The Gang of Five
The Land Before Time => LBT Fanfiction => Topic started by: Ducky123 on January 07, 2017, 06:22:10 PM
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*entry for fanfiction challenge 2017/1 (http://www.gangoffive.net/index.php?topic=15338)
Well, titles are a bitch so this one comes without one until I (or you?) find a title that suits the story well. Right now, any title would spoil the whole story anyway so let's get started right away, shall we? Chapters will be rather short so I thought I'd better start posting them early :p
*****
Prologue:
–Petrie is never going to find me in here, oh no no no!” Cowering inside of a rotten log which was partly submerged in the water of one of the Great Valley’s many watering holes, sat a young Swimmer girl, wearing a look of happy anticipation, knowing that her friend would never discover her hideout - a game of Hide and Seek was on the schedule today! As always, she and her friends had agreed upon a certain area of their wonderful home - the Great Valley, as the area where the hiders may hide from the seeker. Right now, that was her friend, Petrie – a Flyer. Her other friends Littlefoot the Longneck, Cera the Threehorn as well as her adopted brother Spike the Spiketail were hiding somewhere nearby but Ducky, the Swimmer, only knew where her brother Spike was hiding. He had a tendency to stay close to his sister in these games and the reputation of being a very bad hider after all, hiding in a field of tall grass that was growing at the shore of the watering hole. But that wasn’t all that important to know for the young swimmer as far as she was concerned. After all, in the end, all that mattered was that she was the last to be discovered or, even better so, not to be discovered at all. Water was her element, frankly, so she felt safest when hiding close to it.
Technically, if she heard Petrie approaching and about to find her, Ducky could just retreat into the water to remain hidden, however the rules of the game required her to stay at whatever place she had decided to use as a hideout. Winning was important and it arguably increased the fun of a game but it wasn’t worth the trouble if her cheat was discovered, therefore, she would not do such a thing.
As the minutes slowly dragged on, Ducky once again had to admit that Hide and Seek could be one of the most boring games sometimes since there was literally nothing to do other than waiting to be discovered or called out. All she could do was to stay put and observe the area around her… and wait.
It didn’t take long until a distant argument between two very familiar voices reached the young girl’s ears.
–Hmm, it sure sounds like Cera and Littlefoot have been finded-ed, yep yep yep!” Ducky mused. That was certainly good news for her either way. After all, she wouldn’t be the first to be caught and therefore not appointed as the next seeker. Besides, it meant Petrie would hopefully soon look for her and Spike. –And since Spike is hiding poorly…“ Indeed, the Spiketail had made a very obvious mistake… since he had trampled some of the tall grass he was hiding in, creating a visible trail that Petrie, surely, would be more likely to discover than her old, rotten log.
However, it never came to that…
*****
juuuuuuuuuuust a short, totally random prologue to distract you until shit really kicks off ^^spike This won't be a happy-go-lucky story but a story with a happy start is more... inviting? Anyway, since these chapters will probably stay in the 1000-2000 words range (no promises though), updates may be more frequent. If I want to finish this in time, it'll have to be that way anyway! :lol:
So uhh... thoughts? :lol (Or guesses what it'll be about? ^^spike)
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A very good start to a great fanfic. I really enjoyed the story so far.
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Ah yes! This opening shows promise! Now, we obviously don't know much about what's to come, but that's half the fun of it. I'm also continuing to see some great scene-setting and format variety here, which is always a plus in my book. I know there are big things in store, but- as a certain Rainbowface once so eloquently put it- "that would be telling, wouldn't it?" Can't wait to see what comes next!
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A very promising beginning. :) I look forward to seeing what develops.
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Thanks guys! If everything goes according to plan (meaning: I get around to write more today), I'll have the first actual chapter posted later today (I finished chapter 2 yesterday but I feel better having some head start in case I meet my old friend writer's block again :smile)
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This is a nice way to start a story and the text flows well. It's only a beginning but a good one at that. Let's see what happens in Chapter 2!
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nice!
What this story will be about? And how many chapter will it include?
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This is a nice way to start a story and the text flows well. It's only a beginning but a good one at that. Let's see what happens in Chapter 2!
Thanks! I should have it posted soon! ;)
nice!
What this story will be about? And how many chapter will it include?
Both good questions, Snik :lol: It will become clear soon what the story will be about (and hopefully I will be able to settle for one of my ideas for the title...) and the number of chapters is not clear yet. I have the rough plot planned out but anything inbetween may make the story longer than intended to so I cannot give you an exact number... It is supposed to be short enough so that I can finish it until the end of the month though (or at least most of it) :yes
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very good!
I will read it when it will be finished.
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Fine with me, Snik, though I'd like to have feedback as I work on the story so I know if my readers like it or not. If they don't, I need to know what is wrong with the story so I can work on that. If I am only told after finishing the story, I'm not sure if I'll still make improvements to it. But like I said it's totally fine, I'm happy you're interested in reading at all, yep, yep, yep :D
Anyway, new chapter!
