EDIT: I'm going to make a list to different chapters. This might be a long fanfic... I'm not too sure yet though. I hope that it'll make it easier for everyone here. The links will take you to the post that has that chapter in it. The first one isn't a link because you'll find that in this post.
Chapter 1: First MeetingChapter 2: LearningChapter 3: Making New FriendsChapter 4: A Change in the WindChapter 5: A New DayChapter 6: Going on an AdventureChapter 7: The Taste of DangerChapter 8: The Dry TimeChapter 9: DisasterChapter 10: Some Cold Times LaterChapter 11: Shockers and StorytellersChapter 12: Reunions and RevelationsChapter 13: Fate of FriendsChapter 14: The Fight for Family~~~~~
Oh boy... what am I doing...?
Seeing as Ducky showed us all a preview of his fic, I supposed I should show you guys what I've been up to. Not much, really. No artwork, only one chapter... and today, I shall show you that chapter.
So, my story... Since it's set waaay before Littlefoot and co. are born (well, they are in it but don't appear until near the end, sorry), and since it's about mostly longnecks (did you expect much else from me, really?), this is quite heavily OC-based, and there are characters you will know here just under different names.
Actually, this is the life story of two longnecks we all know and should love. Some of you probably already know, some of you probably would have guessed by the last sentence, or maybe not. Anyway, this fanfiction is about how two longnecks met and how they came to be the ones we know.
Keep in mind, this is going to be quite tragic in some parts, and this will contain character death... mostly in the middle. Hey, I like putting characters through tragedy, and I suppose it's a bit of juxtaposition or whatever it is to the title. Anyway, since I'm waffling as usual now, start Chapter 1! And be warned, it's over 2000 words long, so make sure you have time to read this. Sorry, I like writing long chapters...
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Chapter 1: First MeetingThe herd looked over the valley, the leader and his mate at the front. The female was proudly carrying her youngest child, who beamed when she saw her new home. She was getting tired of living in the same herd since nobody else had nested their eggs. It was a dangerous time and most of the females had gone to the nesting grounds to leave their eggs to raise themselves, but this little girl had been lucky. Her mother had taken the risk to stay at home and wait until her eggs had hatched, but in the end only little Tosa made it. Their old home had been stripped of food by this longneck herd, and there was a drought going on, so hardly any food grew back. After the leader's daughter was born, they left immediately into the world of danger, but the child knew hardly anything about the negatives of the world. She had no grandparents, all having died from the drought, illness and sharpteeth that were seeking stragglers. However, Tosa had no idea about this, or death in particular. In her eyes, everything was perfect, and everything lived forever. Her grandparents had just left ahead of the herd, any dead dinosaur she saw on the trail was sleeping, and her missing older brother had joined her cousin's herd for a while.
The herd moved in, and Tosa was very excited, shaking with happiness and clutching the sides of her mother's face, who groaned at her but didn't do much else. The little one just hoped that she would meet someone new, someone she could be best friends with. She may have seen the world as perfect, but she wasn't completely stupid. She knew her parents and the other herd members were hiding something from her. They always got edgy whenever she asked about something which could be sensitive to some, such as why there was no food in their last home or what happened if someone got eaten by a sharptooth. The herd members had been told by the leading male that they were not allowed to tell Tosa any different to what he had told her, and they all agreed, not wanting to get on his bad side. Tosa squealed when they entered the land, and her eyes widened with amazement. It was a lush, green valley, with fresh pools of water everywhere and a great wall surrounding it, protecting the land from dangerous predators.
At the same time, another herd was entering the valley, along with another young child. However, he didn't seem all too thrilled with arriving. He had to leave his home after a severe food shortage due to a harsh cold time. Big sharpteeth took territory in the parts that did have food and everyone was forced to eat swamp sticks, but eventually all of those also ran out. There were many little ones within this herd, since the nesting grounds were at their home so all of the females nested and looked after their eggs, and so the herd was blooming with new life. This young one was lying on the back of his grandfather, who was fairly close to the front of the herd, and he was the exact opposite of Tosa. He knew all too well about death and illness, and didn't see much positive in the world at all. He was recovering from something that no child should have had to face. There were no parents there for him.
“Well, Thunderfoot,” his grandfather announced. “We're here.”
