1. I am going to try and participate in at least one prompt this year. It mostly depends on the prompts and my creative motivation (not to mention how slow I can be when it comes to writing).

2.  At the moment I have no suggestions for prompts but I'll message you if I manage to come up with any.

3. I actually prefer last year's format as it allowed for more flexibility in writing the entries.

I don't know  how much this would help, but I look forward to what this prompt challenge will be like.

I vote for 'Surviving a Sharpneck'. I'm a fan of The Mr E's series and love their OC so it was nice to see some of the gang interact with her.

Here's my vote! I may add more but I wanted to get at least one in before the voting deadline.

Fanfiction: Snowballed Lies

I Rate it: 7/10

Because: OwlsCantRead managed to take the short sequence of Mr. Thicknose's past and fleshes it out, making him become a more complex character than we saw in the movie. This makes him feel like more relatable character with a glimpse of who he really is. I especially love how Mr. Thicknose slowly becomes what he hated most as a kid- stuffy adults. I also like how similar Mr. Thicknose was to Littlefoot as a kid, even making that connection himself. Also, yay Rooter made an appearance!

Hey everyone! This chapter took so long as the plot went through many changes and I lacked the motivation to write most days. This is also the longest chapter I have written yet! 

This is my entry for the June 2020 fanfic prompts over on Gang of Five. The prompt was for ‘Adapting’ and I went with a changing perspective angle as well as a physical one.

A Bridge Over Troubled Water
While venturing to open up the cave that first brought them to Arya's canyon, the gang are separated by a rockslide. Now Cera and Arya must work together to get back to their friends.

“You want us to do what?!”

Chomper winced as Cera’s shout seemed to bounce off the surrounding rock walls. Well, if Arya didn't know they were coming before then she definitely did now.

Over the past few weeks, it had become a regular routine for them to make the trek into the Mysterious Beyond to visit their friend. They always made sure that there was less of a chance that anyone would become suspicious of their whereabouts by taking an indirect route to their secret passageway or sometimes doubling back if they felt someone was following them. Although with their reputation over several Cold Times, many adults had given up on trying to keep them out of trouble; or keep them in the Great Valley period. It had also become easier since they had entered ‘The Time of Great Growing’ as their parents became much more lenient on supervision seeing as how they could take care of themselves better now than when they were younger. Chomper was so glad that his friends had accepted Arya as a part of their group so quickly. Sure, at first they were wary of the female Sharptooth, but the more time that they spent around her and got to know her, the more comfortable they became.

Except, while Arya and the others were acting friendly towards each other, Cera was still on edge. She was more defensive than usual, passive-aggressively giving digs at Arya when the subject of her predatory nature came up or whenever she struggled with Leafeater. It annoyed Chomper when she made these comments and he did his best to defend her but then the Threehorn would turn on him. One of her favorite things to torrent him with was that he supposedly had a crush on Arya. One time, it had gotten so heated that Littlefoot had to get in between them before it got physical.

All the while, poor Arya didn't seem to have a clue as to what was going on as she could only pick up some of what was being said.

And that day while on their way to the canyon, Chomper had brought up the idea to reopen the cave entrance that had originally lead to them meeting the female Sharptooth. He had argued that it would be a safer route than having to venture through the perils of the Mysterious Beyond each time. Then they wouldn't have the risk of running into Sharpteeth as they so often did. Just yesterday, the group had come across a pack of three Fastbiters ripping into a carcass while they were following the trail that ran through the forest. Luckily, the Fastbiters were so focused on their meal that the group quietly snuck away. Chomper hoped that by opening the cave they could avoid a similar situation like that from happening again in the future.

“I mean, why don't we just invite Redclaw and his Fastbiters into the Valley for an all you can eat buffet?!” Cera cried, sarcastically. 

“But Redclaw is too big to fit in the cave. He is, he is.”

Ducky was quickly silenced by a glare from Cera before the Threehorn continued on with her rant. “What about Arya? How do we know that she won't ever use it herself to get into the Valley?”

“She wouldn't do that!” Chomper exclaimed indignantly with a frown. “You know she doesn't hunt unless she absolutely needed to.”

Cera let out a huff from her nose. “So she says. But what if she's been lying to us all this time just to figure out how to get into the Valley? What if she only wanted to learn Leafeater just to trick us later on?”

During the Threehorn's tirade, Littlefoot saw how Chomper's eyes narrowed and his face become tense. He knew that if he didn't put a stop to it now then it was only a matter of time before there was another confrontation between the two. So the Longneck quickly placed himself between the both of them in an effort to try and calm things down.

“Look,” He began. “It might be a dangerous idea, but Chomper’s right. We're risking a lot by walking the same trail every time, but we're also risking others finding out about where Arya lives. Which she already seems to be worried about.” He directed that part to Chomper, asking for confirmation to which he was met with a nod showing it to be true. “Plus, I don't think Arya would do that to us. We're her friends!” The others nodded and murmured in agreement.

“Fine! But don't come running to me when this bites us all in the tails. Literally.” Cera growled.

It didn't take them long to reach their usual meeting spot, which was the same spot where they had caught Chomper secretly meeting up with Arya weeks ago. The small alcove was just spacious enough that if they wanted to play a game of some sort, then it wasn't too crowded. Or if someone wanted to be lazy then they wouldn't get in the way of the others’ fun. There was also enough water and food for when they decided to break for a snack or drink.

As they rounded the corner, they saw the female Sharptooth off to the side kicking dirt over her discarded lunch. Arya must have sensed they were approaching as before any of them called out a greeting she looked up and waved at them, smiling. After a final covering of dirt she jogged over towards them, meeting at fallen log which served as their sitting area.

“Hey guys!” 

Matching her enthusiasm, they smiled and greeted Arya, minus Cera who huffed. Even though it was only a few weeks since she had started her lessons, Arya's Leafeater had improved greatly, although she still had a heavy accent. She could now hold somewhat of a conversation with them, but it sometimes took her a second to translate what she was hearing or wanted to say in her head before responding. She also still struggled with more complicated words or phrases which sometimes confused everyone involved or made for a humorous situation.

“What’re we doing today?” Arya asked with a smile.

Littlefoot glanced sideways at Chomper who met his gaze with a nervous look. “Well, do you remember where we met? The first time?” He waited a second for the female Sharptooth to nod then continued. “We were thinking of opening up the cave entrance for a safer passageway.”
 
Arya frowned, a sight they came to know as her trying to figure out the translations in her head. Unfortunately, it looked like she was stuck on some part of the translation as she switched to Sharptooth to speak to Chomper. This happened usually when she couldn't think of the correct phasing or needed a better translation. The two exchanged a few words before Arya’s thinking face returned.

“That place is dangerous.” She said finally. “The rocks are. . . “ She paused again trying to come up with a word. “Clumsy.”

“Clumsy?” Littlefoot was very confused and saw that his friends were as well. He even heard some hushed snickering, Cera's being the loudest.

Chomper, trying to hide the fact that he was smirking himself, quickly spoke to her in Sharptooth. “Clumsy? What were  you trying to say?”

“Stop laughing.” Arya replied with a playful glare, making Chomper grin. “I meant that part of the canyon is unstable. Easy to cause a rockslide.”   

“Well, what now?” Cera said once they heard Chomper's translation. “If the canyon is unstable then no doubt the caves are too.”

“I do not want to cause another cave in, I do not. No, no, no” Ducky agreed, nodding.

“But what if they aren't?” Chomper argued. “I remember the cave in happening further in. Maybe it gets more stable the further in it goes.”

“There’s only one way to know for sure.” Littlefoot stepped forward, drawing their attention. “I think we should check it out and see how stable it is. Then we can go from there.”

“I agree with Littlefoot.” Ruby said. “Knowing is better than not knowing.” The rest of the group soon followed the Fast Runner's lead and voiced their agreements.

Cera sighed begrudgingly. “As long as we're just checking it out. . .”

Littlefoot smiled and turned to the female Sharptooth. “Can you take us there, Arya?” She paused to work out what was said before nodding and gesturing for them to follow her.

Arya led them deeper into the canyon and they soon remembered how easy it would be to get lost in there with the many twists and turns they took. Soon, they came to a four-way junction with a small lagoon which they quickly recognized from their first trip into the canyon. It still looked the same as the last time they saw it.

“This is where we met.” Arya said before turning to them with a hesitant look. “Uh, where now?”

Petrie, who had settled on Littlefoot's back, spoke up. “What if Chomper and Arya follow our smell back to cave?”

“Uh-uh.” Chomper replied, shaking his head. “They'd be too old and faded to track.”

“Anyone remember which way we came from?” Littlefoot asked his friends.

Ruby placed her hand to her chin in thought and hummed. She looked around, studying the different paths intensely. “Well,” She said finally. “We came from the opposite direction that we had left before. So if we left in the opposite direction that we came, then we might be going the right way.” With that she pointed to the path directly in front of them.

The others blinked in confusion, Arya whispering in Sharptooth to Chomper asking him for a translation. He shrugged and tried his best to make sense of what Ruby had meant to say. He loved Ruby like a sister, but sometimes she made no sense.

“Uh, keep going straight. . . I think.”

Littlefoot was the first to return to himself. “Er, thanks Ruby. Let's go guys!” They followed the Longneck and entered the path that lay directly in front of them.

Soon, they were greeted with the familiar dark opening of the cave from their first trip into the canyon. But just as they started up the incline to the entrance, the rocks underneath them started to shift causing them to freeze. The shaking grew in intensity and they quickly tried to regain their footing but the rocks finally gave way, sending them tumbling back down the incline. They grunted as they landed on the ground in a tangle of limbs. When the shaking didn't stop, they realized that instead of it being just a rockslide, it was actually an Earthshake. A sudden loud cracking sound caused them to look up to see huge boulders breaking away from the surrounding walls and falling towards them. With a scream, they bolted back down the trail, dodging rocks as they ran.

Then as suddenly as it began, the Earthshake ended abruptly and a large wall of rocks now blocked the way they had came. Littlefoot groaned as he picked himself off the ground, not even remembering falling during the chaos. He coughed at the dust that was settling and gazed around the receding haze to check on his friends. They too were groaning, picking themselves up and coughing. The Longneck could see some bruises and scratches littering their bodies, but they otherwise looked fine. He shook himself, sending the thin film of dirt that had collected on his hide flying, thankfully nothing was hurt.

“Is everyone okay?” The Longneck called as he came over. He was met with a groaning chorus telling him that they were fine. But something was off.

He had only heard four voices! Another look around confirmed that only four of his friends were accounted for- Ducky, Petrie, Spike and Chomper. Cera, Ruby and Arya were nowhere to be found. Littlefield quickly pointed it out to the others and they began calling and looking for the girls.

“We’re over here!” The faint sound of Cera’s voice brought their attention to the rock wall. They collectively let out a breath of relief.

“Are you guys okay?” Littlefoot shouted.

“Yeah,” Cera replied. “A little dinged up, but Ruby hurt her foot. What about you?”

“We're okay!” Littlefoot said. “We need to figure out a way to get you out of there.” He could've sworn he heard Cera say ‘No duh!’ as he looked around for something that would help.

There were too many rocks to move so they couldn't clear the path and he didn't want to cause another rockslide. Then he remembered a log that he saw back at the pond which looked sturdy enough to function as a ramp. It was a trick he and his friends had used on multiple occasions and was proven to work. After discussing his idea with his friends, he went to tell the ones that were on the other side of the rocks.

“Seriously?” Cera said when the Longneck had told them to ‘Wait there, we'll be right back'. “Where are we going to go?” The lack of a response told her that they had already left or that she was being ignored. That was fine, her question was rhetorical anyway.

All things considered, they were lucky they weren't hurt worse during the Earthshake. They had gotten away with a few bruises and scratches, some worse than others. Cera had received a shallow gash on her left shoulder and another running down her tail, it was times like these were she was glad for her tough Threehorn skin. Arya had sustained a gash just above her right brow that oozed blood down her face and a raw area on her shoulder where a rock had hit her. However, Ruby was the worst off with what she thought was a twisted or badly bruised ankle and now sat on a rock nursing her sore foot.

