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LBT Fanfiction / Let Your Heart Guide You
« on: August 09, 2012, 03:08:55 PM »
…
When they hit the Valley floor, they continued running. As they moved, Fyn could see others watching them, wondering what was going on. He turned his head to acknowledge them.
It was his first mistake.
“Fyn!” Labon yelled again, “don’t you dare gaze anywhere other than me! No one but me is your focus today. Stop disappointing me!”
Fyn snapped his head back, only staring at Labon. They pressed on, running towards a rocky section of the forest. They ran through the trees, and Fyn caught several branches in the face. Despite this, he and Littlefoot pressed on. Labon led them up to a small, rocky hill just above the treeline, and indicated for Littlefoot and Fyn to line up side-by-side in front of him. They did so.
“I’m now going to test your endurance, and how well you can think under stress,” Labon said. “When I say ëRockslide,’ you will drop to the ground, then pick yourself up as quickly as possible. When I say ëSharptooth’ you will throw your tail from side to side as if fending off a Sharptooth. Am I clear?”
The friends nodded.
“We’ll see. Rockslide!”
Labon’s call caught Fyn and Littlefoot off guard, but only for a moment. They dropped to the ground and pushed themselves back onto their feet, ready to wait for the next statement.
“Rockslide,” Labon repeated, calmly. Fyn and Littlefoot hit the ground again and recovered.
“This time,” Fyn though to himself, breathing heavily, “He’ll call ëSharptooth.’ He has to!”
“Rockslide,” Labon repeated again, and the two dinosaurs went back down and up. Now Fyn was getting really anxious. When would his father start mixing things up? The “Rockslides” just kept coming. Fyn’s legs were shaking. He’d never done anything like this. Littlefoot had stronger front legs, and was having a considerably better time. After the fourteenth “Rockslide,” Fyn’s knees began to buckle. Littlefoot rushed to his side and supported him. On the next “Rockslide,” Littlefoot helped him up. Then things switched up again.
“Sharptooth!” Labon said. Fyn began to go down. He’d been expecting another “Rockslide.” Labon was immediately on to him.
“Why aren’t you listening? I said Sharptooth!”
Fyn corrected himself and stood up, swishing his long tail through the air with a resounding “crack.” It was that sound, a sound only Fin-Necks and their cousins could produce, that inspired Fyn to keep going.
“Sharptooth.”
“Crack!” Fyn’s tail sliced through the air once more. Now he was feeling motivated again.
“Rockslide!”
Fyn and Littlefoot hit the ground again, breathing hard, but inspired to succeed. The process repeated for a while. Then Labon finally called a halt.
“You two have earned something, amazingly,” he said, “water.”
Fyn and Littlefoot both looked in sorry shape. They were breathing heavily, and could barely move. They simply nodded in understanding.
“Alright, then. Follow me.”
Labon took off running, and Fyn and Littlefoot, with no thoughts other than those of the cool water which awaited them, followed. They chased Labon through the trees until they finally stopped by a trickling, clear stream.
“Drink,” Labon ordered, “but only as much as you have to.”
Fyn bent his head to the water and drank. Water had never tasted so good in his life. He could hear Littlefoot thirstily gulping down water beside him as well. Just as he started feeling satisfied, Labon spoke again.
“Let’s go, we’re moving again, drinking’s over!” He took off running again. Fyn and Littlefoot could scarcely keep up. They ran farther into the woods, where they stopped at a small clearing. Fyn gazed into the forest ahead with interest. All of the trees seemed to have been weakened at the base, and not by natural causes. Someone had set this up.
Labon walked ahead and paused directly in front of the trees.
“As a herd leader or deputy, the possibility of attack by either Sharpteeth, or, in some cases, other Leaf Eaters is a very real possibility. You must be prepared to deal with such attacks should they occur. As a Longneck, your best defense is your size and strength, but that does not mean you should be the aggressor at every point during a fight. More often than not, you will need to be defensive. Learn to dodge attacks, be mindful of your surroundings, and prepare for a counterattack. Rockslide.”
Fyn and Littlefoot almost didn’t catch the phrase Labon had thrown into his speech, but when they did, they hit the ground and shot right back up.
“Good,” Labon said, “you’re still awake. You’ll need to be in here.”
He gestured to one of the weakened trees. “These are your attackers. They are the first challenges you will encounter in this forest, but they will not be your last. You will not let them touch you. Instead, you will dodge them. Obviously, I can’t do this alone, so I have an assistant. Mr. Threehorn, will you step forward?”
Without warning, Cera’s father stepped out of the trees next to Labon. “Who do I get to break today?” he asked with a malicious grin. Labon continued with his speech.
