Another somewhat in-time update, I suppose... this chapter is deep towards the end, enjoy reading
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Chapter 49
“So anyway, Cho…” Littlefoot spoke as his attention turned back to the young girl. “This wasn’t the first time Shorty hurt you, was it?”
“No,” came the response immediately. “If only you knew…”
“There are several Longnecks of your age in the herd, aren’t there?” Littlefoot continued his interrogation, a quick nod of the two girls confirming his assumption. “Does Shorty bully them too?”
“Of course he does…” Cho replied quietly though Littlefoot knew from Ali that Cho was his favourite target… and her hesitation indicated all he needed to know.
“Mostly you though, doesn’t he?”
Ali, noticing that Cho was beginning to feel awkward and uncomfortable, decided to intervene the conversation of her two friends.
“Littlefoot, why do you want to know? I’m not sure if Cho…”
“It is okay, Ali,” Cho stated, sighing. “Yes, he picks on me the most. I mean, look at me, Littlefoot!” Cho’s voice lost its formality for the first time as she robbed herself out of her nest just a little bit to present her body to the boy.
“Uh oh, I think I shouldn’t have asked… now I made her upset…” Littlefoot reprimanded himself though now it was too late to pull back. Besides, Cho seemed to be willing to share the details. Therefore, he did as he was instructed, looking at the girl lying in front of him.
“I’m ugly, pathetic and weird and pretty much a loner nobody likes… and I snap easily at his insults. I’m the easiest to bully around and the ugliest so he choses me…” Cho was in full self-pitying mode now.
“Who says you’re all of these things, Cho?” Littlefoot spoke quietly but it had a ring of threat to it as anger was building up.
“I do!” the girl exclaimed defiantly.
“More like… Shorty said that about you until you started believing the crap he was spreading!” Littlefoot argued firmly.
“That’s not true!” Cho snapped.
“Cho, you’re overreacting…” Ali sighed. “Littlefoot is trying to say nice things about you."
“Well, I told you that I snap too easily!” Cho snorted before taking a few deep, painful breaths to bring her temper back on the right track. “I am sorry, Littlefoot, but he is right in what he says…”
“You may be many things, Cho, but you’re not a weirdo and certainly not a loner,” Littlefoot reasoned while Ali nodded to indicate that she agreed with his words. “If you were a loner you wouldn’t want to be around us now. I’ve once met a true lonesome dinosaur - you’re not like him… and you’re still young, you can change!”
“But I’m ugly and weird, nobody ever wanted to be my friend because of that!”
“I’m your friend!” Ali protested weakly as she watched little Cho getting upset again.
“She sure is stoic sometimes…”“Yes, but you are special… “ Cho tried to explain. “The riddle…”
“Oh right… “ Ali remembered.
“If I’ll ever figure it out… ““You can be my friend too, Cho,” Littlefoot mentioned, offering a weak smile. “You may have a few quirks but isn’t that what makes us all unique and, therefore, likable?” Littlefoot waited a few seconds to let the words sink in. “So far, I think you’re really nice, Cho. I do believe it makes a huge difference how we are treated by others, you know?”
“How do you mean?” the young Longneck questioned curiously, yet remaining a little suspicious.
“If we are only shown kindness by those we live and interact with, it’s all we know. Likewise, if we only receive rejection, hate and violence…”
“... we will express that towards others too… yes, that totally makes sense!” Ali exclaimed.
“Then I will ask you, Littlefoot…” Cho spoke challengingly. “Why did I turn into this here,” she pointed at herself. “... while Shorty became an asshole? He used to be nice back when we were still on our own in the Mysterious Beyond…”
“Looks like you now have a riddle yourself to figure out,” Ali chuckled, trying to light up the mood. “Though, as you know, Cho, I’m just as curious.”
Littlefoot considered quickly before answering as demanded.