“Well,” Ruby pipped up, her smile quickly switching into a pained grimace. “I don't think we'll be able to clear the cave. Clearing the cave is something I don't think we'll be able to do.”

Cera snorted, a smirk making its way onto her face. Whether Ruby was simply making an observation or trying to look for the humor in their predicament, Cera appreciated the timing. A sneeze brought her attention to Arya who had wondered some distance away to inspect the blockage. The Sharptooth grimaced and tried to wipe her nose, accidentally smearing dirt across her face.

Arya trotted back over to them. “Told you, this place is dangerous.” She said.

“I didn't want to come here in the first place! I knew something like this would happen.” Cera grunted with a grimace, annoyed that the Sharptooth felt the need to state the obvious. Arya looked at Cera and tilted her head in concentration, showing that she was trying to translate something in her head. Honestly, Cera couldn't care less at this point.

Finally, Arya opened her mouth to speak. “Where are the others?” Her accent merged the words ‘Where’ and ‘are’ together, making it sound like she drew out the first word, and the TH was pronounced with a D sound. Thankfully it was understandable.

“They went to go find something to help us.” Ruby replied, smiling softly at the Sharptooth. “Something to help us is what they went to go find.”

Cera huffed and started to pace. “It'll take all day for them to get the log Littlefoot was talking about back here. And we have no idea if that plan will even work!” She stopped to glare at the rocks and her feet pawed at the ground, an idea quickly coming to her mind. “I say we smash it down and get out of here!”

With that, the Threehorn started to charge the rock barrier, kicking up the dust that had settled after the rockslide and ignoring the warnings of her friends. Everything seemed to drown out as she focused on her target as she got closer with each step. Then suddenly a grey form darted in front of her, blocking her path and forcing her to skid to a stop. Arya stood there in a wide stance panting and giving Cera a stern look. The Threehorn was reminded of their second meeting when Arya had immediately went into defense mode upon the Threehorn’s surprise entrance.

“Rocks are cl- . . . un-unsteady, yes?” Arya growled. Cera wasn't sure if she had actually growled or if her accent was so thick that the tone she used just sounded like she did. “You'll get hurt.”

Cera frowned. “Hurt? We're already hurt! Ruby can barely walk because of her foot! Besides, it’s better than waiting around all day for something that might not even work.”

Knowing that a fight was probably coming, physical or verbal, Ruby hobbled over to them to the best of her ability. Even though she kept her injured foot off of the ground, every hop sent a jolt of pain shooting up her leg making her wince. Seeing the Fastrunner’s painful struggle, Arya darted over to her side to offer her support. Ruby gave her a thankful grin to which Arya gave a small smile in return.

“Arya’s right, Cera.” She said after catching her breath. “If the rocks are still unstable then they could fall. And falling rocks are dangerous, dangerous they are.”

Cera's lips pulled back into a snarl and her eyes narrowed at the pair. Her teeth clenched as she growled. “Why do you all take her side?!” The Threehorn exploded. “We wouldn't even be in this mess if we weren't visiting her. I still think this is all some big trick and it’s a matter of time before she turns on us.”

During Cera's rant, Arya had a hard time understanding all of what was being said as it was way too much information all at once. However, she did manage to put together that the Threehorn was talking about her and not in a nice way with the way that she sneered at her. In fact, all of the interactions she'd had with the Threehorn were not very friendly. At first, Arya thought that was just another Threehorn thing she would have to get used to, but she treated her friends differently than her. Then, there were the many fights Cera and Chomper got into with her name being brought up more than once. All the Threehorn's anger and annoyance was usually directed at the female Sharptooth at almost every instance. That lead Arya to the conclusion that seemed to take the air from her lungs.

“You don't like me, do you? . . .” Her voice was so small that they barely heard it. Ruby looked at her with sympathy while Cera rolled her eyes, still too worked up to notice the female Sharptooth sagging.

“You sure do understand a lot, don't you?” Cera replied condescendingly.   

“Cera!” Ruby scolded with a frown.

Arya lowered her gaze and carefully extracted herself from Ruby's side, walking some distance away. Ruby watched her try to busy herself, an obvious attempted distraction, and made it a point to not even glance in their direction.

She whirled on Cera with a rare snarl. “Are you happy now?! She was just trying to help. Helping is all she was trying to do!”

“Whatever.” Cera huffed. “You should probably sit down. You look like you're going to fall over.”

The Fastrunner sighed as she watched the Threehorn stomp off to the opposite side of the canyon, hopefully to cool off. Then she gingerly settled down on the ground because Cera was right about her falling over. The short walk over from the rock that she had been sitting on and standing around like that had really taken a lot out of her. Gently rubbing her sore ankle, she watched her two friends mill about in obvious emotional distress. She mentally decided to wait a little bit for them to calm down before approaching either of them.

Some time later, Ruby managed to limp her way over to the annoyed Threehorn, sitting down next to her. The two sat in silence for a bit before Cera took a breath.

“Let me guess,” She started turning to the Fastrunner. Most of her anger had left by now but she was still in a bad mood. “You want to know why I don't like Arya, huh?"

Ruby knew she had to tried carefully as what she said could set the Threehorn off again and there wouldn't be any progress made. What they've been doing up until now in the hopes of getting Cera to warm up to Arya hasn't working. She needed a new strategy.

“We've already heard why.” Ruby said gently as to not poke the angry Threehorn, quite literally in this case. “But I want to hear the why we didn't hear.”

Cera went quiet and turned away from her with a frown. The silence between them stretched on and Ruby distracted herself by massaging her hurt ankle which was beginning to swell. She couldn't wait to get it into some cold water to help bring it down.

Finally, Cera began to speak. “Remember that one ‘Time of Great Giving’ where Chomper tried to make friends with Sharpteeth? And he got upset when it didn't go as planned?” She refused to meet Ruby's eyes and spoke quietly as if she didn't want anyone else to hear what she was about to say. “I'd hate if Chomper got hurt again.”

Ruby was taken aback by Cera's admission. She knew that Cera was very protective of her friends, but to hear her actually say that her friends feelings are important to her is surprising to say the least. Threehorn’s were known to be tough and proud, both physically and emotionally, and showing emotions or discussing them was often viewed as being ‘weak among other Threehorns. Thankfully, Cera was more sympathetic than others of her kind, but it was rare for her to talk about her deeper emotions.

Ruby smiled. “I'd hate it too. But your way of keeping him from being hurt is also hurting him too.” At Cera's confused look Ruby tried to explain. “You not liking Arya is making him feel like he has to choose between us and her. And I don't think he wants that. That is something I don't think he wants.”

“I guess so.”

Ruby continued with an encouraging smile. “If you gave her a chance, I think you might like her.”

Cera sighed in surrender after a moment. “You want me to apologize to her, don't you?” She said giving the Fast Runner an accusatory look which was met with a grin and a nod.

With another sigh, Cera stood and paused to help Ruby stand up before slowly heading towards the other side of the canyon. A sudden grating sound followed by a huge boom caught their attention and they quickly looked in the direction of the noise. It turned out that a rock from the wall had come loose and fell to the ground, landing at the base of the wall. They also had a glimpse of Arya who had climbed up a short distance on the wall, darting out of they way of the falling boulder. They could tell that it had started the Sharptooth as they could see her widened eyes from where they stood.

“Hey!” Cera called out which drew Arya's attention. “What happened to ‘rocks are unsteady, you could get hurt’!?” She watched in exasperation as Arya merely cocked her head before glancing at the discarded stone and then up at the wall. As the female Sharptooth started to hop from stone to stone, Cera shook her head. “What is that Sharptooth doing?” She muttered to herself.

Once they made it to the foot of the blockade, Arya jumped to the ground in front of them, a smile on her lips. “I have an idea!” She cried excitedly.

“Really?” Ruby said before Cera could open her mouth. “Tell us so that we can hear it!”

Arya pointed to the rock that had fallen earlier and said. “We move some rocks so we can climb out.” She then pointed to the wall and they saw that there were new crevices and ledges, most likely created when the rock fell.

Cera frowned. “That was my idea earlier, ya know, before you stopped me.”

Arya smiled sheepishly under the Threehorn's glare. “Not just by smashing it. We need to think about how and where so it works. And it'd be safer.”

“So we have to use strategy for this to work.” Ruby summarized with a nod.

“. . .Yes?”

Cera rolled her eyes at Arya’s clueless expression and snorted. Ruby's weight on her side made her remember her hurt ankle. There was no way she was going to be able to help move the rocks let alone climb them. “What about Ruby? She can't do anything with her ankle.”

“Yes, I will need help. Help is what I will need.” Ruby agreed, nodding.

“Well,” Arya started, placing a claw to her chin in thought. “We could. . . help her climb? She could help us know which rocks to move too.”

The Threehorn turned her gaze to the wall then to the displaced stone, mentally laying out the plan in her head. A few seconds later, she refocused on the others and shrugged. “I guess it's better than nothing. Let's do it.”

Before she could move, Cera felt Ruby nudge her shoulder and then gesture towards Arya when she turned to look at the Fastrunner. She raised her brow expectantly making it clear that it wasn't the end of the conversation. Right, the apology. Cera thought with a roll of her eyes and shake of her head, the four-footers way of facepalming. Arya looked confused as her eyes darted between them both, having most likely picked up on the silent conversation between the two.  Cera closed her eyes momentarily and sighed before looking at the female Sharptooth.

“Look Arya,” She started, nervously dragging a law through the dirt. Dealing with emotions made her fidgety so she usually dealt with it by either ramming something, like a tree or rock, or pawing at the dirt as she was doing now. “I wanted to say . . . I'm sorry. For what I said earlier and how I've been treating you. It wasn't okay and I hope you can forgive me.”

While Cera talked, Arya listened with a blank face, the only indication of what she was feeling was the slight frown forming on her face. There was an awkward silence once Cera had finished speaking and no one felt brave enough to break it. Both Cera and Arya looked anywhere but at each other, mostly staring intently at the ground. Then after what felt like forever, someone finally broke the silence.

“Hello.”

It was low and unsure, but Cera snapped her attention to Arya immediately with a perplexed squint. “Huh?”

“My name is Arya. Do you want to be friends?”

“What? Why are you- What does that even mean?” Cera sputtered, aware of Ruby trying to hide her snickering with her hand. She must have looked hilarious because she saw Arya trying and failing to hide a grin.

“We uh . . . s-start over?” Arya replied, her golden eyes widening a little to show her nervousness. “Like we never met before.”

Cera glanced sideways at Ruby who was beaming and nodding enthusiastically at her. Here was someone who she was horrible to just a few minutes ago, giving her a second chance for to be like it had never even happened. And despite Cera denting her pride by realizing that she was in the wrong, Arya had given her way to avoid wounding her pride any further. Although it was a relief, the consideration she had shown the Threehorn was like a stab to the gut. She really was wrong about Arya. The Sharptooth hadn't and probably won't ever do anything to hurt her or her friends and didn't deserve to be treated like she would.

“Yeah, okay.” Cera said finally with a smirk, which was met with Arya's grin. “Now why don't we try getting out of here?” The others nodded and Cera escorted Ruby a safe distance away before returning to the foot of the blockade.

After a while, her and Arya decided that the best way to start would be to test the wall for weak points before they started moving any of the rocks. It was agreed that Cera was to give it a hard hit and then quickly move out of the way to see if any rocks dislodged. The Threehorn couldn't help but give the Sharptooth the stink eye remembering that was her idea earlier before Arya had stopped her. Arya merely shrugged in response before going over to wait with Ruby. Cera snorted as she backed up, preparing for her charge, and pawing the ground before thundering at full speed towards the wall.

As soon as her horns made contact, she whirled around and retreated to where the others were watching. Cera had heard the grinding sound of moving stones behind her while she ran and was proud to see a few rocks had dislodged from their places and came to rest lower on the wall. Now the wall had a much shallower angle which would make it easier to climb. Unfortunately, near the top the slope still seemed to be too high for them to reach.

“I'll test it.” Arya said once the dust had settled.

The female Sharptooth ran and with surprising agility jumped from rock to rock, sometimes using her claws to grip and pull herself up. However, the higher she went, the more trouble she was having as the ledges became more out of reach. Her claws couldn't seem to get a good enough grip and she started sliding.