*****
Chapter 1:
After the little, distant argument, silence was once again prevailing in her tiny log. It was never truly quiet in the Great Valley – not even at night, but it sure was quieter than usual in there. Only the monotonous sound of tiny waves rolling against the shore and the rustling of leaves in the gentle afternoon breeze were perceivable to the ears of the girl, with the occasional highlight of a distant conversation, screeches of the Flyers or the sound of Spike eating up his hideout. Suddenly, a quite different sound entered her ears though.
–Ducky! Spike! Come home now!”
*
–Huh? It too early for bed time!” Petrie mused as he proceeded to look for the two remaining players of the game, Littlefoot and Cera slowly trotting along while deliberately trying to give each other the coldest stare possible.
–Yeah, why does Ducky’s Mom call them out already? It’s easily two more hours until the Bright Circle touches the mountains in the west!” As was customary, Littlefoot and his friends were permitted to play until that event occurred each day but the Bright Circle was still high in the sky!
“So what then? Let’s just find them already, why bother?!” Cera snapped, still pissed about being the first to be spotted while sharing the hiding spot with Littlefoot. According to her viewpoint, Littlefoot had given them away and she didn’t take that lightly.
–Unless she calls another time, I wouldn’t cancel the game,” Littlefoot proposed. After all, if a parent didn’t repeat their call too soon, it wouldn’t be too urgent.
–Okay, but where they be?! Me look almost everywhere!” Petrie complained.
–How bad of a seeker are you, Petrie, if you can’t even find Spike?!” Cera teased.
–I could imagine that Ducky hides near water and Spike near food,” Littlefoot laid out in front of his two friends. –And they often hide together. Now, I see water and food at the watering hole. It’s at the very border of the area we agreed upon.”
–Then let’s look there!” Petrie exclaimed, leading the way while the others followed silently, Cera still wearing an annoyed expression.
*
–Why does she want me home so soon?” Ducky and Spike were both wondering about that. They were in the middle of the game; they couldn’t just… leave now! Could they?
–Well, I will do whatever Ducky does…“ Spike thought as he munched on some more of the tall grass. It was the best thing to do when one was bored after all.
–I would like to finish the game first, at least…“ Ducky thought while she dared to peek out of her log for a few moments. –Petrie where are you?”
*
–Ducky, Spike! Come home… please!” Ducky’s mother called yet again, sounding even more urgent this time. Petrie exchanged a few glances with his two taller friends. The matter was decided.
–Ducky, Spike, you can come out now!” Petrie called loudly to ensure that his friends wouldn’t miss the message that the game was cancelled.
*
–That was Mommy again… oh, and that was Petrie. He must have heard my mommy too, yes he must! Well, I really do not know what is going on but I will have to go home, I think…“ With a hint of disappointment visible on her face, Ducky crawled out of her log while Spike seemed to have come to the same conclusion too, walking out of his hideout himself, expressing his confusion. Cera, Littlefoot and Petrie joined them almost immediately.
–What on earth is that all about!?” Cera rumbled.
–I do not know, no I do not… but I do think Spike and I must go home now…“ Ducky spoke a little sadly.
–Where you hide anyway?” Petrie wondered.
–Well, there…“ Ducky answered, pointing at the log while Spike took another bite out of the tall grass. –I am sorry but… see you tomorrow. Let us go home, Spiky…“ Not hiding her disappointment, Ducky hopped onto Spike’s back.
–See you, Ducky,” Petrie sighed, waving his goodbye.
–Seeya tomorrow!” Littlefoot exclaimed.
Cera only grunted.
–So uhm… what we do now?” Petrie eventually questioned the two remaining dinosaurs.
–I’ll see if I can pester Tricia, bye!” Cera spoke gruffly, glaring at Littlefoot before turning around without another word.
–Are you still mad because of the game, Cera?” Littlefoot sighed, shaking his head.
–I said BYE!” Cera shouted, trampling some flowers as she disappeared.
–She’ll be back to normal tomorrow, don’t worry…“ Littlefoot mused, addressing Petrie. –Well, I don’t think it’s any use. Let’s go home too…“
Petrie nodded.
–Me think so too, seeya!” The two friends then separated, walking back to their respective nesting areas.
*****
What is that all about huh? Well, I won't tell... yet ^^spike
Next chapter won't be telling either but chap 3-5 might start telling so keep reading and wish me luck that I don't hit a wall at some point of the story :p
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Oh dear... well it seems that Ducky and Spike have been recalled to the nest and that Mama Swimmer is more than a little urgent on the matter. This is concerning. I hope that all of her siblings are alright...