“Assuming you were both experiencing the same negative behavior from the other dinosaurs around you… there must have been another influence…”
“Yes, but I do not know what influence, Littlefoot… we both had a bad childhood in our own ways…”
“I know some details of Shorty’s past,” Littlefoot mentioned casually as the conversation went on. “Thanks to Ali and my dad… but I know not a lot about yours, Cho…”
*
Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike were frozen in horror as the realisation finally hit them… They’d been sleeping next to a Sharptooth and didn’t even notice it! Though now was clearly not the right time to ponder about such things. The grey-coloured Sharptooth opened his eyes, when he heard Cera’s scream. It didn’t take him long to figure out what was happening around him… Christmas and thanksgiving at the same time!
“Ahhhh!!!” the Gang screamed in unison. While the predator rose to his full height, uttering a mighty roar while gazing at them with greed, the children were finally able to recover from the initial shock, adrenaline pumping through their bodies as they darted away from the beast before it beat them to it. Instantly, the predator gave chase.
*
As Cho was painfully reminded of her early childhood, she felt a wave of sadness take hold of her whole body. As curious as she was to find out the reason for the different path her life had taken, she just couldn’t talk about it right now.
“Maybe another time, okay? Those are not bright memories…”
“I understand, that’s no problem at all…” Littlefoot stated, smiling sadly. He knew of Cho’s fate of being orphaned and he certainly knew how lucky he was not ending up as an orphan himself. The few weeks he had spent journeying through the Mysterious Beyond weren’t exactly the brightest of his life - he didn’t want to know what fate had befallen young Cho back then.
“Anyway, Cho, I have seen you act completely different than I was expected based upon Yuyun’s and Ali’s descriptions of you. Hate, violence… and rejection cause a vicious circle since it makes you act in a similar fashion to those who make you feel bad, who hurt you… who reject you… or call you ugly just because of your unique skin colour. I have seen you break this vicious circle today, Cho. Keep trying and you won’t be perceived as the odd one anymore soon, believe me…” Littlefoot noted in pleasure that the eyes of the little girl widened with every word he said and her smile - at first just a faint sign of one, grew wider and wider. He smiled back.
“I will, Littlefoot, I will,” Cho spoke ever so warmly, looking at the boy in admiration. “You are very wise… and extremely nice, do you want to be my friend?”
“Hey, that rhymed…” Ali snickered as she watched the display between her two friends.
“This is going much better than expected…” *
The group was running through a light forest while the Sharptooth quickly gained distance with his much bigger legs.
“What should we do?!” Cera was panicking as she noticed how fast their pursuer was. They could run as fast as they could with all their might and willpower and still would not make it. Luckily, she had a history of run-ins with malevolent creatures like the hungry beast which had them on his diet for the morning.
“We need to take sharp turns!” the Threehorn shouted to her compagnons. “He can’t change direction very quick but we can!” As the next tall tree came in sight before her, Cera made a decision.
*
Littlefoot was delighted to hear the girl’s plead. The answer was pretty obvious.
“Didn’t I already tell you that I would like to be your friend?” Littlefoot chuckled, winking. What happened then, though, came unexpected for all dinosaurs present… All of a sudden, Cho pulled herself out of her nest further in order to reach Littlefoot’s face to give him a friendly lick across the cheek, not bothering about the pain at all.
“Uhh…” Littlefoot was slightly embarrassed by Cho’s actions but then gently shoved her back into her comfortable nest where he returned the favor by giving the girl a nuzzle… under the watchful eyes of Ali.
“So, what kind of friends are you two going to be?” the pink Longneck asked mischievously.
“The kind of friends you two are not,” Cho chuckled, ignoring the pain in her chest.
“Direct as always, aren’t you?” Ali teased.
Cho gave a knowing smile while Littlefoot returned to his previous position, Ali positioning herself demonstratively close to Littlefoot. Even though she tried to hide her feelings for her friend in front of others, she had to defend her love there.
*
“Gee, this is certainly more interesting than looking for plants that don’t exist…” As Ricky slowly and unsuspiciously walked through the area, trying to appear as if he was just taking a stroll on such a beautiful day, he noted this while trying to do the job his father had given him. It wasn’t an easy job per se but he knew he could do it. All he had to do was wait and observe. And he already knew where to start looking for what his father was demanding of him…
*
“So… would you like to ask me some more questions right now, Cho?” Except for the lingering question about her past, there weren’t any urgent questions about his new friend so Littlefoot decided offering to pass the ball.