After a few failed attempts she turned to look at them, and shouted. “Far as I can go!” Arya then carefully made her way back down.

Cera and Ruby were impressed as they watched her climb. Arya had managed to make it at least halfway up the wall on her own before being unable to go on. They waited for her to reach them before they started discussing what to do next.

“I think I could make it . . .  if I had help.” Arya said once she had returned. Cera nodded and followed her back to the slope.

Although being a four-footer meant that she had an easier time with climbing up hills, she didn't have sharp claws for gripping onto the rock. So climbing the wall was harder than Arya had made it look. However, working together helped them to reach the halfway point faster than Arya's previous run. Arya was in the lead with Cera giving her a boost when she had a little trouble reaching the next ledge. And in turn, Arya would grab her frill to help pull Cera up when she was having trouble pulling herself up.

When they reached the higher ledge that had stopped Arya before, Cera pushed her up onto the ledge before she could slide back down. She smiled at the Threehorn in thanks before turning to see the remaining distance to the top. She was now closer to the top than she had thought and the next couple ledges didn't look as high as the one she was standing on.

Arya turned her attention back to Cera. “Wait here. I'll try to get to the top.”

With that, she resumed climbing. The stones weren't as close together as she thought but she was able to pull herself up using her claws. Soon, Arya found herself situated on the final ledge just before the top of the wall. She turned and waved to the others with a smile, which they returned. She took a minute to breathe, thankful that the rocks didn't seem to be as unstable as they had feared. Sure, some had shifted slightly which caused her to lose her balance but it had held and she was quick to steady herself.

Eyeing the final obstacle, Arya tensed her leg muscles in preparation for her final leap. After taking a calming breath, the female Sharptooth launched herself as high as she could feeling her claws dig into the rock. The edge of the rock collided with her ribs and she grunted at the impact, but she used her legs and arms to push her way up. When both feet were finally under her she breathed in relief at actually reaching the top. From down below her, Arya could hear her friends cheering and she gave a celebratory whoop in return.

Okay, now what are we dealing with? She thought as she looked over the opposite edge.

It didn't look as steep as the other side had which was a relief. Going down a hill was much easier than going up one and it seemed to be the case here as well. But they would still have to be careful on the way down as who knew if these rocks were as stable as the ones on the other side. And with Ruby's ankle, they would have to come up with a strategy on how get her down safely. After analyzing the wall's opposite side thoroughly, Arya carefully made her way back down to where Cera was waiting and together they climbed back down the slope.

Once they got back to where Ruby was sitting, Arya relayed what she had saw and they started coming up with a plan on how to get Ruby up and over the wall. They eventually decided that Cera would support the Fastrunner from below while Arya helped pull her up. They would do the same on the way down with Cera jumping down first to support Ruby and Arya helping to lower her down before jumping herself. Of course, since Ruby was still in a fair amount of pain and tired easily, there would be multiple breaks during the climb.

So they began the arduous climb to the top with Arya in the lead. The plan worked well and they made it to just before halfway before Ruby needed a break. Even though Cera and Arya were the least hurt of the three, they too appreciated the rest as they had been working to move the rocks and climbed the wall once already. After regaining the strength, they resumed their ascent and finally reached the top of the barrier after pausing two more times. Now they sat on the peak catching their breath and preparing themselves for the dangerous descent.

Arya was once again trying to figure out the best way to climb down when she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She frowned and gazed down the canyon where she saw moving figures in the distance. They were to far away to properly tell what they were but she recognized some familiar colours.

“Um,” She started which gained the attention of the other two. “Are those the others?”

After squinting in the direction that Arya pointed, Cera snorted. “Yeah, it is. Took them long enough!”

“Should we wait for them?”

“Nah,” Cera replied, a smirk making her way onto her face. “By the time they get here we would already be on the ground.” Cera jumped down onto the next rock, pausing to make sure it was stable enough before continuing. “Besides, they left us alone to figure a way out by ourselves. Why not mess with them a little?”

“Cera,” Ruby scooted herself off the edge with Arya's help, her feet finding Cera's head and the Threehorn lowered her down gently. “You know they left us alone to find something to help us because if they don't leave us alone then they wouldn't be able to help us.” Once the Fastrunner was safely on the rock, Cera rolled her eyes and jumped down to the next one.

“I'm in.” Arya chipped in with a devious grin as she landed beside Ruby.

Ruby’s eyes shifted from Arya to Cera who both had matching grins before smiling as well. “Well, I bet they didn't expect for us to think of a way out ourselves. They would probably think we’d be angry they left us alone even if we weren't.”

It was a slow climb down as for each rock they stopped to make sure it was stable before moving onto the next one. But even though they took their time on the way down and stopped for breaks periodically, gravity made it easier than the climb up. By the time that they made it to the foot of the barrier, the others had gotten close enough to see the girls make their way down. The log that they struggled to push the distance to the rockslide lay forgotten as they watched on in amazement.

When they made it to the ground, Ruby looked up and waved at them, smiling brightly. “Hello, my friends! My friends, hello!” Her greeting was met by dubious stares and a few distracted greetings back which caused the three to snicker.

“Took you guys long enough!” Cera huffed as she closed the distance between the two groups with Arya, who was supporting Ruby, followed. “We weren't getting any younger, you know?”

Littlefoot's gaze ran over the trio with a look of bewilderment on his face. “What happened?”

“We climbed out.” The way that Cera said it made it sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Yet, the blank stares and silent blinking proved that it was anything but.

The silence was broken when Arya pointed to the massive log that took them the better part of a day to move and innocently asked. “What's the log for?”

That caused Cera and Ruby to start snickering and Arya quickly joined in. The others looked at each other confused then back to the laughing females. Obviously, going to retrieve the log to help them out was a waste of time and effort. Littlefoot quickly realized this and shook his head in exasperation, a smile slowly spreading across his face. He was thankful that they were alright and had managed to think of a way out themselves. He only wished it was before he and the others had gone through the trouble of getting the log.

“Well,” He started gathering everyone's attention. “I guess there's nothing to do now but go wash all this dirt off.”

“Yes,” Ruby replied as the gang started in the direction of the cove. “Water should help my hurt ankle to be less hurt.”

As they got further away from the caved in section of the canyon, Chomper noticed that the usual tension between Cera and Arya seemed to have lifted. The two were happily telling the others how they had scaled the rock wall by themselves while also making sure Ruby's pain was lessened. They smiled and laughed as if the animosity they shared a few hours ago had never happened. He knew something had to have happened while they were gone between for them to be acting this way.

Chomper thought about asking them about it, but then decided against it. If they were friends now he really didn't care how it happened, only that it did. It felt as if a weight was lifted off of his shoulders as he wouldn't have to worry about his friends not getting along. He smiled as he watched Cera laugh at something Arya had said, who then scrunched her nose in a mock expression of offense.

Maybe his dream of all his friends being happy together was finally getting closer.

Thank you for reading! Writing this kinda got out of hand so that's why it’s so long.

While I was writing this chapter, the plotline (as well as the overarching plotline of the entire AU) went through some rewrites. For example: they are unable to clear the cave route. This is because I had new ideas for future chapters that wouldn't have made sense had I stuck to the original idea. However, most of the bigger plot points remained the same.

I do have the next two chapters’ basic outlines finished so I just have to work out the details and write the final story. Also, please send me any idea/scenarios You may have and I'll see if I can fit them in! 

Hey guys! This was originally going to be an entry for the  August 2019 fanfiction prompt challenge over on Gangoffive, but I missed the deadline. This is also the longest chapter for this fic at 5,740 words so that might explain why its so late. Also, it kind of got away from me when writing this as I drew upon some personal experiences.

Warning: The following story contains death, minor gore descriptions, illness, and instances of emotional distress. If any of this offends/triggers you please don't read.

See bottom for Behind-the-scenes info.

The Coldest Day
‘Write a story about a character rising to the occasion after experiencing a loss or hardship in life.’ While out on a hunt, Arya is reminded of when she had to quickly grow up after experiencing the worst hardship anyone could endure.

Maybe learning how to speak Leafeater was a bad idea.

Arya winced from her hiding place in the bushes. In front of her was a whole herd of Swimmers, the large numbers strongly indicated that it was a migrating herd. She watched as an adult female lay prone on the ground, her breathing laboured no doubt in excruciating pain and surrounded by her herd mates. There were also a group of younger Swimmers at the feet of the adults and they were nuzzling and cuddling with the downed female. From her vantage point, Arya could see tears trailing down the faces of those gathered and even though she had no idea what they were saying to each other, she knew what was happening.

They were grieving.

Today was one of those days where the Scalies didn't seem to want to get close enough for her to be able to catch them. It was also one of those days where she was getting bored of eating the same thing everyday so she decided to try her luck at hunting. Or scavenging, which was what she usually did on days like these as she was still too small to go after the bigger prey items. So upon exiting the canyon, the young Sharptooth turned her nose to the wind and sniffed for any signs of food. After a few tries, Arya managed to pick up a scent originating from nearby that had held some promise. It was from a Swimmer, but it was tainted and bitter smelling which she quickly recognized as some type of infection and Arya wrinkled her nose in disgust. Although it smelled bitter, most infections didn't affect the taste of the meat except at the immediate site of it. And thankfully, Sharpteeth had strong stomachs so they were able to eat meat that was nearly rotting and not get sick from it. However, there was one rule that you always had to follow while scavenging: if it tastes bad, like really bad, spit it out. Sometimes it was just too rotten to safely consume.

Arya followed the trail which led her to a large Swimmer herd and the young Sharptooth scanned the sea of dinosaurs to find the one she was looking for. Spotting a smaller gathering on the outskirts of the herd, she carefully stalked towards them through the bushes to keep out of sight. Soon, she came upon the Swimmer that she had been tracking. It was an adult female with a particularly grisly looking gash on her leg. The wound was long and looked deep and it was oozing a blood tinged yellow liquid. It was no doubt severely infected and the source of the bitter scent which had led Arya here. The female definitely looked to be on her last legs as she lay there panting on the ground surrounded by what looked to be her family. It looked to be only a matter of time until she passed.

Even though she was a hunter, Arya felt uncomfortable watching such a private moment unfold before her. Therefore, she settled down in the bush and avoided looking in their direction to give them their privacy to say goodbye. Being able to understand them wasn't necessary as body language could speak volumes and mourning was universal.

Finally, Arya was shaken from her thoughts when one of the gathered Swimmers made a loud, wailing call. Immediately the others joined in as well as did many from the rest of the herd not too far away. She had heard these types of calls many times during her life in the Mysterious Beyond and knew at once that this was a mourning call. Many herds practiced this and let out the haunting call when one of their own had passed on, it was something all Sharpteeth recognized. Some even used it as a dinner bell to let them know when there was fresh meat around.

After the herd finished their calls they then began to move on, the adults who had gathered around the dying female wrestling away some of the youngsters. They must have been the female's offspring as they desperately clung onto the female's body to keep from being separated. The gut wrenching cries that came from them brought tears to Arya's eyes and she winced again, quickly looking away. She was thankful that her lessons weren't advanced enough yet to hear what they had said, the pure emotion behind them was enough. Arya watched with sympathy as they joined with the rest of their herd and they soon disappeared from the field.

When the last tail rounded the corner, Arya quietly stepped out of her hiding spot. She sniffed and wiped her eyes as she walked towards the dead Swimmer, her appetite had suddenly disappeared. As she got up to the body and poked it with her claw, she realized it was still warm and the eyes haven’t even begun to cloud over yet. If the Swimmer was still breathing it would look like she was just asleep, aside from the giant leaking wound on her leg. Arya suddenly felt sick as her mind replaced the Swimmer’s body with someone else’s, the two deaths were way too similar in her mind.

“Don't take more than you need, but don't waste what you have.”

It was something that her mother had taught her. Life in the Mysterious Beyond was brutal and wasting food could sometimes be a death sentence. So inner turmoil or not, she needed to eat. Arya forced herself to take a bite while avoiding looking at the face. It made it easier to think that this was just some random dead dinosaur and not someone's mother. Or the dinosaur that she kept picturing in the Swimmer’s place.