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Oh dear... well it seems that Ducky and Spike have been recalled to the nest and that Mama Swimmer is more than a little urgent on the matter. This is concerning. I hope that all of her siblings are alright...
Don't worry, this story plays prior to the tv-series so Chomper didn't eat any of those :lol: But yeah... it is concerning indeed.
I'll have the next chapter posted tomorrow :)
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Well, you're secretive. :DD The concern is growing but I cannot even begin to guess what you have in mind. I'm looking forward to seeing what's wrong but according to your description it's quite severe. You've managed to awaken my curiosity. :)
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Well, you're secretive. dino_happier.gif The concern is growing but I cannot even begin to guess what you have in mind. I'm looking forward to seeing what's wrong but according to your description it's quite severe. You've managed to awaken my curiosity. smile.gif
Heh, it's kind of become a trademark of mine to end almost all of my chapters with a cliff hanger as well as keeping my readers in suspicion. In my opinion, it's one of the coolest things about stories when you don't know what's going to happen or what else the author may have in store in the future ;)
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We can't wait for the next chapter of the story so we can know what happens next.
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and you didn't have to wait for a long time, here the next chapter as promised (looks like I might be able to keep up this schedule of posting every day or two :yes)
*****
Chapter 2:
As Spike and Ducky made their way back home, Ducky riding on her bigger brother, they heard their mother call another three times.
“Spiky, do you know what is going on, do you?” Ducky asked Spike from atop him. However, the Spiketail shook his head.
“I am a little scared, yes I am…” the Swimmer then continued, repositioning herself on the Spiketail’s back, now sitting almost on his neck so they could talk better. “Our Mommy does seem to be very worried about us when she is calling after us so many times, she does, she does…”
Spike grumbled something. Despite his inability to utter any words, there was no language barrier between the two siblings as Ducky had learned just perfectly how to interpret her brother’s unintelligible language.
“Yes, we should hurry indeed. Walk a little faster, Spiky, yep yep yep!” Spike actually entered a mild jog as he and Ducky made the remaining way to their nest, where a surprise was waiting for them which they surely hadn’t expected…
*
“It sure be boring when friends no can play…” Petrie sighed sadly as he soared above the main river of the Great Valley which was fed by the Thundering Falls, trying to come up with an idea how to spend the remaining two hours of the day. At this time of the day, only his mother would be at the nest, if at all, and conversations with her always tended to be awkward soon. Hanging out with his siblings was a much better option though he was generally considered the runt of the litter by them with his many quirks and mistakes – not to mention his ëodd choice of friends’. So… not a pleasant option either.
“Hmm, where they be though? They never tell Petrie…” With another sigh, Petrie discarded that option too. What else could he do then? Working his brain, he turned around as he closed in on the great wall surrounding the Great Valley, sheltering it from the many dangers of the Mysterious Beyond.
“Gee, me thinkin’ so hard me almost flip-flapped right into Mysterious Beyond…” Now, Petrie was roughly following one of the many smaller rivers that branched off the main one. Suddenly, a rather familiar sight gave his brain a boost.
“Guido’s log, me think me say hello to Guido if he at home!” Not waiting any longer, Petrie shook out of his gentle flight, now darting towards the ground like an arrow. How much he loved diving sometimes…
*
Littlefoot constantly took extra-long ways home, walking through forests, grassland and watering holes but even after doing all that, eating dinner early and having a quick chat with Mr. Thicknose about the weather, he still had a lot of time before he would be expected home.
“But what choice do I have? There isn’t anything to do without my friends… boy I wish I had a brother sometimes… Ducky has Spike at least…” But it was no use. Littlefoot didn’t have anything to do so he, eventually and with an audible sigh, approached his grandparents at their nest. They sure would be giving him a questioning look for turning up in-time for a change… and so soon too…
“Gee, I hope Ducky’s mother didn’t call them because of something completely unimportant…”
*
When Cera arrived at her nest, only Tria and Tricia were to be seen.
“Oh great, at least dad isn’t there to ruin my day even further…” the girl mused in annoyance before entering their nesting area unsuspiciously. However, that was when a second thought entered her mind. “What if Tria wants me to watch Tricia again?!” Cera regretted it the second the thought came up but now it was too late to turn around – Tricia had spotted her already.
“Cewa! Cewa!” the little, pink Threehorn squeaked in joy upon seeing her big sister.
“Oh Cera, home so soon?” Tria cooed with a smile as Cera slowly walked in.
“Yeah, so what?” Cera barked, unfriendly as ever.
“You children didn’t fight over nonsense again, did you?” the female wondered, more serious. Her attention was now on Cera, watching her other daughter playing with rocks only out of the corner of her eyes now.
“Kinda…” Cera admitted after a while. “But it’s not that… Ducky and Spike were called home too early… they better have a good explanation tomorrow, humpff!” she added quickly.