“Mmm,” was all he got in reply. Thunderfoot had been very depressed since the tragic event, not talking or playing much, and on some occasions even refusing to eat. His grandfather was the last dinosaur who could look after him in his family as far as he knew.
The two different herds came in two different directions, and settled in on different sides of the huge valley. Tosa slid down her mother's tail and ran between her legs, clearly excited and rearing to go and explore this new place.
“Can I go now?” she asked her parents. “Please? Please, please, please?”
“You need to eat first,” said her father, pulling some treestars from a nearby tree and dropping them next to his daughter. She just gobbled them up as quickly as possible, not taking in how good they tasted compared to her last meal.
“Now can I go?” she pleaded. Her mother chuckled.
“Of course you can, little one,” she said, nuzzling her child lovingly. “But be careful and don't talk to any strangers, okay?”
“Okay!” Tosa replied, running off into the bushes. Her mother giggled, but her father seemed worried. Tosa usually followed his rules without question, but most of the time she was with them, since they hadn't been in such a safe place before.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the valley, Thunderfoot was struggling to finish his meal. He had been thinking too much about that day again and had lost his appetite. His grandfather had to pretty much shove the food down his throat in panic; he didn't want his grandson to starve himself to death.
“Why don't you go and explore for a bit?” he finally suggested. Thunderfoot looked at him but didn't answer. “You never know, you might make some new friends... and it'll take your mind off things for a while, huh?” Thunderfoot just shrugged in reply. His grandpa pushed him to his feet. “Go on,” he said. “I heard another herd has also arrived... you need to go and make some new friends.” Thunderfoot nodded this time and walked off, his grandfather sighing as he did so. He didn't want to be harsh, but being too soft wouldn't help either. He had accepted what had happened as part of the circle of life, but Thunderfoot was still too young to understand that, and he thought that it was too unfair.
Thunderfoot walked on for a bit, before coming to a small pond. He slumped down on its banks, looking down at his reflection sadly. He fell into another of his daydreams, thinking about those he had lost.
Tosa ran through the valley, looking in wonder at all of the green around her. Soon enough, she spotted a flying buzzer, and chased it for a while, wandering very far from where her herd was resting. However, eventually the buzzer flew out of her reach, and she groaned in disappointment, before she heard someone sighing. She curiously poked her head through the tall grass where she had heard the sound, and was amazed at what she saw. There was another little longneck who seemed to be her exact age laying by a small pool. She examined him for a bit, and then she quickly ran up to the other little one.
“Hello!” she exclaimed, but the other longneck did little more than shift in reply. Tosa moved around and walked into the shallow pool in front of the other longneck to get a better look at it's face. She could tell now that it was a young male, and he seemed very depressed. “I said hello!” she said again, but he didn't even look up at her. Soon enough, her patience ran out. She pushed her face right up against his.
“Hellooooooo?”
The male looked up in shock at her. “H-h-hi...” he stammered. Tosa giggled; the male seemed a little bit scared of her, backing off slightly.
“What's your name?” she asked him, forgetting all about what her mother had said about not talking to strangers.
“Er... Thunderfoot,” the young male replied as Tosa trotted up next to him.
“Pleasure to meet you, Thunderfoot!” she exclaimed, circling him. “I'm Tosa.”
“Erm... nice to meet you too, Tosa,” he answered hesitantly. Tosa stopped and suddenly put her face right up to his again.
“Do you wanna play, Thunderfoot?” she asked excitedly, jumping up and down.
“Well... I'm not really a playing... dinosaur,” Thunderfoot sighed, feeling bad when he saw Tosa's face turn disappointed, so he decided to suggest something else. “Have you been here long?”
“No, we just got here,” Tosa explained.
“How about we go exploring together, then?” he suggested, smiling weakly when Tosa's face lit up again.
“Sure!” she exclaimed. “Let's go!”
The two young longnecks sprinted into the trees, Tosa laughing and giggling hysterically, while Thunderfoot smiled for the first time in ages. They found many wondrous places in this valley, and searched high and low. They tried many different delicious foods, such as treestars and a variety of treesweets. Neither of them realised how late it was getting; they were having too much fun. Soon enough, they stopped for a quick rest, and Tosa was eager to know more about this child.
“So, do you have any other friends?” she asked him hopefully.
“Well... not really,” Thunderfoot answered. “Everyone keeps to their own family in my herd.”