“Hmm, I think I have two… or maybe more," Cho replied thoughtfully as she tried to remember the questions she still had. For the time being, she just asked the one that had formed during the last few minutes.
“I do wonder where you got your wisdom from, Littlefoot? You probably have more than just a wise mother.”
“Yeah, well, guess where my mother got it from,” Littlefoot spoke, smiling a little proudly. It were moments like these when he appreciated the sometimes lengthy and boring lessons and reprimands of his grandparents the most.
“Your grandparents?” Cho guessed.
“Sure, who else?” Littlefoot chuckled. “Though you are quite smart for your age too, Cho.”
“This is just who I am,” Cho explained. “I don’t know why but… I see things that many others do not… but then again, others see things that I am completely unaware of… especially those things that require being social…”
“I wouldn’t be too concerned about it, Cho,” Ali commented. “Now you have friends to help you get better at these things, right Littlefoot?” Ali cast a glance towards her friend who responded with a determined nod. “Meanwhile, you get strong again and teach us how to be a bit more like you.”
“Are you serious?!” Cho exclaimed in disbelief. “Nobody with all their senses still in place would want to be me…”
“We really need to work on her self-esteem, Ali…” Littlefoot muttered, the mutter soon turning into a light chuckle.
“Yes, I agree,” Ali responded, shooting a mischievous grin at the smaller Longneck.
“You are trying to fool me, aren’t you?” Cho added, not sure whether or not to believe what her friends were talking about.
“Not at all…” Ali reassured. “I mean it. Really, I do.”
“Cho, I don’t know what kind of nonsense Shorty has been telling you all the time – or others around you for that matter… but you’re worth much more than that, of that I’m convinced,” Littlefoot spoke in a serious voice. “Please stop pitying yourself, you deserve better than that…”
Cho gave both of them an uncertain look.
“I-if you say so?”
“Either way, Shorty has something coming now, that’s a promise…” Ali spoke in an almost cold voice. It didn’t earn her quite the reaction she had expected though.
“No, Ali, that’s not right either… he is right in some regards…” Cho protested weakly which earned her a lot more attention than she liked.
“E-excuse me?” Ali stammered. “He has made your life a living hell, Cho… he made you so awkward and shy… he made you feel so worthless and unloved but… but you are not!”
“As I understand these things, Cho, Shorty is the main reason why you have most of your negative traits,” Littlefoot added. “Why do you keep defending him?”
“Oh, you don’t understand!” Cho suddenly yelled, jerking when the pain struck her hard but she was too upset to care much. “You don’t understand these things because you weren’t there when it happened!!!”
“Cho…” Ali sighed sadly, observing how the young Longneck hurt herself. Unfortunately, Littlefoot decided to confront her.
“Why, then tell us what happened, Cho, how are we supposed to know?” he questioned in a neutral tone. “How are we supposed to understand you if we don’t know these things about you because you don’t tell them to us? We…”
“Because I don’t want to!” Cho suddenly screamed from the top of her lungs, her whole body entering a state of extreme tension which caused her to feel excruciating pain… but some hidden source of energy apparently kept her going. “I don’t want to…” she added much quieter, a sob causing her body to shake uncontrollably.
“Cho…” Ali spoke softly but the chain reaction of emotions had already started. The pain had overwhelmed the little girl with the black skin and, while that alone usually didn’t cause such a reaction in her, memories of the past certainly did, especially when they had a connection to Shorty. As tears started flowing and sobs breaking out at a fast rate, Cho rapidly curled up in her nest – the anger gone, replaced by shame and sadness. Again, she had let her nature get the better of her. What would Littlefoot think about her now? She wasn’t even mad at him for the things he said, he was trying to understand her – really and in all honesty, trying. But there were things she wished she never knew, things she wished never happened… and things she wished she had done… but she couldn’t do them back then. And, now, it was probably too late. She just hoped she didn’t mess up the chance to make a friend.