“Oh, I see… well, I’m sure it’s nothing, Cera. Don’t be upset,” Tria advised.
“Yeah, whatever…” Cera grunted, turning away from her step-mother.
“If you’re bored…” Tria chuckled about the antics of Cera, also predicting her next reaction. “… Somebody has to keep an eye on Tricia while I have to do some things…
“Like what?” Cera demanded gruffly.
“Like making sure you two have a plentiful dinner?!” Tria shot back, slightly enraged about her step-daughter’s rough tone.
“Why, there are millions of trees here, Tria!” Cera argued.
“Yes, and Tricia is still too young to get herself all the good food from the trees!” Tria reasoned, annoyed, all the while keeping an eye on Tricia. “Besides, I get you only the best food so you’ll grow stronger.”
“Much appreciated, Tria…” Cera sighed in a bored tone. “Where’s dad anyway?”
“Meeting…” Tria replied, snorting. “It’s not even about anything important but he’s gone all day already!”
“Nothing new then…” Cera mused, her anger reducing a little.
“No…” Tria d’ohed. As much as she loved her husband, he could drive her nuts at times... “Now, are you going to play with your little sister for a while or do I have to take Tricia with me?” Tria then wondered, giving Cera a pleading gaze while Tricia squeaked her name again.
“Well… it’s not like I have anything else to do right now… sure,” Cera agreed somewhat reluctantly. Tricia was cute but she could also make her mad if she went on her nerves or tried to run away… “which happens far too often!”
“Thanks, dear!” Tria spoke gratefully.
“You’re welcome…” Cera sighed as she watched her step-mother tell Tricia in baby-talk that she was going to be gone for a while before she walked off. “Though it wouldn’t hurt Tricia if she was allowed to leave the nest every now and then…”
*****
Surpriiiiise, there's no cliffhanger this time :lol though beware of chapter three ^^spike If things go the way they did the last few days, tomorrow will be a productive day again (I keep switching between gaming, lazy days and productive days where I draw and write :angel)
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Yep, no cliffhanger... at the end. :p It seems we're going going to see multiple storylines in this story which is always a good thing. Whatever has happened, it seems like it's going to be something unpleasant. This kind of a beginning is a great way to tease the readers but in a good way. :lol
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Yep, no cliffhanger... at the end. dino_tongue.gif It seems we're going going to see multiple storylines in this story which is always a good thing. Whatever has happened, it seems like it's going to be something unpleasant. This kind of a beginning is a great way to tease the readers but in a good way. dino_laugh.gif
Well, to say it will be as diverse as in SDP would be a lie... but there'll surely be a couple of plotlines assisting the main one, and if just to fill space like... uhh right now, technically :lol
You are saying that I am teasing you, you are? Did you not know that I am feared all over the Mysterious Beyond? Did you not know that I am the most evil swimmer, huh? So do not be surprised but read the next chapter to see how evil I truly am, yep, yep, yep! (read that in Ducky's voice :lol:)
*****
Chapter 3:
Guido, as it turned out, was indeed at home, taking a sunbath in the warmth of the afternoon sun. Petrie had landed on a nearby tree after his dive from the heights of the sky. Aware of the fact that Guido was at least as easily scared as he was, Petrie gently glided down, landing gently on the grass nearby.
“Hi Guido, it me, Petrie.”
*
Littlefoot couldn’t have predicted his grandparents’ reaction any more accurately when he arrived at his nest.
“Littlefoot, what is taking you here at this time of the day?” Grandpa Longneck, previously engaged in a discussion with his mate, joked though the surprise couldn’t be hidden.
“Ducky had to go early and Cera is pissed off because she lost at a game of Hide and Seek so now I’m bored because there’s no one to play with!” Littlefoot explained, indignated.
“Well…” Grandpa chuckled heartily about his grandson’s antics, Grandma joining in. “Then how about the three of us going to the watering hole to take a bath and have a chat?”
“Yes, we rarely see you these days, you are always off playing,” Grandma criticised playfully, bending down her neck to bump her grandson, much to his annoyance… and her amusement.
“Yes, we can… oh Grandma don’t do that!”
“Well, then come along,” Grandpa spoke invitingly, beginning to walk. “It will be good to get our minds off that meeting today anyway.”
“Oh, what happened?” Littlefoot wondered curiously, playfully walking slalom between his grandparents’ legs.
The two elderly Longnecks sighed audibly, giving each other a short glance before exclaiming.
“Mister Threehorn!”
*
“Alright, so what are we doing here, little sis’?” Cera wondered as she joined Tricia in what appeared to be a game of sorts.
“Cewa, rocky play play!” Tricia giggled as she was moving around a good bunch of tennisball- up to basketball-sized, more or less round rocks with her head which Tria must have gathered for her to play with.
“Playing with the rocks, are we?” Cera raised an eye-brow.