“But there are other kids?” Tosa asked, getting a nod in reply. “We haven't got any in mine. There are a few who aren't quite adults yet... but they're too old to play. I guess the only dinosaurs that would play with me are my parents.” She noticed that Thunderfoot flinched at the last word. “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” Thunderfoot answered bluntly, leaving the female confused.
“Is it... something about your parents?” she asked, noticing that his mood downgraded every time she mentioned that word.
“Yes... I can never see them again,” Thunderfoot explained.
“Why not?” Tosa questioned, not understanding what he meant.
“They... they're lost,” Thunderfoot told her.
“Can't you go and find them?”
“It's not like that,” the young male sighed, now realising that the girl had no idea what he was talking about. “Is it okay if we stop talking about this, please?”
Tosa gave him a confused look but nodded, understanding that whatever it was, it wasn't putting her new friend in a very good mood. She rolled onto her back and sighed, stuffed with the wondrous food that grew here. Thunderfoot looked over at her, having strange feelings for the female. She was the only longneck that had made him smile since that day when his parents left him behind. Her bright and bouncy personality had lifted Thunderfoot's mood quite dramatically. Even if he still seemed depressed now, he was at least walking around and smiling, and of course he was eating, too. He also rolled on his back and yawned as the two watched the sky turn orange together.
“Tosa!” came a male voice, looking for his daughter. Tosa got up immediately.
“That's my f-” She cut herself off, realising what the young male had said earlier. “I've gotta go,” she said, before giving him a gentle lick on his cheek. She giggled when he blushed and looked extremely awkward. “Goodbye!”
“B...Bye!” Thunderfoot called after her as she ran off, before making his own way back to his grandfather.
Tosa soon found both of her parents.
“You're late,” said the male.
“Oh, for crying out loud, Sorrel,” said Patrice, Tosa's mother. “She's been out exploring the place! Did you have fun, dear?”
“I sure did!” Tosa exclaimed, jumping onto her mother's head with excitement. “I met someone new, Mother!”
“Oh, that's nice,” said Patrice, smiling up at her daughter. Tosa however, sighed, thinking about what he had said earlier.
“Can I ask you something?” she finally asked.
“Of course, Tosa,” said Sorrel. “What is it?”
“Thunderfoot, the boy I met...” she started. Sorrel glanced at her when he realised it was a male, but let her carry on. “He said something about his parents being lost, and that he wasn't able to see them again. What did he mean?”
At this both of the adults stopped, glancing at each other with worry. Patrice gave Sorrel a concerned look, wondering if they should tell their daughter what they should have told her since she was a hatchling. The male nodded and his mate sighed.
“Tosa,” the male spoke up. “There's... something we need to tell you. Something that we should have told you a long time ago...”
“Perhaps we should wait until the morning, though,” his mate said. “It's.... You're not going to like it, dear...”
Thunderfoot walked quickly back to his grandpa, who was also starting to get worried about him.
“There you are,” he said as the little one strolled up to him. The old longneck was surprised to see his grandson in such a good mood. “I take it you had a good day?” he asked.
“It was great!” Thunderfoot answered, nuzzling his grandfather. “I made a new friend!”
“Well, that's great!” his grandpa answered. “Are you getting tired yet? I think it's time you got some rest.”
Thunderfoot yawned and went next to his grandpa's side. “Okay. Goodnight Grandpa,” he said.
“Goodnight, Thunderfoot,” said the old longneck, nuzzling him before quickly falling asleep. The little one stayed awake for a little while longer, before spotting a bright star in the sky.
“Thank you...” he whispered, before also closing his eyes and falling asleep.
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Well, there you go, I'm just going to clear up a few things here.
Names and why I chose them:
Tosa: A female name that I managed to derive straight from Apa
tosaurus.
Thunderfoot: From the meaning of Brontosaurus and also a reference to Littlefoot's production name.
Patrice: I dunno. The "Pat" start from Apatosaurus, besides that, I just like the name.
Sorrel: It means sour. It fits him, okay?
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) but hey.
) over there is grandpa's, er, grandpa. Curse of the long snouts, much, mother? And Grandma's snout is a bit long too, for that matter. Mind you, they were longer when I inked them on paper. A lot longer. Thank goodness for digital editing. 