of his own blood flooded over his tongue. He parted his jaws once more. Even more droplets of blood fell from his jaws than before. The force of his bite and his rough tongue scraping against the roof of his mouth opened the wound more. All he got out of it was a few dark violet tail feathers.

 “Why are you here?” he gasped, spitting out the dark purple feathers. “Your kind of Oviraptor doesn’t live anywhere near the northern forests. From your colors and small size, you come from the tropics. Did your family chase you away?”

He prowled forward once more, jaws still parted as his blood began to mat the dark feathers around his jaws.  He stopped in front of her, rising to his full height and blocking out the sun from the omnivore’s vision. Unlike the other times, Shadow Watcher raised a three-clawed paw as far as he could before swinging it forward with as much force as he could muster in his weakened state.

The force of the blow sent her flying. She slammed into a rock serval feet away, her back and the cobalt crest atop her head taking the brunt of the force. For a long moment, she was the one that stayed unmoving. Blood gushed from the three-clawed gashes in her left side. Her right leg still oozed blood and her crest showed traces of a crack.

“Shadow Watcher!” Sorrel shouted, finally running up to the Utahraptor. “You killed it! How could you?”

The young woman was cut off by a snarl from the black raptor. “Sorrel. Remember, I am a predator. I am not afraid to kill. That little thief stole my younger sister’s egg.” He glared at the prone mauve feather form for a long moment before giving a soft growl. “It’s not dead yet.”
 
At his words, the tiny Oviraptor shifted, raising her black head from the muddy ground. “It was the only food I could find,” she announced. “I’m sorry that it was your sister’s. It was out in the open, in the cold. No one was brooding it. I thought the mother had abandoned it.”

Shadow Watcher narrowed his silver eyes at the tiny omnivore. “She wasn’t with the egg? It wasn’t even in the cave? What the hell was she thinking…?” he muttered, eyes slowly drifting to the muddy ground he stood on. “Why would she…” He head suddenly snapped up, rage blazing in his eyes. “That little…” He gave a mighty roar as he turned away, ready to stalk back to the pack territory.

Sorrel watched the Utahraptor pace back to where she stood. He then turned back, muttering and cursing to himself. Turning away, the young woman walked up to the Oviraptor, crouching down in front of her. “Hey. What’s your name?”

“Digger.”

“Does anything feel broken?” Sorrel asked as she slipped her backpack off her shoulders. She dug through her backpack seeing Digger shake her head out of the corner of her eye. Slipping out the medical kit she had used earlier that day, she popped it open. “I’m going to clean you up then. First I’m going to pick you up and wash off your wounds, okay?”

Digger nodded, green eyes watching as the human took out her water canteen. Sorrel picked the tiny, mauve Oviraptor up by her belly. She began to pour the cool liquid over Digger’s wounds, cleaning away the mud and dirt that had found its way into the wound and dull pink feathers. As Sorrel did this, she marveled at how small this Oviraptor was. Most grew to be about six feet long and stood about at hip height to an average sized man. Digger was about the size of a large house cat. She seemed to be a mere child when in fact she was around mid-adolescents. The young woman continued to work on Digger, failing to notice that her black feathered companion had left her.

“That blow to the rocks did a number on your crest, Digger,” Sorrel commented as she ran a thumb over the crack in the tiny Oviraptor’s cobalt crest. It started at about the middle and ran diagonally downwards, smaller cracks branching off from it.

The mauve and black feathered omnivore shifted uncomfortably. The crest may have been more valuable to a male of her kind for courting females, but it still was not seen as a good trait for a female to have a damaged one. Her chances of getting a mate defiantly had gone down, not like she really wanted one that bad.
 
“You done patching her up?” came a male voice from behind Sorrel.

The young woman spun around to see Shadow Watcher; an adolescent Therizinosaurus laying at his feet. It was fawn colored and was thickly feather like most creatures that lived in the tundra. A plum of tail feathers and a longer crest were a bright blue in color. This one was clearly a male that was reaching the end of his adolescent stage and was getting ready to breed.

Shadow Watcher shifted uncomfortably as he picked up his large prey again and began dragging it back to where Heat Flare and Stone Claw waited for them. Sorrel silently followed, cradling Digger in her arms. Just as the trio reached the edge of the canyon, a trilling shriek pierced the silence. It was followed by a loud bellow of an herbivore as the earth began to shake with heavy, pounding footsteps.

Sorrel turned to where the sound came from and a smile split across her face. “Hyacinth!”



Digger was created by Marblesaurus from Fanfiction.net

Chapter Fourteen: Frozen Hunter

Sorrel paused from cleaning the bloody bite wound on the back of her ankle. There was something wrong, as if another presence was inside the cave. She sat completely still, barely breathing as her ears strained to pick up any scant sound. She quickly became unnerved by the feeling that someone or something was watching her, but she had not seen anything in the small cave when she entered it moments ago. Of course, she had made a hasty entrance, intent on hiding in case the juvenile Yutyrannus returned.  Sorrel sat with her back to the inside of the cave, needing the light coming through the cave entrance to properly tend to her injury. Just as she placed the wet gauze on her wound to continue wiping the dried blood away, she picked up the soft sound of faint breathing. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as she suddenly became aware of the fact that she was not alone.

With the gauze still in her hand, she casually reached for her backpack, which sat next to her outstretched, uninjured leg. Hopefully she could fool the creature behind her into thinking that she was only getting more medical supplies. Instead, the young woman rummaged through her pack in search of the rune-craved blade. Sorrel dropped the bloodied piece of cotton when her fingers brushed against the leather sheath encasing her treasured knife. With her back still toward the inside of the cave, she pulled the leather bound weapon from the side of her half unzipped backpack, still hoping the creature had not seen, or at least not figured out that it was a weapon that was now held in her hands.

Tracing her thumb over the twine laces, Sorrel tugged at one of the loops. Carefully slipping the knife out of the leather sheath, she stood up, cautiously turning to face the creature within the back of the cave. Her dark brown eyes searched the darkness, only able to pick out a pair of reflective, yellow-green eyes glowing in the darkness. They reminded her of when her friend’s housecat would walk into the room at night, its eyes catching the light every now and then, giving them an eerie, almost demon-like glow. The creature in the back of the cave gave a faint, low growl as it slowly stood up, claws scraping against stone.
 