Growing up, it was always just Arya and her mother. Her father had left before her egg was even laid and Arya didn't understand why anyone could abandon their mate and future child like he did. The first thing that she saw once she was free of her egg were her mother's rust coloured scales that shone brilliantly in the Bright Circle. If it weren't for the honey coloured eyes that Arya had inherited from her then you would've never guessed that they were related. Arya learned later on that her grey scales came from her father's side, much to her dismay. She quickly noticed that whenever her mother talked about the male, there was sadness in her eyes. It was obvious that she still loved him, even though he had abandoned her to raise a hatchling, their hatchling, alone. When Arya had asked why he had done so, her mother had said that he wasn't ready for the responsibility of becoming a father. Arya was of course mad upon hearing of this reasoning, soon adopting an unsympathetic attitude towards the unknown male. If he didn't want her then she didn't need him.

However, since she was being raised by a single parent, Arya often had to accompany her mother on hunts from an early age. Normally, one parent went out hunting while the other stayed behind to watch over the hatchlings, but there was no one else to watch Arya while she was gone. So she followed her mother on hunts, staying behind and watching from a safe distance while the adult Sharptooth made the kill. And through observation, Arya quickly learned essential hunting skills which she then practiced on smaller creatures such as crawlers or ground fuzzies.

But she also learned that not all hunts were a certainty and it took a lot of skill as well as luck for it to be successful. On those days that luck was not on their side, her mother took her down to a large watering hole to try their luck at catching Scaly Swimmers. Unlike with stalking the herds, they had to wait for the Scalies to come within striking distance, which required more patience than a young Sharptooth was able to express. Still it amazed a young Arya when her mother suddenly struck the water and came back up with a large Scalie wiggling in her mouth.

Arya bounced in excitement as the adult Sharptooth waded to shore. “That was so cool, Mom!” She cried, jumping around the adult's feet. “How did you do that?”

Her mother dropped the Scalie, which hung still in her jaws, on the ground and chuckled. “Its something that my mother taught me when I was your age.”

“Can you do it again?”

The adult female laughed at the awestruck look on her daughter’s face. “Maybe after we're done eating.”She said before nudging Arya towards the dead Scalie.

“Why?” Arya questioned, tilting her head in confusion which made her smile.

“Because if I catch more than what we'll be able to eat then we would be wasting food. Tell you what, I'll show you how to catch them later for supper tonight.” She replied gently. Arya vigorously nodded her head which caused her mother to chuckle as she watched her daughter dig into her meal.

Just as she had promised, later that day her mother led her to the water's edge and they waded out until the water reached Arya's waist. Although the water only went just passed her ankles, the adult Sharptooth stood beside her and coached her on the proper technique for fishing. She wasn't successful the first few times but her mother encouraged her that with more practice she would become a pro in no time. So Arya practiced anytime that she could and soon she was finally able to catch a Scaly Swimmer all by herself with her mother watching on proudly. And because she was the one to catch it, it was the best meal she'd ever eaten.

As Arya got older, her mother let her have a more active role during their hunts. She would give a loud roar to scare the Leafeaters into running towards an area where her mother would ambush them and deal the killing blow to one of the unfortunate herd members. However, there were times when that strategy would only succeed in causing the Leafeaters to become defensive and guard their weaker herd mates. When that happened, it forced Arya and her mother to abandon the hunt as it became too dangerous and not worth the risk. Now that Arya was contributing to the hunts, she realized why her mother mostly targeted the old, sick, or otherwise weaker dinosaurs. A healthy Leafeater could seriously injure a Sharptooth and, if one were stupid enough to take on a whole herd, could even kill them. And since her mother needed to be able to provide for her daughter, she couldn't risk an injury.

One Cold Time was especially harsh for both Sharpteeth. Arya had recently entered the Time of Great Growing and was quickly become a prolific hunter to the smaller prey items that she encountered. However, finding prey in the frozen wasteland of the Mysterious Beyond was becoming harder in that they regularly went without food some days. And since she was still growing, most of the food that they did manage to find went to Arya, despite her protests. Though the meager amount of food wasn't enough to fill either of their bellies and they went hungry.

It was during one hunt that Arya noticed her mother becoming slower, almost tired, and her breathing seemed laboured. Her mother had quickly brushed off her concerns and told her to focus on the hunt, but Arya was still worried. She kept an eye on the older Sharptooth while the two stalked the weakened Spikethumb, sneaking concerned glances at her periodically. Luckily the hunt was a success but Arya watched as her mother struggled to regain her breath from the sudden exertion of the killing strike. They wouldn't have to go hungry that night and hopefully her mother's exhaustion was due to the lack of food lately.

It wasn't.

The Spikethumb carcass lasted them a few days but the adult female's energy didn't seem improve. In fact, Arya feared that it was getting worse as even simple tasks, such as a short sprint, left her mother heaving for breath and wincing in pain. All the while she assured Arya that she was fine and that there was nothing to be worried about.

It was during a hunt a few days later that Arya realized that something was indeed wrong. Arya had chased their chosen target into a ravine which was their agreed upon ambush spot. When the old Swimmer rounded the corner, Arya's mother shot out from behind some rocks with a loud roar and her mouth wide open aiming a killing bite to the neck. However, the panicked Swimmer swiftly dodged her lunge and bolted in the opposite direction which urged her to give chase, lest she lose their opportunity for a meal. However, in her hurry to go after the Swimmer, she failed to see the large rock in her path. She stumbled over it and crashed to the ground, allowing the Swimmer to escape.

Arya yelped in fear at seeing her mother fall and rushed to her side. “Mom! Mom are you okay?”

Her mother winced, breathing hard. “I'm fine, Sweetie.”  She gasped which caused Arya to bite her lip.

“M-Maybe we should go home?” Arya said shakily, nudging her mother in comfort. “You don't look so good, Mom.”  Thankfully after a moment, her mother agreed and nodded, unable to speak clearly through her panting.

Arya, being too small to be of any help, watched as the adult Sharptooth struggled to get back to her feet. Once fully standing, her mother paused to steady her breathing as even that small exertion seemed to be too much for her. Then they slowly made their way back to the shallow cave in which they had made their den. On the way, Arya snuck concerned glances at her mother, the raspiness of her breathing worried her. The female Sharptooth gave her a reassuring smile when she caught her daughter watching, though that didn't ease her worries.

Her mother's strength seemed to run out just as they arrived back at their den as the adult Sharptooth collapsed on the ground in an exhausted heap. Arya once again yelped in fear, and seeing that her laboured breathing had returned, gently nuzzled her.

Then she heard a soft rattling noise and her heart, which had begun to race when the adult Sharptooth had first stumbled over the rock, froze. It suddenly felt like Hard Water had broken under her and she was dumped into water that was so cold that it ached. She quickly realized that this was so much more than the normal weakness that came from hunger and the Cold Time. It was the beginning stages of Water Lung.

Water Lung was a kind of sickness that affected a dinosaur’s breathing. They couldn't breath properly and it felt like they had water or some other kind of liquid stuck in their lungs. It started with a dinosaur becoming tired or short of breath after even the smallest exertions. Then they would begin to cough, sometimes hacking up what was in their lungs, and have to deal with chest pain. Eventually, the affected dinosaur would become weaker and weaker until the sickness claimed them. And while there was medicinal plants that would help ease the symptoms, Water Lung was extremely difficult to treat. It was especially hard during the Cold Time when there were no plants available. However even with the plants, recovery depended on how Water Lung affected each dinosaur or how minor the case was.

Arya's mother seemed to be in the beginning stages of the sickness, but the combined complications of not eating and the Cold Time were taking its toll on the Sharptooth. The adult seemed to be in a trance, focusing on catching her breath while trying to manage the pain and Arya didn't know if her mother even realized that she was still there. Arya felt tears prickling at her eyes as she watched her mother struggle to breath and the rattling made her want to cover her ears. Her mother was in no condition to hunt let alone leave their den.
The young Sharptooth sniffed and wiped her eyes before curling up against the adult's side. She clenched her eyes shut with a grimace. While she was hungry, Arya refused to leave the den as she felt that she needed to be there for support. It also comforted her somewhat to know that her mother was still there. 

Arya continued stayed by her mother's side for days, only leaving to drink, hunt or relieve herself. Whenever she went hunting, Arya barely managed to find anything that could satisfy her hunger, let alone a fully grown Sharptooth’s, as many of her usual prey item’s hid during the Cold Times. Her mother still declined food as the pain and fatigue from her illness destroyed her appetite. Every day she seemed to get weaker and her bones became more and more pronounced.

Her coughing and the rattling from her lungs got progressively worse, making her hack up the gunk that was in her lungs and leaving her exhausted and gasping. Arya was nauseated every time she saw her mother enter another coughing fit that usually ended with her spitting out a glob of yellow-green mucus. It was also terrifying to listen to someone go through and Arya was scared that every coughing fit might be her mother's last.

A few weeks after her mother became too sick to leave their den, Arya stared at the looming dark clouds from the safety of the cave. While the young Sharptooth was out hunting, the wind had picked up and she felt the sudden drop in temperature. Arya quickly headed home when she saw the dark clouds rolling in, signs that a storm was coming. She had made it back just as the wind kicked up enough ground sparkles to blind anyone stuck in the brewing storm. A shiver raced up her spine so she retreated back to her mother's side.

The adult Sharptooth was exhausted from coughing and dealing with the pain of her sickness so she slept a majority of the time. Her only reaction when Arya pressed up to her side for warmth, was a twitch of her lips into a tiny smile that disappeared into a pained grimace a second later. The rattling had also risen in volume to where Arya could easily hear it when she entered the cave. Arya often had to cover her ears to block out the horrible noise, silently crying to herself. Tonight, the howling wind was comforting as it was a welcome distraction from the rattles. Arya was content to watch the storm until a faint voice broke through the wind and knocked her from her thoughts.
 
“Ari.”

Arya perked up and turned to look at her mother who had a hazy golden eye trained on her. This was the first time she had hear her mother speak in a while since it took too much effort most days. She sounded very hoarse, barely able to project anything above a whisper, and he rattling was still present but Arya was too happy to care.

She swallowed the lump in her through and crawled closer to the adult Sharptooth’s head. “Yeah Mom?” Her voice was thick with emotion and her eyes were starting to well up.

Seeing her daughter tearing up, she smiled. “It’s alright, Sweetie. Don't cry.”

“H-How is it alright?!” Arya whimpered, sniffing and wiping her eyes. “You're getting worse! I don't know what to do. I . . . I'm,” Arya paused and hugged herself, tears now running freely. “I'm scared.”

“I know, Sweetie.” Her mother replied.

What else she was going to say was cut off by  another coughing fit, causing Arya to jump away to give her some space. However, this time she was so tired that she couldn't muster the strength bring anything up and was left gasping when it was finished. The adult female grimaced in pain from her raw throat before settling back down.

“But whatever happens. . . know that I love you. I want you to . . . keep going. No matter what.” As her mother paused to catch her breath, Arya jumped forward and nuzzled her mother's cheek.

“Love you too, Mom.” Arya she replied, tearfully nuzzling her mother's cheek.

They huddled together that night for warmth as the storm raged outside. The combination of howling winds and her mother's rattling kept her awake until she was so exhausted that she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. When Arya opened her eyes the next morning she was met with silence. Confused, she looked around to find that the storm had long since passed and ground sparkles had partially buried the entrance to their den. She then turned to her mother to find her still sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling with her shallow breaths. Arya let out a sigh of relief knowing that her mother had survived another night. With one last nuzzle for her mother, Arya left the den in search of food.

Thankfully, the ground sparkles that piled up at the entrance wasn’t as deep as she thought they were as it barely came to her hips. She was in awe at the immense amount of white that had deposited overnight as a result of last night's storm. It was nearly waist deep in some places which forced her to dig her way through. Eventually, her nose led her to an area known for its hilly terrain.

As she crested a particularly steep hill, Arya felt the ground shift under her and she was suddenly sent tumbling down the other side, kicking up a cloud of ground sparkles. Her decent was only stopped when she collided with a large, hard object. Arya picked herself up and shook herself free of the small white particles, unknowingly bumping the object that had stopped her. Her bump had knocked off some of the ground sparkles that had piled on top of it to reveal what it actually was.