“I-I didn’t mean…” Littlefoot stammered as he realised what his words had done.
“Me and my big mouth!”“It’s not your fault…”
“Yuyun… we uhh…” Ali stood next to the crying form of Cho while Littlefoot stood a little distance away awkwardly as the little one’s adopted mother entered the scene with a knowing, sad smile.
“You are not used to her yet, Littlefoot, you are not to blame for this, don’t worry,” she spoke softly as she approached her adopted daughter.
“I shouldn’t have tried to push the matter…” Littlefoot muttered, cursing.
“You probably accidently reminded her of something very unpleasant; she doesn’t react very well to those things I’m afraid,” Yuyun sighed, bending her head down to give Cho a gentle nuzzle. “Even I don’t know a lot about the time before I took her in… she just never tells anyone. But I’m sure she’ll tell one day when she’s ready. Now, though, I think she needs some rest… the morning has been quite eventful after all.” Yuyun chuckled a little, then nudging her crying daughter. “Right, dear?”
Cho just continued to cry bitterly, her whole body trembling like a volcano about to explode.
“Don’t cry…” Ali pleaded; Yuyun gave her a sad smile.
“Don’t worry, she’ll be alright,” the grown-up assured as she moved Cho into a more comfortable position in the nest, careful not to hurt her. “I’m sure you can come back later if you like, she is just exhausted and doesn’t like to admit it as always… my brave girl…”
“Okay…” Ali spoke quietly. Turning to Cho, she said. “Bye Cho, we will be back later, don’t worry…”
Littlefoot appeared to be deep in thoughts though.
“Littlefoot, are you alright?” Ali wondered. The boy didn’t respond though, instead seeking eye-contact with Yuyun who understood his intentions.
“Go ahead,” she whispered.
*
The Sharptooth had almost come close enough for the children to enter his snapping range now, Petrie at the backend of the group panicking as he saw himself end up as a toothpick for the mighty predator already but Cera had a plan.
“Around that tree now!” she ordered, leading the way. Despite the risk, Cera took the sharp turn with full speed. She had to run a wide circle around the tree in order to stay on track but she made the 180 degree turn without any issues. Spike, with Ducky holding onto his back tightly, momentarily slowed down to circumnavigate the tree in a very tight circle while Petrie, due to his high speed, chose to fly on Cera’s wider route lest the escape velocity got the better of him.
The Sharptooth noticed that his prey was trying to escape but he knew of his huge advantage in speed. However, he didn’t take into account that his higher speed and size also meant that he had to overcome much higher escape velocity while circumnavigating the tree. While his prey had successfully taken the turn, his momentum carried him further and further, unable to stop until he was abruptly stopped by another tall tree which got completely destroyed by the impact though.
Meanwhile, the Gang were making progress:
*
Ali’s gaze was a puzzled one when Littlefoot started approaching the bundle of misery lying in the nest in front of him. As soon as he had reached her, he spoke up in a quiet and soft but clear voice so that only Cho could hear his words sufficiently.
“Cho, I really like you no matter what happened there. I just want to let you know that I still would like to have you as a friend.” He smiled. Turning more serious, he added. “Oh and… Cho?” Littlefoot waited patiently, hoping that the girl might decide to turn towards him instead of curling into a ball.
“Y-yes?” Inbetween many sobs, Cho managed to respond. Littlefoot took this as an invitation to walk around her nest so Cho didn’t have to turn around which would be causing her additional pain.
“Cho, I don’t know why you’re so upset right now but I just want to let you know that you can talk to me about it whenever you like… I’ve known the pain of losing my mother and… it still makes me cry at night on some days. I’m sure I can relate to your situation whatever that is and I believe that all you needed the whole time was someone who you could… talk to about these things.” Cho’s cries grew a bit weaker as she listened to every of his words.
“I think you wanted to ask another question, didn’t you? I could almost swear you’d ask about my friends whom I travelled with all the way to the Great Valley?” With a smile, the boy registered Cho nodding ever so slightly.