As the beast took a menacing step forward, Sorrel clutched the blade tightly, drawing it to her body. She could now make out the vague shape of its body as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. The creature was much larger than her, its dark feathered back brushing against the cave ceiling. It gave another low, throaty growl, jaws parted slightly, revealing slick, saliva coated fangs. The scent of the young woman's blood drew it closer.

Sorrel took a cautious step back, body tensed, ready to run. She was no match for this predator and did not want to make any sudden moves to trigger its predatory instincts. Right now, the carnivore just seemed to be toying with her. It was far too massive for her to do much damage with her knife. Sure, she could aim for its throat, chest, or head, but it would surely know that she would target these vital points. This creature was born to kill. The slicing fangs, razor sharp claws, and the massive killer claw on the end of each hind foot. A dromaeosaur, one of the most cunning dinosaurs that ever existed.  Even if she could get close enough to land a fatal strike, the carnivore could still land a savage bite or slash to her body, wounding her severely. Sorrel had learned many survival skills and one of the most important was to use your brain and consider the best way out of a situation with the least damage. Do not recklessly rush into something, which could make the circumstances worse. She would not take the risk.

The blonde haired woman took another step back, her eyes never straying from the raptor in front of her as she brandished her rune-carved blade. If she could only get to the cave entrance, she would have a chance to escape and hide in a space too small for the carnivore to reach her. Unfortunately, she could not chance grabbing her backpack and her injured foot was still bare, but there was no time to worry about that now. She would just have to deal with it later if she could get herself out of this precarious situation. How her Aunt Angie had ever survived all those years living in this untamed world, she would never know.

The dromaeosaur gave another low growl, causing her to tense. The large raptor took a second menacing step closer, silver eyes staring her down. At the sight of the pools of molten metal gazing intently at her, Sorrel involuntarily relaxed. A split second later, she realized her mistake when the carnivore suddenly lunged forward, jaws agape. Instinctively, the young woman lashed forward with her knife, the sharp blade grazing the sickleclaw’s black feathered snout.

 “Ow!” shouted a young adult male's voice before the predator shook its head, soft, inky feathers fluttering.

 “Well, what do you expect would happen when you act like you’re going to kill me, Shadow Watcher?” Sorrel retorted, lowering her rune-carved blade with a huff.

 “Sorry. It was instincts. You're blood smells so good,” the black feathered Utahraptor spoke as he brushed a forearm against the bleeding gash on his nose.

Sorrel eyed him suspiciously as she sat down, relieved that she was not in any danger. It was strange, she mused to herself as she ran slender fingers through her short, blond hair.  The thought of trusting a carnivorous raptor should have been unthinkable. But ever since she had arrived in this strange world, the raptor pack had been nothing but protective over her, as they had been for her great-aunt Angela when she had dwelled in this land.

Shadow Watcher just gave her an impish grin before laying down himself. The young woman rolled her eyes as she looked away and sheathed her special knife, placing it back into her hiking bag. Next, she picked up the medical kit that had been lying on the ground since the black raptor disturbed her.

Sorrel began to clean her wound again. She would not have been as worried about it if it was not a bite wound. Since it was, she was concerned about developing a dangerous infection. Many carnivores were known for possessing deadly bacteria in their jaws. When she finished cleaning away the dried blood and grit from the wound, she took out a small tube of ointment, spreading the translucent paste over the bite wound. Next, she taped a clean gauze over the wound and then retrieved a bandage roll from her medical kit. While she carefully wrapped the bandage around her injured ankle, Sorrel looked up at Shadow Watcher. “Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your pack?”

 “I was on a hunt with a few of my pack members. Since I was cooped up watching you for so long, I really needed to stretch my legs. I wanted to do a bit more than just walking outside, sniffing and stalking big prey, so I went off to hunt smaller, more elusive creatures. Damn, it was fun until the earthquake hit.”

 “Hmm,” Sorrel hummed as she popped her medical kit close. “Then why are you-” She was cut off as the large raptor sat up and began to fiercely sniff the air.  

Shadow Watcher quickly stood, pressing Sorrel to his side and shielding her with a feathered forearm. “Don't make a sound. The monster is out on a hunt,” he hissed.

As he said this, a strange feeling over took Sorrel. Coldness began to seep into her body and her joints stiffen as she was enveloped in darkness. She felt woozy and sick as a cold sweat broke across her neck and back. Still, the young woman gaze out through the wall of dead vines hanging over the small cave's entrance. She narrowed her dark brown eyes, not seeing anything suspicious.

A sudden flash of peach and Sorrel drew in a sharp breath. The juvenile Yutyrannus was back. The predator sniffed the air before her violet gaze focused on the cave entrance. She could smell the young woman's lingering scent. Letting out a shrill shriek followed by her signature trill, she charged forward, jaws agape. She would bring a thinskin back to her father after all.

The Yutyrannus gave another shrill roar, but was drowned out by a thunderous, terror-inducing roar behind her. The juvenile jerked her head over her shoulder only to be picked up by a pair of powerful jaws. The jaws clenched shut in a single snap, breaking both spine and ribs of the young, feathered carnivore. She would never see her father again.

The massive gray Tyrannosaurus rex turned his red gaze to the cave. The little female had seemed interested in it.  Knowing no other carnivore would take his kill, he dropped his prey, approaching the cave, each step shaking the earth. He lowered himself close to the ground, peering into it. He could see nothing, yet... the scent of a thinskin and Utahraptor lingered in the air. He growled before pulling his head away from the entrance. “I can smell the lingering scent of the both of you. With such interest the little female showed toward this cave, I knew there had to be something in here.”

Sorrel shivered underneath Shadow Watcher's feathered arm. The massive carnivore's voice was deep, rich, and velvety yet it turned her blood to ice. The young woman pressed closer to the black feathered Utahraptor’s body, ignoring the nauseating, chilly feeling that washed over her again. She knew that the beast outside the cave entrance could not see her or Shadow Watcher because of the Utahraptor's power over darkness. He had cloaked them in it, concealing them from both sight and scent.  Only the drops of blood on the cave floor from their injuries gave any indication that someone was there.