“Your goal is to make it out of the trees and into the clearing on the other side of the forest. Mr. Threehorn will accompany Littlefoot through, and I will accompany Fyn. When I say move, get into the trees!”
Fyn and Littlefoot stayed stationary as the two adults walked into the forest. When they were inside, Labon took one last check around and yelled “move!”
Fyn ran into the trees, slipping past them with ease. This was going to be easy. Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound next to him. Fyn looked up just in time to see a massive dead tree falling towards him. He sidestepped quickly, avoiding it, but as soon as he did, another tree was bearing down on him! His father was pushing over the weakened trees. Fyn pulled himself together. His goal was to get to the other side of the forest, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
Fyn resumed his pace, running straight ahead and dodging trees left and right. One very nearly caught him in the face, but he pulled his head back just in time to avoid contact. The path through the trees seemed to go on forever. Left, right, duck, jump, turn- all of the directions were becoming confusing, but Fyn just kept going. If he stopped, he would fail, and that was most definitely not going to happen. Finally, just as it seemed the falling trees would never end, they did, and Fyn found himself standing next to a young, flexible tree. His father was on the other side of the tree, with one foot on its trunk.
“Congratulations, you’ve made it this far. Now, it’s time to learn the next step: repelling and following up on an attack. Before we start, however, Sharptooth.”
At the phrase, Fyn swished his tail from side to side, cracking it through the air.
“Good,” Labon said, and this time he sounded different. Pleased, perhaps? Fyn didn’t dare presume, but it made him feel a bit better.
“This tree I am standing behind is your attacker. Keep it away from your face, belly, and back. Those are all vulnerable areas. I don’t care how you do it, but if this tree hits you in any of the areas I just mentioned, I guarantee you will regret it.”
Fyn nodded and gave the approved affirmative.
“Yes, leader!”
“Outstanding,” Labon said, then pushed the tree violently towards Fyn, bending it towards his midsection. Fyn sidestepped, striking the tree with his tail. Labon countered by releasing pressure and swinging the tree up towards Fyn’s face. Fyn recoiled, throwing his head back to avoid the branch. Unfortunately, he also exposed his neck. Labon saw his chance and swept the tree across Fyn’s throat. It wasn’t hard enough to cause damage, but it was enough to surprise Fyn and knock him off balance.
“Do not expose your throat!” Labon said, “that is the last mistake you will ever make! If a Sharptooth’s jaws so much as graze you there, you’re lost to us. Sharptooth!”
Fyn swished his tail again, and prepared for the next attack. This one came for his face, but Fyn was ready. He lowered his head and presented the “attacker” with only his spines; perhaps his most intimidating feature. Labon tried again, aiming for Fyn’s back. Fyn was ready again, and promptly sliced his tail across the tree, diverting it. Finally, Labon came in for a low strike, and Fyn saw his chance. He pushed himself up onto his back legs and brought his front ones down onto the tree, pinning it.
“Good!” Labon said, “push harder, finish this!”
Fyn pushed the tree even harder into the ground with all of his strength. Suddenly, there was a loud “crack!” and the tree snapped in half. Fyn was suddenly reminded of his childhood journey to the Great Valley. His mother had saved the herd by snapping an attacking Sharptooth’s neck- the same one that had killed his grandfather. He had been amazed at his mother’s strength, but also somewhat frightened. He’d never seen his mother end another creature’s life. Now, he’d practiced the same. He was truly growing up.
“Good job, Fyn,” Labon said, and for the first time that day, there wasn’t a trace of harshness in his voice. “You ended the attack quickly and decisively. Just remember that a Fin-Neck never takes another life unless it is absolutely necessary. If loss of life can be avoided, then it must be.” He turned and glanced farther into the trees. Ahead, Fyn could see a faint glimmer of light. He was almost done.
“Finish this strong,” Labon said, “go!”
Fyn took off running faster than he’d ever gone before. He raced through the trees until he came to a small, steep depression. Without a second thought, he ran down into it and forced himself up the other side. It was grueling, but he kept going. Now he was plunging headfirst through vines, unable to see. He pressed on regardless, until he met his final challenge. The vines ended abruptly, and suddenly Fyn found himself tripping into a massive, deep, muddy pool. He kept going, slogging through the viscous, putrid slime, forcing his burning muscles to perform, and slowly, he began to crawl out again. Finally, he’d made it. Fyn raced to the treeline, and just as he made it through, collapsed on the ground with a shout of triumph. Momentarily, he heard Littlefoot do the same nearby. He glanced over at his friend. Littlefoot was dirty and exhausted, but smiling. Seeing him, Fyn broke into a smile, too. They had accomplished much, and as Fyn looked up at the sky, he noticed the Bright Circle; most specifically its position. It had already reached its highest point, and was now on its journey back to the horizon. Starfall was almost over.