Tricia nodded. In childish excitement, she rammed into one of the smaller ones with her head, pushing it beyond Cera’s position, then looking up at her sister proudly.
“Hey, that was quite good, let me try too!” Cera praised, joining her sister by picking the biggest and plumpest boulder available. That one would be the hardest to move and, therefore, the biggest challenge for her… well, not counting that the rock wasn’t a challenge for a Threehorn of her size. Though, she had to be careful not to crush the rock altogether.
“Aaaaaaaaand BOOM!” Cera exhaled as she pushed the rock with all her might, knocking it against a nearby tree a few meters away.
Tricia squealed in joy.
“One day, you’ll be just as strong, Tricia, just keep practicing, little goofie-wufus!” Cera encouraged, accepting a quick cuddle assault of her little half-sister before continuing to watch her try to move bigger and bigger boulders, occasionally giving advice until Tria arrived back at the nest.
*
“Petrie, what are you doing here?” Guido wondered, interrupting his sunbath, pulling himself up to greet his best friend.
“Oh, nothing special…” Petrie chuckled lightly. “Me juuuust have nothing to do since friends no play anymore today soooo me think me say hello to other friend Guido.” Petrie gave a quick smile.
“Oh, that is very kind of you, Petrie… hey, how about you join me taking a bath in the light of the Bright Circle and we relax a little and talk? How does it sound?”
“Sound good to Petrie, we no talk in a while after all,” Petrie grinned, accepting the invitation of his friend. “You also not sleep with family in a long while, Guido.”
“Oh yeah, I know. It felt silly to ask if I may… a-and I think your siblings still don’t like me…” Guido admitted while he took his relaxed pose again.
“Wanna do that tonight?” Petrie offered. “Me sure family happy to see you again!” He plopped down to the ground too, looking at his Glider friend.
“Uhh, sure,” Guido agreed, a smile forming on his beak.
“Great, me look forward to it!” Petrie exclaimed, now also taking a comfortable pose as he began to relax in the sun too.
“I just hope I don’t end up sleep-flying again… it only happens when I’m sleeping in the open...”
“Hence you sleep in log, right?” Petrie guessed, the Bright Circle slowly beginning to warm his body in a pleasant manner.
“Yep,” Guido affirmed. “Well, at least I now know how to get back to the Valley if it happens… uhh, anyway… how ëbout I join your games tomorrow? Should really do that more often, shouldn’t I?”
“Totally!” Petrie grinned.
*
“Oh, there you are!” the adult swimmer hugged her two children intensely upon their arrival, looking quite exhausted and tired.
Ducky and Spike were quite surprised to see her mother in such relief when they arrived at their nest. For whatever reason, she seemed to be quite worried about their wellbeing - her reaction reminded them of some of the unpleasant times of reunion after returning from their adventures. However, this time they were at home quite on time… which was an understatement by far.
“I’m sorry for calling you home so early… but… the meeting today was really tiring, I need some rest and I cannot rest knowing you are still out there…” the adult Swimmer explained, looking really tired, hardly able to keep her eyes open.
“I do understand, mommy, I do,” Ducky replied. The confusion and also disappointment about being called home so early were mostly gone but some concerns remained. Their mother was acting in a very unusual and odd way today. “It is still too early to sleep for Spike and me though, yes it is. I cannot sleep while the Bright Circle is high on the sky, oh no no no…”
“You and your siblings needn’t rest with me yet, just… stay nearby, okay? I beg you…” Some desperation was evident in the adult swimmer’s words.
“O-okay, we shall, yes we do…” Ducky affirmed hesitantly, Spike nodding though he also didn’t quite understand what was going on with their mother. As far as he knew, their mother had never been that tired after a meeting. In general, she hadn’t been. But Spike hated thinking and worrying about things endlessly so, instead, he gestured towards Ducky to join their other siblings who were standing some distance away, apparently engaged in a conversation.
“Yes, I think we should join them too,” Ducky agreed, pointing at them to indicate that Spike should walk over to them. “I really do not understand Mommy though…” As she looked back, she already seemed to have entered a deep slumber.
Spike shrugged his shoulders. Probably, everything would be fine. He didn’t know though how wrong he was…
******
*BADUMTSS* :lol:
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Hmmm, now I REALLY want to know what went down at that meeting...
A great chapter showcasing a few simultaneous plotlines.You're doing well building tension and creating an air of mystery. Clearly something very divisive happened at the meeting. Something tells me the gang may be called upon to hold the Valley together again, amidst whatever just went down.
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The meeting's subject apparently wasn't anything life threatening but it will without a doubt affect a lot of things in the coming chapters. It seems like there was a big argument between the adults but the reason isn't clear yet. Also, I'm happy to see Guido/Petrie storyline as I like the characters' interaction. We'll see if the coming problems is a heated leadership struggle or whether's there a true threat to the whole Valley...