 “Come out, little girl. You too raptor.”

Shadow Watcher only shifted closer to Sorrel, repressing a growl. The gray scaled Tyrannosaurs rex drew away from the cave, chuckling. “Fine. I have to get this meal back to her anyway. We can play another day.”

The massive predator leaned down, picking up his prey before lumbering off. Sorrel watched his fading form, dark brown eyes locked on the dark gray, almost black feathers lining the rex’s spine. They flared up as the wind gusted, a lone feather shedding from his back and fluttering in the wind. As it landed in front of the cave entrance, Shadow Watcher drew away from Sorrel, sniffing the dark gray feather.

Sorrel stayed crouched for a long moment, taking a few seconds to feel normal as the darkness of the Utahraptor faded from her body. Taking in a deep breath, she found her boot and sock, which lay on the cave floor. Once the injured foot was covered, she stood up; approaching Shadow Watcher and the feather he was sniffing. He straighten up, staring at the young woman. The blood from the cut she had given him earlier matted the inky feathers around it. “Sorry about the darkness cloaking. I am sure you do not feel good right now. I would have warned you, but I did not want to notify Frozen Wasteland.”

 “Frozen Wasteland?” Sorrel asked, tugging the hood of her parka over her head, still feeling weak and woozy.

 “That's his name. The herbivores know him as Coldbreath. He is a Freeze Manipulator. You know about...”

 “Of course. I know all about Manipulators. I come from a world full of them. I think Aunt Angie told me that there are two different types of dinosaurs that can be Manipulators. The ones that are born with it, like the people in my world. Um...in this world they are called...Mythborns. And then there are some that have their abilities unlocked by a Curse Manipulator. They are called…Scarcarries. Any dinosaur with an ability can be called a Mythcarrier.  All intelligent creatures of this world have an ability to manipulate something; it just matters if it is active. Most have an ability dormant within them.”

 “Alright. Enough with the history lesson. I got that plenty when I was younger, from the elders,” Shadow Watcher laughed, laying down at the cave entrance, his feathered body still in the darkness.  

Sorrel stopped speaking, sitting down next to the black feathered Utahraptor. She leaned across his clawed paws to reach for Frozen Wasteland's feather. Shadow Watcher gave a low growl as she picked up the dark gray feather, twirling it between her fingers. She then brushed the tip against her wrist. “It's soft.”

 “It's a feather. Feel mine. I'm soft.”

The young woman rolled her eyes at him. “I didn't expect it to feel so soft. It looked so wiry...”

A hoarse caw sounded in the distance, causing Shadow Watcher to look away from the feather. He sniffed the air, a soft growl emanating from his throat. “That sounded like one of my pack mates. I think they maybe wounded. That call sounded weak…”

Getting to his feet once more, Shadow Watcher sniffed the cold air again before stepping outside. He let out a caw of his own, followed by a roar, which was louder and would travel further to any listening ears. The young male waited for an answering call when Sorrel’s voice broke into his concentration. “You’re bleeding!”

At the young woman’s words, Shadow Watcher looked down at the ground. He observed the red swirls mixing with the muddy slush of the melting snow where the ground had been trampled. Another few droplets of bright red blood fell, adding to the mix. Muttering a string of curses under his breath, the raptor lifted his feathered arm to lick at the bloody feathers. While he did this, the young woman slipped the feather of Frozen Wasteland into one of the many front pockets of her hiking backpack before taking her medical kit to the large dromaeosaur.

 “Lay down,” she commanded as she slipped out a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Popping the cap open, she parted the thick, inky feathers, revealing the bleeding wound on the carnivore’s side. “How were you not bleeding before?” She asked, eyeing the deep gash along his rib cage.

 “Darkness,” Shadow Watcher mumbled, clawed paws twitching at the stinging pain as the young woman drizzled the antibacterial liquid over his wound, flushing it of any debris. His silver eyes did not stray from the direction of the weak caw the two had heard before. “I learned how to stich my wounds close with my control over darkness. My mother showed me how to solidify the darkness into fine but strong threads. I make the end sharp as steel so I didn’t need a needle. But as you know, anything a Dark Manipulator makes will dissipates when sunlight hits it.”

Sorrel nodded at the carnivore’s words. Wiping her hands on the leg of her pants, she placed the bottle of hydrogen peroxide back into her medical kit and pulled out an already threaded surgical needle. “Then I better give you a real suture.” With those words, Sorrel began to sew the wound shut. The raptor remained still as Sorrel pierced his skin, weaving the needle and thread back and forth in neat little stitches. When she finished, she took the tube of ointment out of the medical kit that she had used on her own wound. Squeezing some of it onto her fingers, she spread it over the closed gash to prevent any infection.

Wiping the left over translucent paste onto her pants, she placed the medical equipment back into her kit before standing up. Walking back to her bag, Sorrel placed the kit into it then hoisted the backpack over her shoulders. “Okay. Let’s go find your friend,” Sorrel said as she buckled the pack securely around her waist.

Shadow Watcher nodded, but did not move from his prone position. “Hop on.”

Sorrel quickly mounted the Utahraptor. His feathers were indeed soft, and his body warm, unlike when he had previously used his darkness ability. Of course, she would not give him the satisfaction of acknowledging his silky feathers.

Once he was sure that his human cargo was securely on his back, Shadow Watcher stood up. After taking a moment to get his bearings, the black raptor trotted in the direction he had heard his packmate’s weak call. The weight of the young woman on his back did not seem to hamper the large raptor in the least.

It did not take long for the pair to enter a narrow ravine. Sorrel stared out in awe at the destruction within it. Many rocks from above had fallen to the earth floor, crushing any creature unlucky enough to move out of the way.

 “Any creature unlucky enough to move out of the way,” The thought echoed through Sorrel’s mind. Her dark brown eyes began to franticly search, hoping not to find a feathered form underneath one of the boulders. She knew that Shadow Watcher’s pack mate was still alive, but if they were crushed by a boulder, how long could they hold out for?