It was a young adult Swimmer that looked not to have been able to find shelter during the storm the previous night. Arya’s stomach growled and she immediately went to work on tearing through the meat. The Swimmer was stiff as Hard Water and Arya struggled to tear off a piece even with her sharp teeth. Although the toughness of the Swimmer slowed her down, she ate ravenously as it had been a few days since her last meal.

After she ate her fill, Arya bit off another chunk to bring back with her to the den. Even though her mother usually refused to eat what she brought back, Arya hoped that today would be different. So with the morsel stored snuggly in her jaws, the young Sharptooth began the trek back up the steep hill, having to utilize her claws to grip and aid in her climbing.

Arya finally made it back to the den just as the Bright Circle left its highest. She was exhausted but as she entered the cave, she was met with silence. Arya frowned and dropped the meat to look around the den in confusion. There was nothing except for the eerie silence and the feeling that something wasn't right. She slowly picked up the meat and walked towards her mother, eyes darting around for anything that was amiss.

Arya dropped the meat in front of the adult Sharptooth. “Hey Mom, I brought you something to eat.” There was no response. Arya was used to this as her mother sometimes slept heavily on days when she felt even the smallest bit of relief. And although she really didn't want to disturb her nap, Arya tried again.

“Mom?” Nothing.

Arya then nudged her mother's face and called to her again, this time louder, but there wasn't any acknowledgement. She felt her breathing constrict as panic started to take hold of her. The young Sharptooth tried again and again to rouse her mother, getting louder and desperate each time. Tears started to drip down her cheeks as her panic grew. Then Arya remembered the silence that had greeted her back when she returned to the den and how it felt so wrong.

There was no rattling.

Cold fear seemed to grip her as Arya rushed to her mother's chest and placed her ear against it. Arya pleaded to herself and to anyone who would listen that she would hear something, anything that would prove that everything was fine, but silence once again greeted her. It felt like all the air suddenly left her body and she began to shake. Shock and despair started to race through her and she crumbled to the ground as heavy sobs escaped her. Her mother was gone and she was right to have feared the silence.

She cuddled into her mother's side long after her tears had dried and her sobs had made her throat raw. Arya wearily watched as the Bright Circle descended behind the distant mountains. She felt as if a numbness had taken over her body and she lacked the will to move just yet so she made the mental decision to wait until morning to leave. That way she could spend more time with her mother before having to say goodbye for the last time. Unfortunately, by the time the Bright Circle had risen again, Arya was still awake and feeling even worse. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't fall asleep with the swirl of emotions racing through her head. What was once a place of warmth and comfort at her mother's side was now cold and barely blocking the wind.

Arya slowly got to her feet and wiped the crust of dry tears from her face, that had sprung up several times during the night. The Bright Circle seemed to taught her with its warm glow which shone through the cave’s entrance, making Arya direct a glare outside. How dare it be a nice day while she had her world crumble around her! She screwed her eyes shut as she took a deep breath, opening them to be greeted with the still, serene face of her mother. If it weren't for the fact that she was cold and stiff, Arya could have still mistaken her for being asleep.

Then her eyes caught the slab of meat she had brought back yesterday. Usually she would've had the leftovers for breakfast the next day, but yesterday’s events had soured her appetite. Also, the meat suddenly reminded her of an old Sharptooth tradition. Whenever a Sharptooth died, a piece of meat was left next to the body to help them in the Great Beyond. Although the actual purpose of the meat was lost over time, it was largely thought that the meat sustained them until they made their journey or acted as and offer to buy them passage. Arya's mother had taught her about the tradition when they unexpectedly came upon a dead Sharptooth with a sizable piece of meat placed next to him.

Arya swallowed the lump in her throat before picking up the meat in her jaws. She was hoping that she wouldn't have had to partake in the tradition for a while, if at all, but if it would help her mother in the Great Beyond then she had to do it. She gently set the slab down in the crook of the adult Sharptooth's neck and backed away, biting her lip. The metallic taste that she used to crave, now turned her stomach.

Gazing upon her mother's face, her lip trembled and she felt her eyes sting as more tears gathered. With a sob, Arya pressed herself to her mother's side in a final hug, burying her face into the spot where the jaw transitioned into her neck. This was Arya's favourite place to cuddle on bad days or days when she needed extra comfort. It was a place of safety where she was comforted by her mother's strong heartbeat and shielded her from the rest of the world. Arya tried to think back on those days, hoping to replace this memory with a happier one, but her mind remained blank. The young Sharptooth breathed in her mother's scent to remember it for as long as she could, knowing that this would be the last time. She winced when she also picked up the death scent that was slowly beginning to overtake that of her mother's.

Arya took a shaky breath and picked herself up, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Once more looking at her mother's still face, she opened her mouth to recite a prayer she'd heard her mother speak when she taught her about the tradition. She spoke low as her voice was hoarse and shaking from crying.

“M-May your journey bring you p-peace.”

With a final tearful goodbye, Arya stepped out into the white landscape of the Mysterious Beyond. The light and cold wind burned her eyes which were now greatly sensitive due to the amount of tears she had shed. Forcing her eyes to stay open, she picked a random direction and started walking away from the cave as the wind suddenly began to feel colder. Though she didn't care as she wanted to put as much distance between her and the cave as possible.

She knew that she should have probably went back to the Swimmer carcass to get something to eat, but it was too far away and was probably almost gone by now. Also, Arya didn't feel like eating or much of anything for that matter. A strange numbness had taken over her the moment she had stepped out of the cave, but she didn't stop walking.

Arya only stopped when her legs couldn't go any farther and she all but collapsed under the branches of a huge tree, far from where she had started. She decided to spend the night there as the thick branches served as a shelter from the cold wind as the Bright Circle was starting to go down. The young Sharptooth was so exhausted by the day's events that she fell asleep quickly and deeply, and thankfully no sleep stories plagued her that night.

Arya soon entered a cycle of either walking until she couldn't anymore or staying where she had decided to make her temporary den for days on end. The numbness that she felt on the first day lingered and grew until she just laid and stared at nothing for hours. This took a toll on her health as her bones were starting to show through her skin and she lacked the energy to do anything. Her scales soon became dull and her eyes were bloodshot. And even though the first signs that the Cold Time was coming to an end had begun to happen, Arya still shivered as if it was still the height of the Cold Time. Arya's appetite was still near nonexistent so she ate just enough she keep herself alive and would feel sick if she ate more. The numbness scared her but she felt powerless against it.

Then, one day, Arya stumbled across a stream flowing from a canyon during one of her walks. The water had a swift current that prevented it from forming Hard Water in some places, but it didn't look too deep. Arya carefully perched on the bank and took a sip, shivering as the cold liquid ran down her throat.

A sudden flash from the deeper water in the middle of the stream caught her attention. It was a Scalie Swimmer! Her stomach growled which surprised her, usually she had to force herself into even thinking of eating. She hungrily watched the Scalie lazily swim against the current, trying to decide if she should try to get it. Another growl, this time accompanied by a twinge of pain, decided for her as she found herself stepping into the freezing water. Arya stiffened and let out a strained yelp as the cold water seemed to chill her to her bones in the blink of an eye, leaving her shivering.

Arya took a second to prepare herself before wading deeper into the water, the cold nearly taking her breath away. When she was close enough, she entered the fishing stance and tried to control her shaking. The Scalie Swimmer didn't seem all that bothered by its possible doom lurking not to far away and stayed where it was. Deciding to tempt fate, Arya carefully inched her way closer and her movements caused the Scalie to become flighty and move further away from her. She paused for a second before resuming her stalking, more slowly this time, until she was within striking distance. The young Sharptooth desperately tried to control her shivering as she tensed her muscles to get ready for the spring. She couldn't afford to mess this up.

Then she lunged, water exploding and flying everywhere. When Arya raised her head, the wriggling Scalie was speared on her sharp teeth with blood dripping from where her teeth had broken the flesh. She clasped it tightly in her jaws and waded back to shore. Once back on land, she dropped the Scalie and placed a foot on it to hold it in place while she shook herself dry. Teeth still chattering, she took her meal to a nearby log where she was sheltered from the wind as she ate.

While she wasn't able to finish the Scalie Swimmer, she was able to eat more than she had previously without feeling ill. Arya felt proud of herself, something that she hadn't felt for a while. There was a small break in the numbness and she was starting to finally feel closer to how she had felt before. Although she knew that it would be a while before she was actually back to normal if at all fully. Until then, if the canyon wasn't inhabited already, Arya decided that she had found a place where she could heal.

At least for a little while.

Thanks for reading! As promised here are some Behind-the-scenes info.

Water Lung is the LBT universe version of pneumonia. Much of the symptoms are the same but extremely difficult to treat for as the plant that cures it is rare. And much of what Arya goes through is based on personal experiences when I lost loved ones (though not to the extremes that Arya goes through).

On a happy note, I am almost done planning out the next chapter! It’s going to be back to Chomper and the gang getting closer with Arya. Hopefully I will have it done soon.   

Hey guys! Sorry this update took so long. We've recently moved and I have been struggling lately financially and mentally so I didn't have a lot of time or the motivation to write. This may affect future updates so please be patient.

Here's a fun fact: While developing Arya's character, she went through many backstories and story arcs, as well as names. One that I played with for a long time was having Arya being Redclaw's daughter (as one reviewer already seemed to guess towards). I was going to have a sort of Romeo & Juliet type story, but it seemed a little cliché. I still don't know if I'll have Arya actually end up being his daughter or not. What do you guys think?

Anyway, here is the next chapter. Enjoy and please review!

The Hunter Becomes The Hunted
Summary: The Gang become suspicious of Chomper's recent behaviour and decide to follow him. He leads them into the Mysterious Beyond where a surprise is waiting for them.

Littlefoot knew something was up when Chomper didn't meet back up with them after lunch.
 
It was another beautifully warm day in the Great Valley and the group of young dinosaurs had spent the morning playing in a watering hole. When the Bright Circle was at its highest, they decided to break for lunch and agreed to meet up afterward to resume their game of Swimmer Splasher. Sometime later, the Leafeaters were waiting by the watering hole for Ruby and Chomper, who had left together in the direction of the Fast Water. Ruby arrived shortly after the others did, but there was no sign of the young Sharptooth. When asked about his whereabouts, Ruby told them that Chomper wouldn't be joining them as he had claimed that he wanted to spend the rest of the day by himself. This greatly confused them as the young Sharptooth usually never turned down a chance to be with his friends.

Littlefoot looked at the Fast Runner bewilderedly. “Did he really say that he wants to be by himself?” He asked, frowning and tilting his head.

Ruby nodded, confusion etched on her face as well. “Yes. He did say that, but I don't know why he said that.”

Littlefoot didn't know either. While they were splashing around in the water, Chomper looked like he was having fun, if a bit distracted. He kept glancing up at the Bright Circle as if he was waiting for a certain time and he wasn't as into the game as he usually was. When they had asked him, he said that he was okay but they could see that something was defiantly bothering him.

“Maybe he just want alone time?” Petrie spoke up from a nearby branch, shrugging.

Ducky, who was sitting atop a large rock, tilted her head in thought and stroked her chin. “He's been having that a lot lately. He has, he has.”

“Well, I think he's up to something! And I want to find out what.”

“I don't know, Cera.” Littlefoot started, stepping forward in hopes of deterring the Threehorn from doing something reckless. As if he had a chance. “If we follow him, it would be a betrayal of Chomper's trust.”

Cera snorted. “But if he's lying then it'll be a betrayal of our trust! I mean, what if he's in some sort of trouble or one of the Grown Ups find him sneaking around and think he's up to no good?”

It was common knowledge among those that knew him that Chomper wasn't the best liar. Whenever he tried, he would stumble over his words or not be able to make it believable enough to fool anyone. When he claimed to be ill a couple of days ago, Ruby had given him the benefit of the doubt because she didn't want his pain to worsen if he was in fact telling the truth. And then when they couldn't find him later on, there was some doubt in the truthfulness of his words in the back of their minds. The answer they had gotten when they finally found him was sort of flimsy, but they collectively decided not to read much into it. That is, until Cera pointed out that he smelt like a swamp and Chomper started to squirm, trying to come up with a good explanation.

