One day late, here's my next installment. Enjoy!
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Chapter 18:
Littlefoot was seated on the great wall that bordered the lush valley against the inhospitable outside world called Mysterious Beyond Tears streamed down his cheek. Littlefoot felt anger like he had hardly ever felt in his life. Why wasn't he told he had a dad? Why wasn't his dad with them when he was born? Where had he been all this time??? Littlefoot was at a loss as for what to do. Should he block off every attempt of his dad to talk to him? Should he blame his grandparents for not telling him about his dad? Littlefoot, in his fury, even considered going back to the Great Valley where his friends were. What was the right choice; what was the wrong? Littlefoot didn't know hence he, for the time being, stayed where he was, mad, disappointed and depressed. Eventually, he weeped a little for he felt mucked about...
"Bron, where have you been all the time?" Grandpa questioned after Grandma had recovered from the shock of seeing Bron. He sounded accusing although that wasn't his intention.
"I can't tell you how happy I am to see you alive and kicking!" Bron exclaimed in awe. "I believed that you died after I saw that crack in the landscape."
"So why did it take you so long to return? We thought you would be back not too long after Littlefoot's hatchday?" Grandpa asked, having so many questions that he was afraid he couldn't ask them all.
"Well, I tried to find that Valley of yours. I followed the route my mate had described to me..." Bron almost shouted. "I didn't find it and I didn't want to return without any news so I simply tried another route. After a long while, I found a green land that I until this very day call my home. When I returned, nothing was recognisable. I searched for you everywhere but you were gone. Eventually, I was told the story about my mate and the Sharptooth."
"You know about it?" Grandma wondered in surprise.
"Yes, but nobody knew what had happened to you so I continued my fruitless search. Eventually, I found Shorty and when I kept having no luck at finding you, I decided to settle down at the place I had found back then."
"Didn't you look in the Great Valley?" Grandma questioned.
"Well, of course I was trying to find it..." Bron said.
Ali and Shorty had finished off their meal.
"What are we gonna do now?" Shorty asked.
"I.. I think I'll go after Littlefoot," Ali stated.
"Why goin' after that crybaby, eh? Let's play something!" Shorty snorted.
"He's my friend and friends are there for each other so I'll see if he's alright now," Ali declared sourly.
"Okay, okay... Let's go to that Little... foot," Shorty said quickly to sooth Ali's outburst of anger.
"Who said you'd come along?" Ali then asked. "He's my friend, not yours."
"Yeah, maybe... but I'm your friend too so I can come along, right?"
"Shorty!" Ali sighed. "You can't because... well."
"Littlefoot and Ali kis..."
"It's not like that!" Ali snapped at him. "See, whatever made him so angry, is something deep. I've seen this face in my own reflection very often when I was still with my old herd... I know that Littlefoot might very easily switch his anger to you... and frankly, I don't think you'd want that," Ali explained.
"I'd love that, actually..." Shorty said with a smirk. "Why wouldn't he switch his anger to you?"
"Because he's my friend, Shorty!" Ali shouted. "He doesn't know you and you're not just the best in terms of making new friends either."
"Hey!" Shorty objected.
"I'll be back," Ali cut him short and ran off.
"Wait, Ali!" Shorty shouted and followed her.
"Shorty, you stay where you are!" Bron thundered gruffly.
Audibly cursing, Shorty stopped in his tracks and slowly shambled over to Bron who clearly wasn't in a good mood...
Littlefoot was still weeping when Ali discovered his poor form. The pink Longneck carefully approached.
"L-Littlefoot?" she said quietly.
Littlefoot didn't reply but sobbed heavily.
"What's wrong?" the girl said sentimentally, slowly stepping closer.
Littlefoot still didn't reply.
"I-I better go I guess," she mumbled after some time.
"Don't go, Ali," Littlefoot managed to say inbetween his heavy sobs.
Ali being about to turn tail stopped in her movement and walked back to the weeping Longneck.
"What's wrong, Littlefoot?" she said again and nuzzled the boy softly, taking a seat next to him.