Just then, Sorrel’s eyes landed on a sandy feather head, darker brown feathers around the sickleclaw’s neck, similar to a lion’s mane. “Oh, no…” she breathed.”

 “Stone Claw!” Shadow Watched called out, rushing to the broken Utahraptor.
 

Chapter Twelve: Stolen

After Impale’s abrupt departure, the remaining three’s journey continued, persisting through the blizzard. Even in the blinding, snowy wind, the trio pressed on. Hyacinth knew that they had to keep traveling to the Great Valley, even if it was only a few yards at a time. As long as Sorrel was warm enough, they would keep moving on. The large herbivores could survive the cold, only having to worry about frostbite and obtaining food and water.

During each night, the trio stopped to sleep and refuel. The two herbivores were able to eat parts of the conifers. Hyacinth preferred the softer, needle-like leaves while Orchid ate the branches or peeled pieces of bark. Sorrel, unable to eat anything from the pines, relied on her experience from camping in the wilderness back home to find sustenance. She set up small traps in the nighttime, catching a rodent or two for breakfast. Having caught, skinned, and cooked small game over an open fire on many occasions, this came naturally. She also was able to find a few hardy cold baring plants, which many of the smaller, local herbivores fed upon. She dug up their roots and tubers to eat, along with the small fruit they produced.

*****

Orchid awoke on the seventh day with joy filling her soul. At first, when her morning dream began to fade and consciousness took its hold once more, she was annoyed at the sunlight shining in her eyes. As the Stegosaurus opened her eyes wider, she registered that there were no clouds in the sky. The blizzard had stopped. Struggling to her feet, she began to wiggle with joy, prancing around in the snow. She let out a loud squeal of excitement. “The sun's out! The sun's out! The sun's out! The blizzards gone! No more thunder storm!”

At the purple herbivore’s voice, Sorrel gave a groan from where she lay next to the Apatosaurus. Nestled in a clump of conifers for protection against the wind and sleeping on her thin, waterproof, thermal blanket, the human was able to stay quite warm during the cold night. Pulling her hood over her head, she snuggled against Hyacinth’s warm neck, trying to block out Orchid’s high-pitched girly voice. Sadly, for the young woman, Hyacinth was also awoken. “The sun’s out?”

Heavy-lidded teal eyes gazed upwards through the canopy to view the bright blue sky. A sleepy smile gradually played on her lips at the sight. Letting out a soft laugh, the longneck began to stand, causing Sorrel to groan yet again. The young woman just slipped away from the sauropod’s neck, still not wanting to be awaken. She was having the nicest dream. Sorrel gave another groan as the icy cold of the snow covered ground began to nip at her bare wrist and face.

Sitting up, the young woman gave a loud sigh, brushing a wisp of blond hair that had escape her hat. She groggily stood up, stretching her arms out toward the sky as she let out a loud yawn. She stared at the sky for a moment, smiling like her herbivore friends. Sorrel then turned to Hyacinth, “I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a few days now, but I kept forgetting. Could we visit Aunt Angie’s grave before we officially head to the Great Valley? I would like to see her one last time.”

“Of course,” Hyacinth nodded. “Besides, I don’t really know where the Great Valley is. I was hoping that we would meet someone on the way that would.”

“Did I tell you about my mother having a strange obsession with pinecones?” Orchid asked, sniffing at the bark of a nearby conifer. “I think my little brother was starting to get into collecting them too. I remember the day I left the herd; I saw a small pile where he normally sleeps. I bet you he and mother have fights about which ones they get to have. My little brother’s so cute! He looks just like my dad, dark green with darker green plates and a cream colored underside. Moss also really, really, likes hot springs. I tried to convince him to come with me but he wanted to stay with mom and dad. I really hope that we make it to the Great Valley. I want to meet the legendary children so badly. Not that they are children anymore. They should be around our age. I hope that the spiketail is a boy and he isn’t already taken. I’m sure he is, but I can hope and dream!” Orchid let out a girlish giggle as her brown eyes glazed over, fantasies swirling inside her head.

“Then I hope we can find another dinosaur that does know where the Valley is,” Sorrel said as she began to search for her traps that were hidden under last night’s snowfall.

“Hey! Maybe there will be more thinskins in the Great Valley. You could meet a cute boy of your own kind. Have you ever been courted by a male? Oh I’m sure you have. You seem really pretty for a thinskin. Aren’t you? How do thinskins court each other? Male spiketails fight over females. They swing their tails, roar at each other and sometimes they will flush their plates to make them change colors. I wish a boy would fight over me…

Sorrel gave a small laugh, shaking her head. Over the past few days of travel, she had gotten used to the bubbly Stegosaurus’ ramblings. “Humans have very different types of relationships compared to dinosaurs. I’ve had my fair share, but I’m not looking for anything in this world. I’m here to experience this magnificent realm that my Aunt Angie has told me so much about. I’m not expecting to find any romance; although it would be cool to meet another human on my first travel.”

“You mean you have a bunch of babies from several different mates?” Orchid gasped wide-eyed.

“What?” Sorrel’s brows scrunched in confusion before she comprehended what the spiketail was referring to. “Oh no,” she laughed, “Humans usually date several different people before finding the one they want to settle down with and have children.”

Before she could further explain, the earth gave a sudden lurch followed by fierce trembling. Sorrel stumbled forward, almost falling on her hands and knees.

“Sorrel!” Hyacinth shouted as the violent shaking of the earth increased. “Move! I don't want Orchid or I to crush you if we end of falling over.”

“I'll try,” the blonde haired woman shouted back. She struggled forward, dark brown eyes watching for any nearby crumbling structures. Many times she fell, losing her balance from the lurches of the earth. After yet another stumble, Sorrel started to crawl away. It did not take long before she was sitting a few yards away from the two herbivores, not daring to stand.

A loud snap caused Sorrel to look over at one of the towering conifers. The shaking of the earth had disturbed the placement of its roots and loosened the soil. The massive tree began to fall, tipping faster with every second. The snow that had been gather in the branches descended upon the nearby dinosaurs, covering them.

“Hyacinth! Watch out!” Sorrel cried reaching out a hand as if it would help her warning travel faster to the dinosaur.