“I say we follow him and find out what he's up to.” Cera concluded, walking in the direction that Ruby had come from and stopping a short distance away with a confident grin on her face.

They shared a glance, no doubt the same thing running through their minds. Leave it to Cera to voice what others were too scared to say. And although she was known for her bluntness and headstrong tendencies, she did have a point. They were all worried about Chomper being in any potential trouble or doing something that he shouldn't. They were reminded of the time when he had his last growth spurt and before he had learned how to fish. He had begun to waste away before their very eyes and they were scared that they might actually lose one of their close friends. They didn't want anything like that to happen to him ever again.

Finally, Littlefoot sighed. “Well, I guess we could make sure he's okay.” He said slowly as if trying to convince himself it was a good idea.

“But how we find him?” Petri asked as he fluttered down from his branch to perch on Spikes back.

“I know!” Ducky cried, jumping up from her rock. “Spike could sniff him out! Just like he did at the Time of Great Giving that one time. Yep, yep, yep!”

Littlefoot turned to look at the young Spiketail. “Well Spike?” After a second to ponder he idea, Spike nodded which caused Littlefoot to beam. “Great! Ruby, can you take us to where you last saw Chomper?”

The Fast Runner nodded and gestured for them to follow her. In no time, they found themselves on the banks of one of the many rivers that ran throughout the Valley. There was disturbed dirt in an area off to the side near some bushes and a small red stain which showed that something was eaten there recently. It was the usual scene that Chomper left behind after he had finished eating, which didn't bother them as much anymore. And luckily, the rest of the Valley was slowly becoming used to it as well, except for the few dirty looks directed at the young Sharptooth from time to time.

Ruby walked over pointed to the patch of disturbed dirt. “He buried his leftovers right here.” She began. “His smell should be here so Spike will be able to sniff for him.”

Spike grunted and nodded, before stepping next the Fast Runner and taking a sniff. Immediately, he was hit with the sour metallic smell of blood which made him grimace in disgust. He quickly ignored that and focused on the more familiar scent of his friend. Although his dietary needs made Chomper regularly smell of blood, it was very subtle and it had just became part of his unique scent. It took a little more sniffing, and trying not to gag, but he eventually found the scent he was looking for. He perked up and began to follow it away from the river, aware of his friends following behind him.

The scent trail led them across the Valley, though bushes and places that were out of sight from other dinosaurs. The further they went, the more suspicious and confused they became as it seemed that Chomper seemed to purposely avoid being seen. He had stayed clear of the areas with major foot traffic and had sometimes even gone into the bushes suddenly as if hiding from an approaching dinosaur. The group eventually came to the conclusion that the young Sharptooth was definitely up to something if the way that he acted was any indication. They just hoped it wasn't anything that could get him into trouble.

They soon found themselves staring at the stone wall that surrounded and protected the Great Valley. It wasn't far from where they were playing in the watering hole, but the constant backtracking and bush whacking had made the trip longer and more tiresome. Spike led them along the stone wall and up ahead they spotted a large tunnel. As they got closer, they recognized it as the same tunnel that they frequently used to travel into the Mysterious Beyond during their adventures.

They stopped at the tunnels entrance and Littlefoot turned to Spike who stood beside him. “Did Chomper go in there, Spike?” He asked. The Spiketail sniffed the air and nodded, grunting an affirmative.

Cera snorted. “Why would he go in there?”

“Only one way to find out.” Littlefoot replied, shrugging. He the gestured for Spike to take the lead and followed behind him, the rest walking into the familiar darkness after them.

After a while, they pushed aside the strong smelling vines and were greeted with the sight if the Mysterious Beyond. Thankfully, the tunnel let out in an area that was hidden by trees and bushes so they didn't have to worry about being spotted while they exited. There was a small pathway, worn down by the amount of times they used it, that led to a huge field broken up by large trees and bushes that dotted the area. As they passed by the bushes and stepped into the open, they began to become apprehensive of what they could possibly find. All they knew was that their Sharptooth friend was up to something and he had come out into the Mysterious Beyond by himself. And although it wasn't the first time, they couldn't help but worry.

Once free from the bushes, they looked around to make sure that the coast was clear. Even though a Sharptooth could be lurking somewhere out of sight, it was better to be safe than sorry. A habit they had picked up after many excursions into the Mysterious Beyond, only this time they were missing the one who would smell if anything was nearby.

“Hey!” Petrie chirped. He swiftly landed on the back of Cera, who he was closest to, and pointed in the direction he had been looking. “Me think me see him! He way over there!”

The others quickly looked to where he was pointing and in the distance they saw a purple form leaving the field. He appeared to be walking towards an area that they knew contained a thick forest, one that was easy to get lost in if you weren't careful. Fortunately, they were far enough away that Petrie's cry went unnoticed by the Sharptooth and they watched him disappear behind a boulder.

“We better catch up so we don't lose him in the trees.” Littlefoot said before starting to lightly jog after Chomper and the others fell in step after him.

They soon rounded the boulder just in time to see his tail melt into the green of the forest. From there, they quietly followed him at a distance, managing to stay downwind as to avoid being detected by scent. Once, they had to quickly duck behind a bush because Spike had accidentally rustled some leaves which drew Chomper's attention. After a few seconds, the Sharptooth carried on and the others crept out of hiding. The further on they went, the more familiar the area seemed to become. However, they couldn't figure out the reason why they felt this way.

Eventually, Chomper stood before a large cliff face which served as the opening to a canyon. The others watched from the trees as the young Sharptooth fearlessly walked into its depths. Littlefoot frowned as he looked upon the huge hole in the rock wall. The feeling of recognition was back and now it was even stronger. He looked to his friends and saw that they wore the same expressions, seemingly feeling the same as well.

Cera was the first to break the silence. “Does this place seem familiar to anyone else?” She asked, speaking lowly. The rest nodded their heads, quietly voicing their agreement.

“Me thought it just Petrie.” Petrie replied shrugging. He had settled on a small branch when they had stopped to watch Chomper.

“This place is very familiar, though I don't remember being here enough for it to be familiar.” Ruby said. She then gestured in the direction that Chomper disappeared. “But if Chomper knows this place then we should too!”

Littlefoot turned back to the canyon in thought. Chomper had come straight here from the Valley so he must know exactly where he was going. And if he had been here before then the others must have been here before too. However, they had been in so many canyons during their adventures that it was hard to remember each one individually. It also doesn't explain why Chomper would leave the safety of the Great Valley to come to a canyon in the Mysterious Beyond without telling his friends. Chomper was also acting really weird and had been so for a while. Ever since. . .

Littlefoot's eyes widened in realization and he whipped around to his friends. “I think I remember this place! Remember a week or so ago when we go lost in that canyon?”

“That really narrows it down.” Cera huffed, rolling her eyes.

Littlefoot ignored her and continued. “I think I know why Chomper came here. Come on!” With that he bolted from the bushes and towards the canyon, his friends hurrying to catch up.

Once they entered the giant stone archway, they had Spike pick up the trail again as the ground proved to be too hard for foot prints to be distinguishable. They also had to be careful since the sound would bounce off of the walls and alert their quarry. Even their footsteps, which they tried to silence as much as possible, and Spikes occasional sniffs echoed around them which made them inwardly wince. The canyon itself was a maze of passages, all differing in size, that split off of the one that they currently travelled. Their path twisted and turned like a Legless Ground Crawler and if it wasn't for Spike’s tracking then they would have no hope of finding Chomper.

As they rounded another corner, their ears picked up a familiar voice which the group quickly recognized as Chomper's. They could faintly hear bits of what he was saying, but it sounded like he was talking to someone. And it was in Leafeater. They glanced at each other in confusion and started to creep closer to where the sound was coming from. Soon, they were able to hear more of the conversation between Chomper and the mystery dinosaur. Chomper was speaking slower than he usually did and it sounded like he was putting more emphasis on his pronunciations, then he paused.

Littlefoot frowned when a female voice with a heavy accent began repeating what Chomper had said, albeit more slower and broken. The voice was low yet feminine, somewhere between how Cera and Ruby sounded, but had a growling undertone to it. Like someone who didn't move their lips enough when they talked. He heard Chomper praise the owner of the voice and then move on to say something else in the same way he had done before. Littlefoot looked back at his friends and locked eyes with Cera, who raised a brow, and he gave a small shrug in response.

They silently made it to the next corner and slowly peeked around it. The canyon opened up into a larger space with a tiny stream cutting throughout it off to the side and continuing down another path. Near the banks of the steam stood a large boulder with a fallen log, covered in moss and still retaining its roots, leaning against it. A voice brought their attention to the base of the boulder and the sight made them suck in a breath.

Chomper was sitting comfortably across from a light grey form which they recognized as another Sharptooth. Thankfully, the Grey Sharptooth had its back to them and both Sharpteeth were too distracted by each other to notice the gang. Chomper opened his mouth and instead of saying something in Sharptooth like they were expecting, he spoke very slowly in Leafeater. He emphasized his pronunciations as he did before, but they saw him exaggerate his mouth movements while saying each word. It was a relatively simple phrase, something that most younglings were able to say while learning to talk.

‘Do you want to be friends?’
 
From their vantage point, Littlefoot watched as Chomper looked at the other Sharptooth expectantly. What was Chomper expecting exactly? Littlefoot knew that, excluding Chomper and very few others, Sharpteeth couldn't speak Leafeater. It was a well known fact that-

“. . . Do y-you. . . want to be. . . f-friends?”

Littlefoot blanched and he heard his friends gasp and, those who could, quickly cover their mouths. Chomper was teaching a Sharptooth how to speak Leafeater?! Is that why he's been sneaking off? Why was he doing that?

Cera hissed. “I knew he was up to something!”

“Shh, Cera!” Littlefoot hushed, nudging her shoulder.

The shock had worn off enough that he began to remember the second voice that they had been hearing. The feminine, heavily accented voice had come from this Sharptooth! And the more that he watched them, the more Littlefoot found that the female was incredibly familiar, just like the canyon had been. Then it finally hit him like a strike of Sky Fire. Back at the entrance, Littlefoot remembered their adventure when they became lost in this very canyon and had help from a friendly Sharptooth who showed them the way out. He didn't know for sure before, but now he knew that she was the same Sharptooth.

“Guys, remember that Sharptooth who helped us get back?” Littlefoot whispered. “I think that’s her.”

“But,” Ducky started. “That doesn't explain why he lied. No, no, no.”

Cera snorted. “Well, he's got a lot of explaining to do!” And before anyone could stop her, Cera stepped out from behind the rocks and started marching right towards the two Sharpteeth.

The sudden appearance of the Threehorn startled the Sharpteeth, not that Littlefoot could blame them as he had been on the receiving end of her anger on multiple occasions. Chomper jumped up with an audible gasp while the female tensed and moved into a defensive stance. Her legs were some distance apart for stability with her tail held straight out for balance and her head was lowered, bearing a vicious looking snarl. Littlefoot winced and then sighed in defeat before leading the others out from their hiding place.

“Cera?!” Chomper yelped, moving to stand between them and the female Sharptooth. He then glanced behind the Threehorn to see the rest of his friends. “W-What are you guys doing here?”

“We could ask you the same thing.” Cera replied with a huff. She then moved closer, which made the female tense, and narrowed her eyes. “What are you doing in the Mysterious Beyond? And why are you teaching her Leafeater?” She continued sneering at the Grey Sharptooth who hissed back at her.

Chomper blocked the other Sharptooth from view of the Threehorn, hoping to pacify them both before things got any worse. “She's my friend.” He declared confidently. “And she wanted to learn.”

“But why lie to us?” Littlefoot stepped  in, nudging Cera back a little. “Why come all the way out here alone? You know how dangerous it is.” He heard the others chime in with their agreements.

“We're your friends Chomper.” Ruby said, moving closer to place a hand on his shoulder. “And friends worry about friends even when there's nothing to worry about.”

Chomper sighed. “I'm sorry. I-I just really wanted to see Arya again and I figured you guys wouldn't want to.” He turned his gaze and saw Arya looking at him with a confused head tilt, having zero idea what was going on since she understood only a few words. Chomper smiled slightly and turned back to his friends. “But I think you guys should officially meet.”