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I do as well it was a very awesome and addictive chapter to read. It was well written and kept me very entertained.
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Ugh, I'm mad as shit right now... forgot to save progress of about 2000 words, guess how motivated I am right now to write that again? :bang
Sorry but no update today, I'm not feeling like it :neutral
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Sorry to hear it! Having lost a chapter before (and an 8000 word one at that) I can attest that it is an extremely unpleasant experience, and more than enough of a demotivator. Hopefully you're back on your feet soon!
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Sorry to hear it! Having lost a chapter before (and an 8000 word one at that) I can attest that it is an extremely unpleasant experience, and more than enough of a demotivator. Hopefully you're back on your feet soon!
Thanks, I'm trying to beat this by working on Shorty's dark Past for now... it#s just so frustrazing since I had a pretty vivid writing style that day after reading your short story ^^spike
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Ugh, I'm mad as shit right now... forgot to save progress of about 2000 words, guess how motivated I am right now to write that again?
that s*cks...
after this happened dozen years ago, I have a rule:
save your progress each (some) minute(s)/paragraph(s), and save it in different file. And have at least two more such backup files.
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I absolutely agree with Snik. Google Docs is my personal preference because as long as I have internet, it autosaves, plus it can download stories as word documents.
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I absolutely agree with Snik. Google Docs is my personal preference because as long as I have internet, it autosaves, plus it can download stories as word documents.
Here's the irony... I usually use that one but, since I got a cracked version of WOrd a while ago and didn't have internet when the idea came up, I started writing on Word and continued to do so... now I regret it :lol:
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Well, guys, I'm not particularly happy with the one scene I had to rewrite but it still gets the same point across I think... I hope I'll be able to do better at chap 5 which I will have to recover completely... and since that one was highly dialogie-heavy... :rolleyes: You know how these always have a life of their own... :lol
Anyway, here ya go!
*****
Chapter 4
As the Bright Circle once again rose on the following day, introducing a new day that appeared to be just as promising as the previous one, Cera and Littlefoot were the first to arrive at their usual meeting spot in the middle of a thick forest where most grown-ups couldn’t disturb them. Both of them had gotten an unusually early night’s rest so they had been up at the first sign of the approaching day. The Bright Circle had barely risen above the peaks of the Great Wall yet, clear skies and warm temperatures being perfect conditions for another day of hardcore gaming in the Valley if the weather didn’t change significantly - it had been raining for long enough the previous days as it was. However, the others had to join them first.
“Uuuuuuuuuhhhh… first they have to go early in the day and now they’re sleeping in, letting us stand around like a dump ol’ boulder!” Cera ranted to nobody in particular, constantly on the move, impatience gnawing at her mood.
“I’m sure there’s a reason why they had to go yesterday…” Littlefoot explained while eating some of the leaves that Cera had shaken off a tree earlier. The Threehorn seemed to have lost her appetite by now though. “And… it’sch schtill early…” he added with his mouth full of treestars which rendered his words of low quality though.
“I hate standing around doing nothing, it’s so pointless!” Cera continued though she sounded less angry now, reluctantly taking a few more bites.
“I know, Cera… but we can’t change that right now,” Littlefoot sighed, swallowing his current mouthful of food. “Well, I just hope that Ducky and Spike aren’t in trouble.”
“Well, if they are, they might not play at all today…” Littlefoot and Cera jerked when Petrie suddenly entered the clearing, gliding down from the crown of a tall tree where he had apparently been listening, though for how long was unknown.
“Petrie!” Cera shouted as soon as she had figured out that there was no threat lurking in the bushes, just Petrie landing with a soft thud on the branch of a tree above her. “You better stay up there… for your own safety!!!”
“Me scare Cera, me scare Cera…” the Flyer teased, laughing at the face Cera made as he said these words, fully aware of the risky nature of his actions.
“Gee, if that was wise?” Littlefoot mused to himself though still audible. “Anyway, I think you have a point, Petrie… oh, and hi.” He quickly greeted his friend while Cera met the Flyer with a stinging glare.
“Uhh yes, hi all,” Petrie chuckled. “So Ducky and Spike last to come?”
“Seems like it…” Littlefoot quickly answered.
“They better move their fat butts right into this clearing quick so I can make fast work of them…” Cera grumbled, her teeth gritted.
“Cera, enough now!” Littlefoot warned her – the Threehorn’s attitude once again reaching a potentially dangerous level.
“Humpff!” Cera turned away from Littlefoot and Petrie demonstratively.
“So uhh… what if they no can play today?” Petrie wondered, slight worry mixing into his, otherwise, cheerful mood.