On instinct, the gray Apatosaurus turned her long neck, looking up at the falling tree, but it was too late for her to move. The upper section of the tree landed on her lower back, the immense weight causing her back legs to buckle from underneath her. She gave a bellow as she fell to the ground, unable to stand with the branches laying on top of her. Its needle-like leaves scarped against her dark gray back, some even stabbing into her skin, drawing blood.

“Hyacinth!” Sorrel yelled once more, jumping to her feet and taking a step forward only to fall to her knees, the ground still quaking. “Are you okay!”

The sauropod struggled to stand on her feet, but fell down in the snow. She looked up at her new human companion. “Yeah. It didn't break anything, but I can't stand up until this earthquake is over.”

More cracking sounded. Both females looked over to Orchid, whose own brown eyes were trained on a widening crack beside her. She took a step to the side, before feeling the very top of the conifer that downed Hyacinth brush against her legs. The Stegosaurus flinched, stepping back to where she was. Her back left foot giving out as the earth beneath it crumbled away.

Orchid let out a scream, scrambling to her feet and trotting away as fast as she could from the growing fissure. Hyacinth watched in fear as the crack grew larger and larger, clumps of snow and plant life disappearing into the dark depths. It was opening closer to her downed form. She struggled to get up once more, but the shaking of the earth refused her. She needed all her strength to push the limbs off her back, which was impossible with the violently shaking earth keeping her so off balance.

Orchid, standing on the other side of Hyacinth, felt the strange sensation of cold prickles on her body. She looked up to see snow falling as yet another conifer tumbled toward the earth. Letting out a scream, the spiketail darted forward, the tree barely missing her tail. Hyacinth on the other hand, was not unharmed. The very tip of the tree grazed her hind leg, creating a deep gash and staining the ground red with her blood.

As soon as it began, the earth creased its shaking. The trio stood where they were, shell shocked at the destruction around them. Many of the trees were uprooted and were now laying on the ground. The crack just beside Hyacinth was almost large enough to swallow the sauropod whole.

“Hyacinth!” Sorrel yelled, running toward the gray Apatosaurus, not hindered by the quaking earth anymore. “Are you okay? That gash looks nasty.”

The longneck nodded, climbing to her front feet before she struggled with her hind. With a bit of help from Orchid, she was able to push the collapsed conifer off her back. Hyacinth then glanced at her wounded hind leg. “It'll be okay. I just have to make sure it’s clean, right? Are you okay?”

Sorrel gave a small nod. She looked out over the destruction. “I've never been through an earthquake before...this had to be at least an eight on the Richter scale.” She then looked to the massive crack in the earth. “I wonder if that is a fault line.”

“Whoa!” Orchid suddenly shouted, standing by the gaping hole in the ground. “It's bigger than me and look; the ground on the other side is higher than it is here. How did that happen?  I wonder if this was what it was like during the earth shake that happened the day before Moss hatched. I was told it was really, really bad farther away.  I wonder how my family is doing...”

As Orchid continued to jabber, Sorrel walked over to her. Crouching down on her hands and knees, she observed the massive crack. “I think we were on the epicenter of the earthquake.”

At the sound of a hoarse caw, Sorrel looked away from the crack, dark brown eyes searching for what made the sound. “I think that was a carnivore. We should get moving.”

The caw sounded once more followed by a strange trilling noise. Just as Sorrel stood up, a shrill screech followed by pounding footsteps drew near. The young woman turned in the direction of the sound to come face to face with a peach feathered Yutyrannus. Before the herbivores could react, the juvenile predator pick Sorrel up by her backpack and ran off.

Sorrel screamed, kicking her legs in the air as the Yutyrannus took off in a sprint. The young woman could hear Hyacinth's bellows as the sauropod tried to gallop after the predator. Sadly, with her weight and bruised back, she could not move even close to the speed of the smaller carnivore.

“Daddy's going to be so happy,” the Yutyrannus mumbled through the fabric of Sorrel's backpack. “He's always thought thinskins were interesting. I can't wait to show him this live one.”

Sorrel looked up at the feathered predator, breath coming out in short gasps. The young Yutyrannus looked down her snout at the human, letting out a soft growl. She gave a savage shake of her head. “Stop looking at me you weird creature. I may be taking you to my daddy, but I won't treat you nicely. Not like you can understand me.”

“I can understand you,” Sorrel yelled, gripping the straps of her backpack, her body throbbing with pain at the sudden thrash of movement. For sure, she had whiplash from the brutal jerk. Impale was right about one thing, humans were vulnerable to many things that most other creatures in this world were not.

The peach-feathered dinosaur skidded to a sudden halt, violet eyes wide. “You can speak? All the ones Daddy ever caught made really strange noises, or they sounded like stupid leaf-eaters. You sound like me. Never mind! You're just distracting me.” The young female gave another, slightly more vigorous shake of her head.

This time Sorrel let out a moan of discomfort, gritting her teeth and screwing her eyes shut.  She could feel the Yutyrannus running once more. The carnivors’ strides where just as smooth as Hyacinth’s, but it felt as if Sorrel was on a metal roller coaster. It may have been smooth, but it was fast and she was suspend in midair, about five feet above the ground.

When the pain began to wear away, Sorrel opened her eyes. She swallowed hard as she watched the snowy ground dappled with dead plant matter quickly pass by. She was not too high off the ground since the peach-feathered carnivore was just peeking out of her juvenile years. The young woman shifted in her backpack, looking to where the carnivore was taking her. What would this juvenile's father do to her? Surly he would kill her after he was done toying with her. Sorrel glanced over her shoulder, frowning when she could not see any signs of Hyacinth or Orchid.

“She really does move fast,” Sorrel thought.

Taking in a deep breath, the young woman calmed herself. She had to escape the Yutyrannus before she would, no doubt, become a dino snack. Sorrel looked up at the younger female, dark brown eyes trained on the pale, almost white scales of her snout. She watched the carnivore for a moment more. It seemed that the juvenile was lost in her own thoughts. This trick might just work, as long as Sorrel did not break anything.