He then turned to the female Sharptooth and growled something to her, gesturing to the gang. Whatever he said seemed to calm her down as she dropped her defensive stance, but still eyed them nervously. Her and Chomper exchanged a few words, glancing in their direction occasionally, before Chomper gently nudged her forward with a smile. They were confused as the previously vicious looking Sharptooth fidgeted anxiously, like a young dinosaur going up to speak in front of a large herd. With Chomper encouraging her, the Grey Sharptooth took a breath.

“H-Hello. . . my name is Arya.” She started making their eyes widen. Although her accent was thick, her words were decipherable enough to understand. She then looked at Chomper who eagerly nodded and she continued. “Do you. . . w-want to be. . . friends?”

At first, they didn't know what to say as they were too overcome by shock. In the background, Chomper was giddy, bouncing on the balls of his feet and smiling so hard that his cheeks must have been starting to hurt. Arya watched them with anticipation, nervously playing with her claws. They glanced at each other, Cera raised a brow in doubt of Arya's honesty but thankfully didn't voice her opinion.

Finally, Littlefoot spoke. “Uh. . . Okay.”

Chomper cheered and pumped a fist in victory which caused them to smile, including Arya. He rushed forward and had each of them introduce themselves in the way he had demonstrated before. One by one they said their name slowly and with exaggerated mouth movements and had Arya repeat what they had said. Arya caught on quick and was able to point to each of them and remember their names, although some came out sounding weird because of her accent. Chomper never stopped smiling, showing how happy he was that his best friends had accepted his new friend. Now he wouldn't have to be sneaking out of the Valley anymore to visit Arya.

“So Arya,” Ruby started after the introductions were finished. “What made you decide to learn how to speak Leafeater? It must not be easy. Easy it must not be.”

Arya frowned in confusion before looking to Chomper for a translation. After talking for a second, she turned back to the Fast Runner. “I-I want. . . to be friends.” She replied shakily followed by a grin.

,“I think she was lonely.” Chomper elaborated, casting a small smile at the female Sharptooth. “She's been alone ever since her mom died during the last Cold Time. We were probably the first to talk to her since then.” Upon hearing this, they gave Arya a sympathetic look as they knew what it was like to lose a family member.

They then passed the time making small talk with their new friend and helped Chomper teach her more Leafeater words. Arya would sometimes point to something and ask what it was, a short phrase Chomper had taught her, then they would tell her what it was in Leafeater. Other times she would rely on a game of charades or expressions to get across what she was trying to convey. Littlefoot and the others were amazed by her progress in such a short amount of time. There were slip ups occasionally, but she didn't let that deter her. The more that they talked, the more that Arya seemed to open up and let her playful personality start to shine through.

Meanwhile, Chomper was the happiest that they had seen him in a long time. He was grinning from ear to ear and happily teaching Arya new words or chatting with her in Sharptooth, then quickly translating for the others. They were impressed by his determination to teach something so complicated and the efficiency of his lessons. Even after his failure during the Time of Great Giving some Cold Times ago, he had confidence that his friendship with another Sharptooth would work out this time.

It was during these lessons that they noticed something else. Sometimes, when him and Arya were conversing in Sharptooth, Chomper would suddenly become very bashful and his face would heat up which would make Arya and the others snicker. They noticed that he would watch Arya with a warm smile, watching her intently. Cera and Littlefoot shared a knowing look with Ruby, catching on to another possible reason why Chomper wanted to teach her Leafeater. It was adorably amusing to watch.

Sometime later, they decided to end the lessons as the Bright Circle was beginning its decent from the sky. They said their good-byes to Arya, promising to return soon, and started the trek back home. Chomper was still in good spirits that his friends had accepted Arya as another one of their social group and was chattering on about what he and Arya had done the last few times he ad met up with her. At least they knew why he had come back stinking like a swamp few days ago.

As Chomper grew more excited about what they were going to do now with the whole gang together, Cera smirked. “Chomper's got a girlfriend! Chomper's got a girlfriend!” She chanted teasingly.

Chomper interrupted his plans for future adventures and swiftly directed a glare at the Threehorn. “She's not my girlfriend.” He growled.

“Stop teasing him, Cera.” Littlefoot stepped in, smiling a slightly in spite of his friend's annoyance. “He's just excited to have another friend.”

Cera laughed. “ Yeah, a friend who's a Sharptooth and a girl! And a friend who he was looking at like Spike looks at Tree Sweets!” At this everyone chuckled. They then laughed harder when Chomper got red in the face and shouted, his voice cracking in either anger or embarrassment.

“Cera!”

Hope you guys enjoyed it! Stay tuned for the next installment. 
 

Awesome! They look amazing!

I also agree with what everyone else is saying. Having three prompts to choose from per month allows for more creativity and individuality among the submissions while sticking to the same overall theme.

Also, I could see myself writing for any, if not all, of these prompts.

Hey everyone! This oneshot takes place in my ‘Our Past and Our Future’ timeline/AU but it’s before Chomper met Arya. It serves as a sort of a more in depth backstory/flashback.
I also wrote this for the July prompt for fanfiction prompt challenge over on the Gangoffive forum. So enjoy! Also, don’t forget to read and review!
   Past: Lessons
"There comes a time in everyone's life where a choice must be made, one which may irreversibly alter the path ahead." When Chomper is on the verge of starving, he must make a choice if he is to stay in the Valley. This may be the hardest thing he’s had to do, but luckily he has the support of his friends.


It was another warm day in the Valley, the Bright Circle shone brightly as it always did during the Warm Times. It was the perfect weather for friends to play in the water. In fact, that’s what Littlefoot and the others were doing while she sat on the bank, waiting.
   
Chomper had yet to show up.
   
The young Sharptooth had went through a growth spurt over the last Cold Time and was now only a little shorter than Ruby, who was now half the size of her parents. And with the growth spurt came the growing appetite. It was getting harder and harder for him to find enough bugs to fill him up on a day to day basis. He sometimes spent most of the day just trying to find enough to eat. The thing that really startled Ruby was that the poor Sharptooth was beginning to lose weight. It wasn’t noticeable at first but after a while he started to look sick, constantly being in pain from an empty belly.
   
Ruby knew she wasn’t the only one to notice. Littlefoot was also distressed about his friend’s plight, sharing worrying looks with her and the others when Chomper wasn’t looking. They all knew that something had to be done in order to save him. And they knew that if nothing was done then either Chomper had to leave the Valley or, and more morbidly, he would starve to death. Nobody wanted their friend to leave and they certainly didn’t want to watch him waste away.
   
No one was more frightened about the predicament than Chomper. Although he didn’t voice his concerns, they could tell that he was terrified of what was going to happen. Chomper loved his friends, and the Great Valley, and would do just about anything for them. He just hoped it wasn’t having to leave. He hatched here after all.
   
Ruby was then alerted to the sound of rustling bushes. Out stepped Chomper, whose attention was on his feet as he approached the pool. Something must have happened as she could see tears pricking his eyes. It was something they noticed happening a lot more recently and the miserable sight broke her heart each time.
   
She stood and met him some of the way. “Chomper! Hello my friend, my friend hello!”
   
“Hey Ruby.”
   
His dejected greeting as he passed her erased her friendly smile. The others had paused what they were doing when they heard Ruby’s welcoming shout. They too frowned in concern as they watched the Sharptooth lean down to take a drink. It was apparent to them all that today was another bad day for the young Sharptooth.
   
“What’s wrong, Chomper?” Littlefoot was the first to approach him, the others soon crowding around him as well.
   
Chomper gulped down the water and sniffed. “I . . . I overheard some adults talking.” His voice was shaking, trying to keep his emotions in check.
   
“So?” Cera snorted, which caused Littlefoot to nudge her and shoot her a warning glance.
   
Chomper swallowed, his throat suddenly becoming dry despite the drink he just had, and continued. “They were talking about me.”
   
“What did they say, Chomper? Chomper, what did they say?” Ruby questioned. Her elder sister instincts were flaring with the urge to protect, as was usual these days.
   
So Chomper recounted how, as he was foraging for creepy crawlers in a place full of holes and rotten logs, he stumbled across two adults. A Spike-thumb and a Swimmer were browsing leaves off the bottoms of trees and engaged in conversation. Not wanting to disturb them he hid behind a nearby bush and overheard bits of their chat.

"I can’t believe that Sharptooth’s still around" One said.

"He’s getting too big." the other agreed. "I’m surprised he hasn’t attacked anyone yet."

Then, Chomper recalled, it got worse. "He should have been kicked out a long time ago."The Spike-thumb had said. "It’s only a matter of time before he eats someone!" Chomper explained that he ran off after hearing that last part.

By the time he had finished, tears were starting to stream down his cheeks. His friends had varying levels of surprise etched onto their faces. And in Cera’s case, the Threehorn looked ready to march right back to those idiotic grown-ups and give them a piece of her mind. Chomper was at times emotional, even more so since entering adolescence, but it took something truly upsetting to make him cry. Lately, it seemed to happen more and more. Littlefoot was the first to recover from the shock and speak up.
   
“Don’t listen to them Chomper.” He started, nudging the Sharptooth to comfort him. “You’re our friend and you’re a good Sharptooth. You deserve to be here, just like everyone else.” The rest nodded and hummed their agreement.
   
Chomper gave a small smile and wiped his eyes. “Thanks, guys.” Then his face fell as a thought crossed his mind. “But if I can’t find something better than creepy crawlers to eat then I’d really have to leave.”
   
Ruby frowned in thought. She did have one solution in mind. Scaly Swimmers were abundant in the Great Valley with all the water that it contained. Some could even get to a good enough size that a full grown Sharptooth could easily fill its belly. She had seen it happen out in the Mysterious Beyond and some kinds of Sharpteeth actually fed exclusively on Scaly Swimmers. Even her family sometimes fed on them and she was taught from a young age how to catch them. However, dinosaurs were disapproving of Chomper’s current diet of insects, what would they say to this?
When she and Chomper first arrived in the Valley, they agreed not to eat meat within the Valley walls. It was easy for her since her kind could live off of green food as well as meat, but it was harder for Chomper. After all, his kind solely ate meat, but it was agreed upon that he could eat the insects and water creatures that called the Valley home. But Scaly Swimmers contained blood, something that would be extra disturbing to those who would come across him eating one. Would that be accepted as a possible substitute?
   
Ruby pondered this as she took in Chomper’s current state. She was just able to see his ribs poke out whenever he took a deep breath. His once sharp red eyes were now dull and bags could be seen under his eyes from sleepless nights dealing with stomach pain from hunger. He looked to be in pain, both physically and now emotionally. He needed food and fast.
   
With that final thought racing through her mind, she looked at the fast water. She knew there were Scaly Swimmers there and she knew how to catch them.  She abruptly turned and made her way to the fast water, ignoring her friends’ worried inquiries, and waded into the water just below her waist. She paused there frozen with her hands at the ready, waiting for one of the fish to swim nearer.
   
She noticed a sudden flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. It was a lone Scaly Swimmer lazily swimming by. Ruby slowly got into position and breathed to steady herself for the strike, vaguely aware of her friends watching her in confusion. Then with a blurring strike, she snatched it from the water and flung it onto the shore making her friends yelp and jump away in surprise.
   
Chomper stared gobsmacked at the wiggling morsel at his feet, then up at Ruby as she came to shore. Of course he knew that she could fish and that her kind ate the Scaly Swimmers. He also knew that he had eaten some. But that was before they came to the valley and they promised never to eat meat inside the valley walls. Chomper knew all of this, but couldn’t help salivating at the sight of the flopping Scaly Swimmer. Even just one of these could certainly remedy his hunger.
   
He involuntarily licked his lips, aware that his friends were looking at him with nervous expressions. He glanced at the Fast Runner who was now shaking herself dry. “A-Are you sure Ruby?”
   
The Fast Runner sighed and gave him a solemn look that proved just how hard this was for her. “Eating this is better than not eating this, Chomper.”
   