“I don’t think that’ll happen, Petrie,” Littlefoot assured though he was just as uncertain. The whole scene the previous day had been highly curious and unusual in many ways – Littlefoot could almost smell that something was off as he had a sixth sense for these things sometimes. But his nature told him to assume the better of the available options. “They’ll be here soon, I know it.” He didn’t sound optimistic about it though.
“Me sure wish me knew what was reason…” Petrie sighed.
“Yeah, me too…” Littlefoot agreed, continuing his meal until he had enough.
*
Meanwhile some distance away…
Blinking her eyes, the girl was greeted by the warm rays of the Bright Circle, immediately blinding her blue eyes.
“Oww, I should not look into the Bright Circle like that, oh no no no…” Rubbing her eyes to get rid of the stinging sensation they were giving her, Ducky reluctantly got to her feet, knowing that there were few things more effective in waking her up than seeing light. Her mother knew all the tricks to get Spike and her out of the nest each morning. Therefore, Ducky was all the more surprised to realise she had woken up on her own.
Suddenly, a strange feeling sent a shiver down her spine. Ducky was so used to the usual morning routine that not waking up according to it made her feel uneasy. As soon as the blinding effect of the Bright Circle had disappeared again, the young Swimmer cast a look around.
“Spike is sleeping, no surprise… my siblings are over there at the rotten log sleeping… and my mommy is right here… sleeping too, yes she is…” That in itself was highly unusual but there was one thing catching the young one’s attention even more than that. “The Bright Circle is already high up in the sky, I sleeped-ed in, yes I did!” And with that realisation also came a second, much more important one. “My friends are waiting already, oh no!”
The fact that her mother was still sleeping despite having the most predictable waking rhythm of any dinosaur Ducky knew momentarily forgotten, Ducky was beginning to panic, knowing how mad Cera got whenever Spike didn’t get up in the morning. They needed to hurry… now!
“Spike!” Ducky yelled as loud as she could. Making noise was another trick that usually worked to get her to wake up permanently though Spike was in many ways a tough sleeper. The Swimmer noticed her siblings stirring in the distance but would Spike rise too? Much to her surprise, she didn’t have to yell a second time. Groggily, Spike opened his eyes with a confused expression on his features. Ducky wasted no more time.
“Get up, we need to hurry!” Ducky ordered, jumping from one leg to the other impatiently. “We sleeped-ed in, yes we did, and we must hurry now!”
Spike tried to protest weakly while some of their other siblings were also beginning to express their displeasure with their sister in the distance but Ducky couldn’t care less right now.
“You can eat breakfast later, now come on!” Ducky demanded gruffly, jumping onto the Spiketail, hopping up and down on his back to make him get up.
With reluctance and also a slight flavor of anger, Spike got moving, out of their nest towards their usual meeting place.
“Cera will be so so mad, yes she will…”
In her hurry, though, Ducky had completely forgotten about her mother who was still sleeping at the nest safe and sound…
*****
Well, in response to your comments about chap 3... I think it's pretty clear I made you jump to the wrong conclusion :lol That meeting was so totally not important! It was just me trying to fill some space with familiar things as an introduction before we move into unknown territory. If it is a common request, however, I can make a spin-off once I've got the main storyline finished. I plan on writing some more chapters about the time after the story comes to its end (due to time restrictions, that is)
But... anyway, I hope you like the developments and wish me luck with that next chapter... I'd be happy if I can keep the events roughly the same since I don't remember what exactly happened, just roughly. Hadn't done proofreading n stuff like that yet which is usually when I get to read my own writing and really start memorising the new events that I've added. Especially when the story wrote itself again :p
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Enjoying this story so far! Hmmm, what could be happening with Ducky and Spike's mom? :blink:
This writing prompt is turning out to be really interesting! I'll be contributing something too, though I doubt it will be terribly exciting :lol
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Enjoying this story so far! Hmmm, what could be happening with Ducky and Spike's mom? blink.gif
This writing prompt is turning out to be really interesting! I'll be contributing something too, though I doubt it will be terribly exciting dino_laugh.gif
Right, I mustn't forget to include the prompt in the next chapter, thanks for the reminder :DD I already forgot it the first time I wrote it :bang Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it and I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with even if it is much shorter :)
Can't promise yet whether I'll get that chapter done tonight but I'll try, okay? :p
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Chapter 5:
After a while, the silence between the three friends was beginning to get very awkward – not to mention that Cera’s mood dropped further the longer she was forced to sit around, boring herself to death.
“So uhh, what you guys do for rest of day anyway?” Petrie finally spoke up to break the almost dangerous silence between them.
“Pissing off Tricia, do you ever listen?!” Cera snapped at the Flyer above her.
“Me do but me forget things,” Petrie replied, chuckling nervously.
“Say Cera…” Littlefoot, who had been deep in his thoughts until now, spoke up curiously. “Why are you so mean towards your sister? I’d love to have a sibling I could play with when you guys can’t play, you know?”