When they hit the Valley floor, they continued running. As they moved, Fyn could see others watching them, wondering what was going on. He turned his head to acknowledge them.
It was his first mistake.
“Fyn!” Labon yelled again, “don’t you dare gaze anywhere other than me! No one but me is your focus today. Stop disappointing me!”
Fyn snapped his head back, only staring at Labon. They pressed on, running towards a rocky section of the forest. They ran through the trees, and Fyn caught several branches in the face. Despite this, he and Littlefoot pressed on. Labon led them up to a small, rocky hill just above the treeline, and indicated for Littlefoot and Fyn to line up side-by-side in front of him. They did so.
“I’m now going to test your endurance, and how well you can think under stress,” Labon said. “When I say ëRockslide,’ you will drop to the ground, then pick yourself up as quickly as possible. When I say ëSharptooth’ you will throw your tail from side to side as if fending off a Sharptooth. Am I clear?”
The friends nodded.
“We’ll see. Rockslide!”
Labon’s call caught Fyn and Littlefoot off guard, but only for a moment. They dropped to the ground and pushed themselves back onto their feet, ready to wait for the next statement.
“Rockslide,” Labon repeated, calmly. Fyn and Littlefoot hit the ground again and recovered.
“This time,” Fyn though to himself, breathing heavily, “He’ll call ëSharptooth.’ He has to!”
“Rockslide,” Labon repeated again, and the two dinosaurs went back down and up. Now Fyn was getting really anxious. When would his father start mixing things up? The “Rockslides” just kept coming. Fyn’s legs were shaking. He’d never done anything like this. Littlefoot had stronger front legs, and was having a considerably better time. After the fourteenth “Rockslide,” Fyn’s knees began to buckle. Littlefoot rushed to his side and supported him. On the next “Rockslide,” Littlefoot helped him up. Then things switched up again.
“Sharptooth!” Labon said. Fyn began to go down. He’d been expecting another “Rockslide.” Labon was immediately on to him.
“Why aren’t you listening? I said Sharptooth!”
Fyn corrected himself and stood up, swishing his long tail through the air with a resounding “crack.” It was that sound, a sound only Fin-Necks and their cousins could produce, that inspired Fyn to keep going.
“Sharptooth.”
“Crack!” Fyn’s tail sliced through the air once more. Now he was feeling motivated again.
“Rockslide!”
Fyn and Littlefoot hit the ground again, breathing hard, but inspired to succeed. The process repeated for a while. Then Labon finally called a halt.
“You two have earned something, amazingly,” he said, “water.”
Fyn and Littlefoot both looked in sorry shape. They were breathing heavily, and could barely move. They simply nodded in understanding.
“Alright, then. Follow me.”
Labon took off running, and Fyn and Littlefoot, with no thoughts other than those of the cool water which awaited them, followed. They chased Labon through the trees until they finally stopped by a trickling, clear stream.
“Drink,” Labon ordered, “but only as much as you have to.”
Fyn bent his head to the water and drank. Water had never tasted so good in his life. He could hear Littlefoot thirstily gulping down water beside him as well. Just as he started feeling satisfied, Labon spoke again.
“Let’s go, we’re moving again, drinking’s over!” He took off running again. Fyn and Littlefoot could scarcely keep up. They ran farther into the woods, where they stopped at a small clearing. Fyn gazed into the forest ahead with interest. All of the trees seemed to have been weakened at the base, and not by natural causes. Someone had set this up.
Labon walked ahead and paused directly in front of the trees.
“As a herd leader or deputy, the possibility of attack by either Sharpteeth, or, in some cases, other Leaf Eaters is a very real possibility. You must be prepared to deal with such attacks should they occur. As a Longneck, your best defense is your size and strength, but that does not mean you should be the aggressor at every point during a fight. More often than not, you will need to be defensive. Learn to dodge attacks, be mindful of your surroundings, and prepare for a counterattack. Rockslide.”
Fyn and Littlefoot almost didn’t catch the phrase Labon had thrown into his speech, but when they did, they hit the ground and shot right back up.
“Good,” Labon said, “you’re still awake. You’ll need to be in here.”
He gestured to one of the weakened trees. “These are your attackers. They are the first challenges you will encounter in this forest, but they will not be your last. You will not let them touch you. Instead, you will dodge them. Obviously, I can’t do this alone, so I have an assistant. Mr. Threehorn, will you step forward?”
Without warning, Cera’s father stepped out of the trees next to Labon. “Who do I get to break today?” he asked with a malicious grin. Labon continued with his speech.
“Your goal is to make it out of the trees and into the clearing on the other side of the forest. Mr. Threehorn will accompany Littlefoot through, and I will accompany Fyn. When I say move, get into the trees!”