Chomper gulped, staring at the Scaly Swimmer as its movements finally slowed. He wanted to refuse, but a sudden pang of hunger made him wince. Stomach pain was the norm for him these days, but this seemed worse than before. Like his stomach knew there was a potential source of food nearby and was urging him to take it. Chomper sighed before taking the first bite, ignoring his friends’ disgusted complaints.
   
Immediately, the sweet metallic flavour exploded on his tongue and he had to hold back his moan of pleasure. He was mildly surprised at how juicy the Scaly Swimmer was as he could feel them slowly running down his chin as he chewed. After a few more bites, Chomper was delighted to feel some relief from his hunger that he hadn’t felt in a while.
He was so focused on eating that when he went to take another bite, he was surprised to find that the only thing left were the bones and the head. When he looked up, Chomper was met with the sickened grimaces of his friends. He winced and wiped the juices off his chin, embarrassed that they saw his momentary lack of control.

Ruby cleared her throat. “Does that feel better Chomper?” She asked with a small smile.

Chomper nodded and licked the stickiness from his lips. He didn’t feel any more pain and for once he wasn’t hungry. His belly had a comfortable weight that he hadn’t felt for a while and it felt better knowing that he didn’t have as hard or as long for it. Chomper smiled at the Fast Runner who returned it.

Littlefoot moved beside Chomper, careful to avoid the Scaly Swimmer remains. “So,” He began, his attention on Ruby. “Do you think this will work?”

The Fast Runner nodded. “Yes, I’ve seen grown Sharpteeth survive on Scalies in the Mysterious Beyond. It’s only a matter of learning how.”

“But won’t grown-ups be against Chomper eating Scaly Swimmer?” Petrie piped up from atop Spike’s back, shuttering at the memory of moments ago.

Cera snorted. “Who cares? As long as he’s not eating anyone!”

Littlefoot looked at the Sharptooth who hadn’t spoken since he finished eating. Chomper indeed looked better and Littlefoot saw a brightness in his eyes that he hadn’t seen in a while. “What do you think Chomper?”

The Sharptooth glanced nervously around at his friends then down at the bones of the Scaly Swimmer at his feet. He almost started salivating again at the thought of getting more. It’d been so long since he had actual meat that he almost forgot what it tasted like and some part of him missed it. However, the other part was worried about what would happen if he agreed. When he was just eating Crawlers, he could sometimes pretend that he wasn’t really a Sharptooth despite not being able to eat green food. But if he chose to learn how to catch Scaly Swimmers, he was one step closer to being a real Sharptooth.

“If it means I won’t have to leave the Great Valley. . .” Chomper said after a while before sighing. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

Not much later, the young Sharptooth found himself nearly waist deep in the Fast Water. The others, except for Ruby, sat on the bank to watch the lesson. Chomper stared at the bottom, scanning for movement since after he first waded out he noticed some Scaly Swimmers dart away. He tried not to move in the hope that they would come back if they saw that the coast was clear. Ruby was next to him, bent over with her head close to the water’s surface in the proper stance. Chomper wordlessly copied her and got into positon.

“The first thing you need to know about catching Scalies is that there is a lot of waiting.” She began, eyes glued to the water. “And because there is a lot of waiting, you need to be patient. Patient is what you need to be.”

Chomper nodded in understanding. Patience was the first rule that was instilled to him by his parents when he was just learning to hunt. Even though he instinctively knew the basics right out of the egg, it took some time to learn to wait for the most opportune moment. Although, he still had trouble remembering his lessons from time to time.

After a short wait, he spotted a Scaly Swimmer lazily swimming out of the corner of his eye. His muscles tensed in preparation to spring as he watched it move closer.

Ruby must have spotted it too because she continued on with the next part of the lesson. “Okay, since your arms are well. . .”She paused to gesture to his short arms. In response, Chomper raised a brow at her causing Ruby to chuckle softly. The Fast Runner bent down until her chin was barely touching the water and her eyes never leaving the Scaly Swimmer in front of her. “You’ll have to use your mouth. Wait for the Scalie to get close and then grab it. But you’ll have to be fast because if you’re not fast you won’t catch it.”

Like before, she struck with blinding speed, this time using her head to snatch the Scalie Swimmer. Ruby used the momentum to throw it to the bank where it flopped around. The others flinched in surprise, but weren’t as startled as before. Chomper watched as the wiggling slowed and looked to Ruby who wore an expecting expression. It was now his turn.
Chomper mimicked her stance and waited for another Scalie to swim by. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him to spot one on its way over. He tensed as the Scaly Swimmer stopped and held its position directly in front of him, mentally playing back Ruby’s demonstration. He took a breath to steady himself and then struck at it with all the speed he could muster. Unfortunately, the Scaly Swimmer was faster as he completely missed and ended up with a mouth full of water. Chomper came back out sputtering and coughing, ridding the water from his mouth and nose.

Ruby chuckled, flicking water off herself from Chomper’s splashing. “That was a good first try, Chomper. You just need to practice until practice isn’t practice anymore.” She then gave him an encouraging smile. “Just like with Log Running.”

So Chomper tried again and again to catch a Scaly Swimmer. After a while, he started getting closer and closer with each try. It was both encouraging and frustrating since he could sometimes feel them slip out of his jaws and was left spitting out water. Ruby had since waded back to shore to watch and give him advice when it seemed like he needed it.

He growled under his breath as he watched another swim in front of him. With a breath, Chomper struck at it and with a rush of excitement he finally felt his teeth clamp down onto the wiggling body. Unfortunately, the rock he was standing on shifted making him lose his balance and disappear under the water with a splash. He came up sputtering and trying to shake off the water, having lost the Scaly Swimmer.

Seeing his friend was getting frustrated, Littlefoot decided to step in. “Uh Chomper?” He started nervously.

“What?” Chomper growled, sounding harsher than he meant to be.

“Maybe you should take a break.” Continued the Longneck.

Chomper sighed. To his dismay, he’d actually gotten worse in catching Scaly Swimmers where he would miss them by a wider margin than when he started. He chalked it up to being tired and he could feel the familiar hunger pangs beginning again. Chomper then remembered the Scaly Swimmer that was still sitting on the bank from Ruby’s earlier teachings. In fact, having a rest and something to eat sounded pretty good right about now. With that thought in mind, he turned and waded to shore and shook himself dry.

“Do not worry, Chomper.” Ducky piped up from beside Spike as the two were enjoying a snack of leaves from a nearby bush. “You will get the hang of it. Yep. Yep. Yep.”

He smiled appreciatively at her. “Thanks Ducky.” Chomper replied before moving towards the dead Scaly Swimmer to start eating.

Ruby watched as Chomper dug into his meal. She sympathized with young Sharptooth since she was once in his place and knew how frustrating it could be. Only she wasn’t in danger of starving or being kicked out of her home. Chomper was and if he couldn’t feed himself soon then both options could become a reality.

The one thing that cheered her up was Chomper was doing better than she did after her first lesson. Perhaps it was because his predatory instincts were stronger than hers. After all, he was a pure Sharptooth while she was half Leafeater. Needless to say, Ruby was confident that he would be able to succeed at this because he didn’t have to go through this alone. Ruby saw that Chomper had once again reduced the Scaly Swimmer to bones. She noted that this time he wasn’t consumed by hunger and ate more slowly. That was a good sign that he was on his way to getting better.

“You did great, Chomper.” She said with a smile as she approached him.

Chomper huffed in response. “I didn’t even catch anything.” He looked at Ruby and she saw how defeated he looked. Chomper looked to be on the verge of tears. “Every time I try, I miss! What if I never catch one?”

Ruby placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You will, Chomper. You just have to keep trying. If you keep trying, you’ll catch one.”

“I’ll never be as good as you.” Chomper quietly replied, his saddened gaze turned to the ground.

“Well,” She began. “I had a lot of practice to be as good as I am. And you know what?” Ruby gently tilted Chomper’s chin so he was looking at her. She smiled. “You did better than I did my first time.”

“Really?”

Ruby chuckled at his shocked expression and nodded. “And if you did better than me on your first try, imagine how much better you’ll be after many tries.”

This seemed to cheer Chomper up as a new determined light shone in his eyes. He gazed at the fast water in time to see a group of Scaly Swimmers swimming past as if they were taunting him. Chomper turned and saw the encouraging faces of his friends who he would have to say goodbye to should he fail. He wrinkled his nose and squinted at the Scaly Swimmers in defiance. No way was he going to let a bunch of Scalies beat him!

“You’re right, Ruby!” He said. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Chomper. Chomper, you’re welcome.” She replied, grinning. “And don’t worry about being hungry, I’ll help you with not being hungry.”

So after taking a break to play a much needed game of Toss the Seed, Chomper went back to the Fast Water for round two. He was in much better spirits this time around after playing with his friends. Chomper was usually too busy hunting Creepy Crawlers to be able to.

Chomper once again stood motionless in the water and waited for the perfect time to strike. Unfortunately, he missed another Scaly Swimmer and was left sputtering and shaking his head. However, he didn’t let it bother him as he got ready to try again He kept trying until the Bright Circle started its descent in the sky. And the closest he came was having the Scalie in his jaws, but it escaping before he could get it to shore. Ruby decided to call it a night and caught him his dinner before they joined the others in one last game before they were called back to their nests.

After a few more days of practice, Chomper was starting to look like his old self again. Ribs weren’t sticking out whenever he breathed and he was gaining more and more energy. Yet, he was never able to get a Scaly Swimmer to shore. He was now great a catching them in his mouth, but they never quite make it to dry land. His friends were supportive and cheered him up when it looked like he was starting to get burnt out. And Ruby kept her promise and caught him Scalies to eat when he couldn’t.

Now Chomper stood in the slow current of the fast water, eyeing the lone Scalie swimming in front of him. He snarled and readied for the attack. Like the other times, he struck with the speed of a bolt of Sky Fire and felt his teeth close around it. Feeling it trying to wriggle its way to freedom, Chomper tightened his grip until he felt the tips of his sharp teeth pierce its skin and tasted blood on his tongue. Then he flung it towards the bank. And, unlike the previous times, it landed on dry land where it flopped around.

It took a moment for Chomper to process it but when he did, his face broke into a huge grin. “I did it!” He cried. “Ruby, did you see?”

Ruby laughed in joy as Chomper waded to shore. She met him as he exited the water and gave him a congratulatory hug. “I did, Chomper! I knew you could do it. Do it, I knew you could.”

The others congratulated him on his first successful catch and he thanked them before he dug in. Chomper was blown away by how much tastier this Scaly Swimmer was compared to the ones that Ruby had caught for him. He was always told that food tastes better when you work for it and he agreed whole heartedly.

From there on, Chomper practiced day after day and improved to the point where Ruby didn’t need to catch him his meals as often. Sure, there was the odd time where he was having issues but those were becoming few and far between. And during those days, the young Sharptooth filled out to a healthy weight and became the ball of eagerness and energy he was known for. Ruby and the rest of the gang were relieved to see Chomper improving in health, knowing that they postponed, if not completely destroying, Chomper’s possibility of exile.

Ruby smiled to himself as she watched the young Sharptooth fish. Her and the others decided to break for lunch and were lounging around on the bank. She turned and was munching on a nearby berry bush when she heard a yelp followed by a splash.

She whirled around in time to see Chomper surface and spit out water. Unlike the last time he ended up under water, he was laughing as he tried to rid himself of the water. The others who had seen him flail before he fell in, began to laugh as well and Ruby joined in.

Ruby watched as Cera leapt into the water to begin a splash fight. “Everything is going to be okay now. Now everything will be okay.”

Thanks for reading!

Thanks so much for the kind words, Rhombus! I'll take your criticism under advisement for future entries. Even though the spotlight is mostly on Chomper and Arya, I'm going to try to give the gang their own spotlights as well.

And, thanks for the idea of Ruby being concerned for Chomper during the Time of Great Growing. I completely forgot about that scenario when I was writing this and when I was planning out the general plotline of the overall story. Although I did touch upon it (Ruby teaching him how to fish when bugs couldn't fill him anymore), I'm hoping to go more in depth in the future.

Also, I was wondering if you could spread the word about "Our Past and Our Future" if its not too much trouble. You are the only one to review it so far since I posted it on here and on FF.net.
Thanks again!