Sucking in a deep breath, Sorrel unclipped the strap around her waist. Letting gravity take over, she slid out of the pack, bracing herself for impact. Luckily, the snow had built up over the past seven days. It absorbed almost all the energy of her fall. Struggling out of the fluffy snow, Sorrel began to run in the opposite direction of the swift footed predator. It was pure luck that the Yutyrannus had not realized that her prey was gone, still off in her dreamland.

Unfortunately, it did not take long for the juvenile to notice that the weight of the backpack was strangely lighter than it had previously been. Looking down her snout, she could see that her prize was gone. Jerking to a stop, she dropped the hiking bag, scarping a clawed foot across it in disgust. Seething, she looked up, quickly spotting the small, struggling figure farther behind her. Sorrel was having a hard time trudging through the snow. It may have saved her from injury when she fell, but now it hindered her escape.

The peach feathered predator gave a shrill roar, charging forward. At the noise, Sorrel glanced over her shoulder, panic in her dark brown eyes. It would be only seconds before the juvenile would be bearing down on her. Hopping out of the snow, the young woman ran as best as she could towards her target, a small hole in the ground. With each struggled step, the Yutyrannus loomed menacingly closer. Just as the young woman could feel the hot breath on the back of her neck, she jumped for the small hole.

The feathered carnivore lunged forward just as Sorrel dived into the hole. The Yutyrannus's fangs hooked onto Sorrel's black woolen hat, pulling it off. The angry carnivore shook her head, trying to dislodge the piece of fabric off her tooth. This gave Sorrel much needed time as she wormed her way down into the tunnel, hoping her feet were not anywhere near the reach of the carnivore's jaws. Unfortunately, she wasn’t so lucky.

Sorrel let out a gasp of pain as the Yutyrannus's fangs sliced into the back of her right ankle. The young woman began to struggle deeper into the narrow tunnel; eyes clenched shut as tears brimmed her lids. Just as suddenly as the pressure was on her foot, it was gone. Sorrel continued to push herself forward, the warm blood running down her ankle as a reminder of what could happen in the next second.

The shrill roar followed by the eerie trill of the juvenile made the young woman's blood run cold. She was as far as she could go in the earthy tunnel. Her now bare, right foot was freezing and would surely be frost bitten in the next few minutes. Not only that, but she would run out of air if she did not get out soon. Her entire body filled the tunnel and there was no way enough fresh air could get into it.

“Come on. Leave,” Sorrel desperately thought.

The Yutyrannus gave another trill before she dove for the tunnel. Her scaly snout jammed into the entrance. The female began to thrash around, unable to open her jaws, panicking. Frantically twisting her head from side to side, she only managed to wedge her snout tighter. Finally, after giving a vicious tug, she pulled free. The Yutyrannus took several steps back, staring at Sorrel's prone form inside the earthy passageway, just out of reach. The scent of blood was enticing, but what just happened... She would not risk it again. With a loud, frustrated huff, the juvenile shook out her peach colored feathers and walked off in search of other prey.

Sorrel stayed in the tunnel for another fifteen minutes. She had to make sure the Yutyrannus had walked off a far enough distance for her to not be noticed. The young woman would have waited even longer if it was not for her freezing, bare foot, or the lightheaded feeling from lack of oxygen. Carefully scooting herself backward, she emerged from the tunnel.

Taking in a deep breath of fresh air, Sorrel ran a hand through her short blonde hair, freeing any dirt particles. Quickly scanning the area, she found her tattered boot, the sock still inside, and her hat. Both were in well enough condition for her to wear. She slipped them both on, careful of the bite wound on the back of her right ankle. She would have to take care of that later, but first, she had to find her hiking backpack.

Limping, she followed the Yutyrannus's trail to where she had dropped her bag. It had also suffered damage. There were some small holes and torn fabric, and it was covered in snow and dirt. Luckily, the damage wasn’t large enough to lose the items inside. She could repair it later. Sorrel slipped the backpack on and began wearily walking in a different direction. She had to find some type of shelter, and fast. Without Hyacinth, it would not take long for her to become hypothermic once night fell.

Fortunately, luck was on her side. It did not take long for Sorrel to find a hidden cave. Snow and dead vines concealed the entrance from any passing predators. The young woman plopped herself down inside the cavern, immediately tugging off her right boot and sock. She had to take care of this wound as soon as possible. As she began to fish inside her bag for her medical kit, she was unaware of a lone carnivore's eyes glowing in the darkness of the cave, silently watching her.  

Still, why don't the migrating herds stay there? In LBT IV and LBT VII it would make sense for those herds to stay, instead of wondering around, since it's a big place, filled with food and safe from predators.

I think the migrating herds keep going for a few reasons. They may not like the diversity in the Valley. Migrating was the life they were raise in, all they know is moving from place to place. They may have specific nesting grounds. Maybe they just have seasonal places they live. The Great Valley could be one of those places or it might be a pit stop.

I think the flute part sounded real enough.

You should totally do a rock version of some song. As a fellow rocker, I would love to see how that would sound.

Gosh! This is so cool! Just with the interments, the song sounds emotional (maybe cuz I'm envisioning the scene inside my head). I like how you made different parts for each of the characters. I actually play the flute myself. You should totally make another one (that is, when you get time).

Oh my gosh! The picture of Cho and Ali is amazing! The shading and coloring is wonderful. You got Ali's colors just right.  I love both their expressions, you can totally see their personalities in this picture. Even though I haven't read much of Ducky123's fic, I have dabbled in reading it along with skimming over some of the early post in this form.

Umm...I also saw that you mention that you were having art requests. Is it possible that you could draw one of my characters? (I have drawn my own, but I'm not the best. I can only draw side views and I fail at LBT style. Writing is more my thing).

Chapter Nine: Legends

Sorry for not updating last week. I wasn’t feeling the best and had no motivation to write. I also apologize for another boring chapter, but I needed to get a little bit more info out there before we meet Sorrel.