Littlefoot didn't manage to reply. Instead he curled up into a tight ball. Ali tried her best to console her friend, whispering words of comfort into his ears and offering him her body to hold on to...
"Looks like a fateful chain of unfortunate events separated us for many years," Grandpa spoke.
"Yeah, as I said, I'm so happy to have found you at last. I'm so looking forward to introduce you to my herd."
"Your herd?" Grandpa wondered.
"You... have a herd? So... you have become the leader of a..." Grandma stammered, awestruck.
"Yeah..." Bron replied shyly. "For some reason, the Longnecks at my home followed me and I became their leader."
"That's great, Bron!" Grandma exclaimed.
"I do not quite agree," Grandpa said sternly. "How big is your herd?"
"Fairly big..." Bron replied.
"Then we might have a problem..." Grandpa sighed.
Littlefoot soon stopped crying. Ali's comfort was really helping against his anger.
"Do you feel better?" Ali asked and smiled mildly at Littlefoot.
"Yeah, I think," Littlefoot said.
"Why were you so sad?"
"Well, it's all because of... my dad.. I...," Littlefoot struggled to continue his sentence. "I wasn't told I even have a dad, y'know."
"Ah, I know the story. I've wandered with him and Shorty a fair while now."
"How come? And how did you manage to... whatever happened to your skin? I haven't recognised you due to that - it almost shames me.
"That's a long story, Littlefoot. Mind if I tell you another time?"
"Nah, that's alright, Ali."
"Good. Oh, and I have not recognised you either," Ali chuckled. "You-you haven't changed that much while I'm looking really different and nasty - well, at the moment... I should be the one blamed."
"True..."Littlefoot hummed.
"Well, I'm just happy to see you, Littlefoot! It's been so long since we met," Ali exclaimed in excitement, bouncing around.
"Me too!" Littlefoot replied, though not nearly as enthusiastic as his friend.
"A problem?" Bron wondered clueless.
"Yes, because such a big herd doesn't fit into the Great Valley," Grandpa explained.
"Not as residents, that is," Grandma added. "Your herd is very welcomed to visit us for a limited time though."
"You don't wanna join my herd?" Bron asked in surprise.
"Give me a good reason to leave the Valley and I will," Grandpa stated.
"Uh, for family's sake?" Bron said.
"Our friends live in the Valley, there's enough food to feast on forever and no danger from Sharpteeth," Grandma spoke. "Why should we leave the Great Valley?"
"To unite the family at last," Bron appealed. "I want to live with Littlefoot and you two."
"What about me!?" Shorty piped up.
"You stay out of this!" Bron thundered. "Go back to the nest, scoot!"
Shorty was actually happy to be allowed to go. Any company was better than Bron's at that moment.
"It would be much easier if you quit leadership of your herd and go with us to the Great Valley," Grandpa remarked.
"But I can't abandon my herd," Bron retorted.
"You can abandon them," Grandma stated. "They'll find another leader, but you don't have another family, I may remark."
Bron didn't say anything in a while but considered.
"I-I'll think about it," Bron eventually declared. "I think I should have a word with my son." He sighed.
"We have never told him about you because we considered you dead," Grandma said quietly.
"He might be angry," Grandpa added.
"Yes, I'll handle that," Bron sighed. "I would have done the same thing so I don't hold it against you."
Littlefoot's Grandparents wished him luck and walked to the watering hole while Bron stepped up the steep wall...
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One of my longer chapters, admittedly... Don't worry, this will be the average chapter length soon. Maybe one reason why I don't seem to get on with the story :unsure:
Anyway, the next chapter will be a surprise. I'm not sure how you guys will take it... There will be a constant switch between two scenes, one of them being the continuation of the talk between Bron and the Grandparents / Ali and Littlefoot. I'll use it more often in the future as there are now several plots that happen simultaneously
![:smile dino :smile](https://www.gangoffive.net/Smileys/gof/Dino_grins.gif)
PS: Just for the record: Until I pick up some motivation and, moreover, inspiration to write, I'll update every second week
![:) :)](https://www.gangoffive.net/Smileys/gof/smile.gif)