Fyn and Littlefoot stayed stationary as the two adults walked into the forest. When they were inside, Labon took one last check around and yelled “move!”
Fyn ran into the trees, slipping past them with ease. This was going to be easy. Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound next to him. Fyn looked up just in time to see a massive dead tree falling towards him. He sidestepped quickly, avoiding it, but as soon as he did, another tree was bearing down on him! His father was pushing over the weakened trees. Fyn pulled himself together. His goal was to get to the other side of the forest, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
Fyn resumed his pace, running straight ahead and dodging trees left and right. One very nearly caught him in the face, but he pulled his head back just in time to avoid contact. The path through the trees seemed to go on forever. Left, right, duck, jump, turn- all of the directions were becoming confusing, but Fyn just kept going. If he stopped, he would fail, and that was most definitely not going to happen. Finally, just as it seemed the falling trees would never end, they did, and Fyn found himself standing next to a young, flexible tree. His father was on the other side of the tree, with one foot on its trunk.
“Congratulations, you’ve made it this far. Now, it’s time to learn the next step: repelling and following up on an attack. Before we start, however, Sharptooth.”
At the phrase, Fyn swished his tail from side to side, cracking it through the air.
“Good,” Labon said, and this time he sounded different. Pleased, perhaps? Fyn didn’t dare presume, but it made him feel a bit better.
“This tree I am standing behind is your attacker. Keep it away from your face, belly, and back. Those are all vulnerable areas. I don’t care how you do it, but if this tree hits you in any of the areas I just mentioned, I guarantee you will regret it.”
Fyn nodded and gave the approved affirmative.
“Yes, leader!”
“Outstanding,” Labon said, then pushed the tree violently towards Fyn, bending it towards his midsection. Fyn sidestepped, striking the tree with his tail. Labon countered by releasing pressure and swinging the tree up towards Fyn’s face. Fyn recoiled, throwing his head back to avoid the branch. Unfortunately, he also exposed his neck. Labon saw his chance and swept the tree across Fyn’s throat. It wasn’t hard enough to cause damage, but it was enough to surprise Fyn and knock him off balance.
“Do not expose your throat!” Labon said, “that is the last mistake you will ever make! If a Sharptooth’s jaws so much as graze you there, you’re lost to us. Sharptooth!”
Fyn swished his tail again, and prepared for the next attack. This one came for his face, but Fyn was ready. He lowered his head and presented the “attacker” with only his spines; perhaps his most intimidating feature. Labon tried again, aiming for Fyn’s back. Fyn was ready again, and promptly sliced his tail across the tree, diverting it. Finally, Labon came in for a low strike, and Fyn saw his chance. He pushed himself up onto his back legs and brought his front ones down onto the tree, pinning it.
“Good!” Labon said, “push harder, finish this!”
Fyn pushed the tree even harder into the ground with all of his strength. Suddenly, there was a loud “crack!” and the tree snapped in half. Fyn was suddenly reminded of his childhood journey to the Great Valley. His mother had saved the herd by snapping an attacking Sharptooth’s neck- the same one that had killed his grandfather. He had been amazed at his mother’s strength, but also somewhat frightened. He’d never seen his mother end another creature’s life. Now, he’d practiced the same. He was truly growing up.
“Good job, Fyn,” Labon said, and for the first time that day, there wasn’t a trace of harshness in his voice. “You ended the attack quickly and decisively. Just remember that a Fin-Neck never takes another life unless it is absolutely necessary. If loss of life can be avoided, then it must be.” He turned and glanced farther into the trees. Ahead, Fyn could see a faint glimmer of light. He was almost done.
“Finish this strong,” Labon said, “go!”
Fyn took off running faster than he’d ever gone before. He raced through the trees until he came to a small, steep depression. Without a second thought, he ran down into it and forced himself up the other side. It was grueling, but he kept going. Now he was plunging headfirst through vines, unable to see. He pressed on regardless, until he met his final challenge. The vines ended abruptly, and suddenly Fyn found himself tripping into a massive, deep, muddy pool. He kept going, slogging through the viscous, putrid slime, forcing his burning muscles to perform, and slowly, he began to crawl out again. Finally, he’d made it. Fyn raced to the treeline, and just as he made it through, collapsed on the ground with a shout of triumph. Momentarily, he heard Littlefoot do the same nearby. He glanced over at his friend. Littlefoot was dirty and exhausted, but smiling. Seeing him, Fyn broke into a smile, too. They had accomplished much, and as Fyn looked up at the sky, he noticed the Bright Circle; most specifically its position. It had already reached its highest point, and was now on its journey back to the horizon. Starfall was almost over.