Several weeks had passed uneventfully since the attack of Coldbreath. The three herbivores had healed from their encounter with the vicious predator. Impale was adapting well with her two traveling companions. The Triceratops continued to display stubbornness, but normally went along with whatever the two slightly older adolescent females did. They were obviously on a mission and knew where they were headed. There was no point for her to fight back when there was nothing to strive for in her life. Her father was dead and she had no idea where her sickly brother was. There was also no chance in finding a mate when she was this badly deformed. Who would want a threehorn who only had two horns and a broken frill? Resigned to her fate, all she could do was follow the other two.

As the days passed in their travels, all three noticed the decrease in air temperature. It was becoming quite cold, quite fast. Orchid pointed out the naked branches of the leafy trees along with the frost that covered them every morning. They saw less and less of other dinosaurs, most staying away from where ever it snowed. Even the smaller critters became fewer in numbers, hiding in their dens and nests for warmth.

“Burr, it’s sure getting cold out here,” Hyacinth spoke, her breath a puff of steam in the icy air. She stepped onto the edge of a frozen lake, teal eyes gazing over at the towering, snow-covered conifers around her. She leaned her weight onto the thick frozen sheet of ice, waiting for the deep toned crack to ring though the air. When this did not happen, Hyacinth placed her other front foot onto the ice, this time further from the edge. Giving a push, the ice creaked, before a massive crack shown through the translucent surface.

The gray Apatosaurus stepped back, giving a small sigh. “Soon I’m going to be raising to my hind legs to break through this stuff.” She lowered her head, pushing away some of the ice chucks to lap away at the chilly water. Her two traveling companions joined her.

Once Orchid stopped drinking, she looked over her surroundings, narrowing her brown eyes at the massive, pale gray cliffs in the distance. Taking a step back from the frozen lake, the spiketail walked towards the cliffs, eyes still narrowed as she scrutinized the massive structure, searching her memories. She recognized it. Where were they? Her father’s herd rarely passed through this area because of the Utahraptors. The sickleclaws….

“We’re really close now!” Orchid squealed in excitement, causing Hyacinth to raise her head from the water, a small clump of cold bearing aquatic plants clamped in her jaws.

The purple Stegosaurus spun around, her feet spraying snow everywhere. She tramped towards her gray scaled friend, grinning. “We are just at the edge of the sickleclaws’ territory. They…I don’t think they will hurt us because we are here to pick up Sorrel, but we should still be careful. I hope Coldbreath isn’t back. This is actually where he lives. He was the worst predator that my herd had to watch out for during our travels. We barely encountered sickleclaws. We never really went this way unless our other path was even more dangerous than this. I wonder if there are any other predators out here other than Coldbreath and the sickleclaw pack? I hope not. At least I hope they don’t attack us. Maybe we should go anoth-“

Orchid stopped as a large, fat snowflake landed on her bony break. She stared at it cross-eyed, watching it melt. As the water ran down her beak, she let out another squeal and looked up at the sky, wiggling with excitement.  “Oh! I just love the snow. It might be cold and wet, but I still love it. I loved playing in it when I was younger and then when I got too big, I watched the hatchlings play and they were so cute. You know what else is cute? The cute little animals. Like the tiny fuzzy warm creatures that tickle you when they brush past your nose while you’re eating. There are also those other pretty creatures that make pretty noises and fly around. I use to play with them too when I was younger. They look so cute when they are covered in snow. Don’t you think so?” the spiketail rambled on.

“No,” Impale answered before Hyacinth could open her mouth. The dull red threehorn walked in front of Orchid, dark brown eyes glaring at the pale gray cliffs ahead. “Let’s just keep moving and get this stupid thinskin and get back to a warmer place. I hate being cold and wet.”

Orchid pouted before making a face at Impale. She turned to Hyacinth who just smiled down at her. The Apatosaurus then turned her teal gaze to a tiny furry creature with a very fluffy tail. “Those creatures that fly around are birds, and I think Angela called that little furry animal a squirrel.” She gestured with her head towards the small brown mammal.

Orchid let out another squeal, stomping towards the squirrel. Instantly it let out a chirp and scurried up the nearest tree, a couple of nuts that it had dug up stuffed in its cheeks. The purple Stegosaurus frowned when it ran away, but turned back to the other two herbivores. “Oops...I guess I scared it.”

At the older female’s words, Impale gave a loud snort. “You guessed you scared it? You terrified it. Why do you fuss over those tiny furry things so much anyway? We see them all the time.”

“Because their cute! They’re just like hatchlings. Oh, I love hatchlings. I can’t wait to have some of my own.”

Impale rolled her dark brown eyes at the spiketail before gazing up at the gloomy gray sky. The snow was falling a little heavier now. A flake landed in the youngest female’s eye, causing her to give a small snort and shake her head. Cursing the snow under her breath, she pawed at the ground in anger. She then glared at the gray cliffs once more, the urge to hurt something running through her veins. Maybe she could kill a raptor or two.

Orchid let out another squeal of delight, causing Impale to wince in irritation. She glared at the purple Stegosaurus, silently brandishing her lone brow horn at the older female. Orchid took no notice, too occupied with a small russet feathered bird that had perched itself on a nearby branch. Its feathers were already dusted with snow within only seconds of landing on the branch. Dark beady eyes stared at Orchid before the bird ruffling its feathers, shaking off the snow. Giving a twitter, the russet bird flew off to another, more sheltered perch and away from the massive beasts.

 “Shut up,” Impale snarled when Orchid gave another excited, girlish giggle as the bird flew away. “We see them every day. I know you’ve seen them more than me in the winter.”

 “But they are so cute covered in snow, and they are so tiny,” the Stegosaurs let out another squeal before walking off with a bounce in her step.

A sudden screech echoed menacingly across the snowy landscape, causing Orchid to freeze in her steps. All happiness dissipated from her as she gave a small whimper, brown eyes darting every which way, looking for the owner of the screech. Impale only gave a small snort. “You’re leading us into sickleclaw territory, yet you don’t know what they sound like? You’re pathetic.”

 “Hey,” Orchid snapped back as the trio began to walk toward the cliffs. “I can’t help it that my father only went through this way two times. I don’t know what a sickleclaw sounds like and I don’t care. A predator noise is a predator noise, I’m scare of sharpteeth. At least we don’t ever have to worry about the Terror of the Mysterious Beyond, Sharptooth. I’m glad that he was killed.”