“Well, they are what helped me to survive my mother’s death emotionally back then… We were all in the same situation… lost, hungry and without our families, feeling lonely. We were orphans at the time just like you and, despite our differences – maybe I should mention that they aren’t Longneck’s like you and me… we could count on each other when we were feeling lonely and upset, when we couldn’t sleep at night… and we still do. It was what kept us going; what kept us from giving up and kept us marching towards the Great Valley each day. But… you’re probably starting to wonder why I’m telling you all this now, aren’t you?” Littlefoot donated a knowing smile before continuing.
“You have never had such a friend who you could talk to, you see? There… there is something my grandparents told me the day I found them in the Great Valley that I would like to pass on to you because I think it’ll help you cope… You see, Cho… I had told them about everything that I went through that evening and, obviously, the memories made me cry all the way through it… but do you know what they told me?” Littlefoot took a short break in order to allow Cho to think about his constant influx of words.
Cho’s face was smeared in her tears but the crying had stopped for the most part as Littlefoot’s speech had captured not just hers but everyone’s attention. Expectantly, she looked up at Littlefoot for the first time.
“I was embarrassed about weeping all the time. This is what my grandfather told me then…”
“Littlefoot, there is no need to be ashamed. As a matter of fact, it is a good sign! You are expressing your emotions, good or bad, and that is very important. The Circle of Life can be cruel when it takes away our love ones, especially if death arrives too timely. It puts us into a very dangerous situation and I believe you know what I am talking about, don’t you?”
When Littlefoot looked up at his Grandfather teary-eyed, too busy watering the meadow below with his tears to think of an answer, the wise Longneck began to explain.
“I guess you never refused to eat then, never felt indifferent about everything around you and wondered what the purpose of anything you do was after you lost her? Or did you ever feel so lonely that you’d give a tree a hug or just wanted to be left alone despite feeling that way?” Littlefoot’s bitter cries confirmed all he needed to know; he would understand so Grandpa continued.
“You went through all that but you managed to find a way out of this most vicious circle to get caught in. Why? Well, the key is to express your emotions, my grandson. If you keep these terrible feelings inside of you, they will grow stronger and stronger until they overwhelm you! Such is the fate of many young orphans such as you were until this day. You allowed yourself to cry – and you do so right now, that’s good! Crying made you stronger and you survived against all odds despite the grief and the sorrow you are feeling each and every day. It will never resolve fully but it will get better and better and easier to live with - as the saying goes, only in time…”*
“That deserve him right!” Petrie panted as he continued to push his wings to gain distance from the Sharptooth but his satisfaction didn’t last for long when the behemoth got back on his feet again, continuing the chase with a roar of pure anger.
“We need to hide, yes we do!” Ducky proposed.
“But where?” Petrie wondered. Some distance away, they found what they were looking for soon. As they took another sharp turn around a big boulder and a tree growing in front of it, they saw it.
“In there!” Cera ordered as she spotted the short tunnel that lead into the rock, apparently. The relief was almost audible, when the predator stormed past their hideout, not noticing their little stunt…
*
When Littlefoot had finished retelling his grandfather’s wisdom, it was dead quiet – even the ubiquitous chatter of hundreds of Longnecks seemed to have stopped; and the trees around them appeared to hold still, almost as if they were listening too.
Cho had started crying again but Littlefoot knew that she had understood just like he had long ago.
“Well, I didn’t mean to upset you in the first place, I’m very sorry about that,” he spoke softly, carefully nudging the girl with the black skin. “Ali and I will be back later, rest now so we can play games together in a few days!” Littlefoot grinned at her one more time before he finally turned away from the nest, leaving a very tired and weeping Cho and two speechless females gawking at him in awe.
“Thank you, Littlefoot…” Yuyun thought in mute appreciation before she found the remote control for her muscles again and continued to nurture her daughter until she drifted off into an uneasy slumber.
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I'll admit that at least half of what happened here came to me in a spontaneous idea when I was wondering how the conversation should continue... it took a rather... extreme turn but I'm extremely happy the way it turned out
But that is just my biased view, what do you think?
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I'll try to update my story for the contest too tonight