 “I’m not so sure about that. Five leaf eater children killing the most feared carnivore of all time? I don’t believe it. Besides, it is not like we are even close to the Mysterious Beyond. The only predator we have to worry about is Coldbreath and I’m sure he’s still mopping around about the egg Dad crushed.”

 “Um…I feel a bit stupid for asking this but, who’s Sharptooth?” Hyacinth questioned as she walked beside the two arguing females.

Orchid stared up at Hyacinth in astonishment. “How do you not know who Sharptooth is? He was the most feared of all sharpteeth. He terrorized the Mysterious Beyond, killing anything and everything. He was told in stories to scare hatchlings at night and gave even adolescents nightmares. He could take down a full-grown threehorn with ease. He was bigger than any other bonecrusher sharptooth. His eyes were red as blood and his scales black as tar. He would even killed just for the fun of the hunt.”

 “My father said that he once saw Sharptooth.” Impale spoke up. “He said that most of the legend of true, but Sharptooth was more of a really dark green than black. That’s why I don’t believe the other legend about five children killing him when only three were even a large species.”

 “What?” Hyacinth asked. “I haven’t heard of that legend either. I honestly haven’t heard of any; being raised by a thinskin and all.”

 “There were five children,” Orchid explained. “A hornface, a longneck, a spiketail, a bigmouth, and some type of flyer. While Sharptooth was chasing them, they somehow managed to lure him into the water. Then, while he was trying to kill them, they pushed an enormous rock onto his head. If that didn’t kill him, then drowning would have. It is said that they now live in the hidden paradise called the Great Valley. I was kind of hoping we could look for it once we get Sorrel. I would like to meet the spiketail. They are all about our age now, adolescents. I hope that the spiketail is a male so that I could maybe, possibly pick him up as a mate. You two could also pick up the other two if they are males also. That would be so cool. All three of us having famous mates.”

Impale gave a loud snort at the Stegosaurus’s words. “I doubt you’ll be able to get the spiketail. I’m sure, if it is a male, he already has a female he’s courting, especially being one of the legendary five. I wouldn’t put any luck into any sort of courtship on my end either. I’m not appealing to a male threehorn’s eyes anymore.  My frill is damaged and I’m missing a horn. No male threehorn’s going to take me as his mate. Not like I really care though.”

 “But isn’t it more important for the males of your kind to have horns and frills, not the females? Aren’t they mainly use for courtship and protecting the herd, which is the males’ responsibility?” Hyacinth asked.

 “No. Females may not do the fighting during courtship, but they still need to protect the nest while the male is out looking for food.” Impale glanced at the sky, narrowing her eyes at the glowing clouds that covered the sun. “So how are we going to get to this ëGreat Valley’ when we don’t even know where it is? Does it even exist?”
 
 “Of course it does,” Orchid replied confidently. “It’s where the five defeaters of Sharptooth live.”

 “And they are so much more believable than a paradise that has endless amounts of the tastiest plants, the cleanest, freshest water; a place for any leaf eater to live in freedom from hungry sharpteeth.” Impale scoffed at the notion of both the five young leaf eaters defeating Sharptooth and a haven such as the Great Valley.

“Do you think Sharptooth had any children before he was killed?” mused Hyacinth.

 “No way,” Orchid shouted, not breaking her stride as they trampled through the snow. “There is no way a female would take a terror like him as her mate. If I was a sharptooth, I sure wouldn’t. I would be afraid that he would kill me or eat his own children. I’m sure he did. He probably killed his own mate if he was ever able to get one. He probably just scared off all the other sharpteeth too.”

“How do you know that?” the Triceratops shot back. “Maybe female sharpteeth like that in a male. Maybe he was the absolute favorite among the females because he was so big and strong that he could even take down one of his own kind. I don’t see why he couldn’t have children. Maybe he didn’t even have a mate, but I’m sure he did, at least in a legend my father always told me, he did.”

Impale glanced at the pale rock cliff  that was drawing closer before continuing her story. They were getting quite close to the Utahraptors’ home. “It is said that Sharptooth had children. Many members of my herd believe that. There was no reason why he wouldn’t. How many he had, we don’t know. In the legend it is said that he had at least two small clutches of eggs with his blue scaled mate. Though, some think that he may have had many more and may have had children with other females. Some say that he never had a mate, but just took females when they were in heat. I don’t believe this, if he really did have a mate in the first place. But we are plant eaters, they are meat eaters. They are a lot different than us. Savages.”

A set of caws and screeches interrupted Impale’s story. The trio of herbivores looked in the direction of the pale rock wall, spying three figures traveling slowly towards them. The Utahraptors. The Triceratops just narrowed her dark brown eyes at them and continued her story. “It is said that all of Sharptooth’s children are just as big as him, if not bigger. They are also just as skilled of hunters as him. Legend has it, since all his children had to have been hatched before his death, that they lived through a solar eclipse serval seasons ago. It is said that this eclipse awakens the dominate abilities within dinosaurs, but not fully. A dinosaur that has lived through a solar eclipse must witness a lunar eclipse before they reached adulthood. If not, the ability will not be activated. The legend has it that any of Sharptooth’s children have the nastiest of Mythcarrier abilities. The thing about this legend, it’s more of a prophecy - a terror’s children will live under both burning and blood moon to become more monstrous than that of their father. ”

Hyacinth gulped, stumbling in her walk. “So it’s talking about abilities like Decay, Plague, and Agony?”

Impale nodded. “Those sound like some of the worse ones.”
 
“Hyacinth,” a female voice suddenly called out, interrupting the discussion. “You’re here. I was beginning to wonder what was taking you so long. I was worried you had gotten yourself killed. And I see you have pick yourself up another traveler.”

The three herbivores halted as the gray Apatosaurus stared down at the three Utahraptors now standing a few yards in front of them. The one who had just spoken to her stood a few feet ahead of the others. Her sandy colored feathered body blended nicely against the white snow and brown vegetation. A male the same color as her stood on her right side and a white feathered male stood on her left.

“Shifting Sand,” Hyacinth greeted in carnivore tongue.