“Threehorns are mean, you should know that by now!” Cera declared defiantly, raising her tail high up in the sky.
“Well, me think you too mean too many times…” Petrie muttered under his breath though Cera heard him.
“What’dya say, Flyer?!” the Threehorn snarled viciously.
“N-nothing…” Petrie stuttered, instinctively preparing to take flight.
“That’s what I thought!”
“Well, how’d you like being pestered by Tricia if she were your older sister and not your younger sister?” Littlefoot interrupted his friends’ quarrel.
“SO what?!” Cera shot back angrily.
“You be bully just like Hyp!” Petrie accused from the top of his tree, Cera getting to her feet in agitation.
“Say that again, beakface!”
“Guys please!” Littlefoot sighed deeply. “Well, I’m not sure if I wanted to be your sibling, Cera, older or younger…”
“Who’d want a flathead as a brother anyway?!” Cera retorted furiously, pacing around.
“Hey!” Now Littlefoot began to take Cera’s bad mood personal, rising from his usual position at their meeting place too.
“Humpff!”
*
It was only until much later after she and Spike had covered quite some distance from their nest already that Ducky’s mind began to calm down enough to allow productive thinking again. It was only then, now that she wasn’t sleepy anymore, that she began noticing just how odd some things which were happening around her ever since the previous day actually were…
“Hmm, our mommy did not wake us up this morning, no she did not…” the Swimmer noted, trying to calm her nerves. Cera had been unusually snappy as of late and their late arrival surely wouldn’t be helping at all. “First my mommy is so tired from a meeting that she goes to sleep way before the night time… and now she is sleeping in, something must be wrong!” It was that moment when Ducky realised for the first time, that these two most odd events might have a connection after all. Though what did it mean? Was her mother really just tired and needed to catch some additional sleep? Ducky knew too well how it was like to be sleep-deprived after going on so many nightly adventures in her short life already. It wasn’t rare that she’d sleep through most of the day after such a stunt – and Spike was sleeping at every given opportunity as it was… but she had never witnessed her mother drawing apart from her tight sleeping schedule before.
“Something must be wrong, yes it must!” Ducky was beginning to feel the shiver down her spine return to her despite the day being warm and humid. It would probably be nothing but she just couldn’t choke back a small but significant pessimistic part of her mind which rarely made itself known to the young girl as it was. That alone was a worrisome sign; she had to talk to Spike about it!
*
“So uhh, what me was trying to say earlier… after me think a lot of time, me go visit Guido to spent rest of day, what ëbout you, Littlefoot?” Petrie spoke up again after a short break of Cera steaming and them exchanging a series of gestures in the Threehorn’s direction while she wasn’t looking.
“Well, like I said…” Littlefoot gestured. “I was pretty bored. That’s why I said I’d love to have a sibling, y’know? I ended up having to listen to stories of my grandpa that I’d already hear a thousand times!”
“Sound like fun…” Petrie commented.
“Oh, would you stop whining about not having brothers or sisters already?!” Cera ranted all of a sudden. “Actually, you have Shorty, isn’t that your brother now?”
“A brother who I see once a year? We’re not even related!” Littlefoot argued. “And, anyway, I’m not treating him like shit unlike you do with Tricia!”
“My siblings sometimes mean too…” Petrie mentioned but nobody really listened to him.
“For the record, I actually supervised her while she was headbutting rocks to test her strength, okay!?” Cera shouted, aggressively jumping towards the Longneck, almost as if she was going to enter a fight. “And now shut up, will ya!?”
Littlefoot indeed went silent for another few minutes, appearing thoughtful and concerned.
*
“Spiky?” Ducky spoke up unusually quiet as the Spiketail continued to hurry towards their meeting place. Upon hearing his big sister addressing him, he slowed down his speed a little, looking back to the Swimmer who was sitting on his neck with a concerned expression.
“I am a little worried about our mommy, yes I am…” the girl admitted hesitantly, looking at her brother expectantly, knowing that he’d have an answer. He always had one after all.
Spike fixated his gaze on Ducky for a moment before he replied in his unique way.
“Worry not, Ducky, I’m sure she just wanted to get some sleep this morning…” “Just like me…” the Spiketail added contemplatively, suppressing his anger about being woken up rough even by the standards he was used to – his family had tried every oh so mean trick to wake him up already as it was. In the end, holding his grudge never did him any good so he discarded his frustration about Ducky’s rudeness in the morning quickly. “Considering that Cera will spear us with her horns by the time we arrive… she certainly had a good reason to wake me up like that…”
“Yes, but what if something is wrong? She always wakes us up, yes she does! So why not today, huh?”
“She truly does do that every morning…” Spike would have sighed if he knew how to. As far as he was concerned if his mom wanted to sleep in instead of her usual habit of waking at daybreak then that was fine with him. Ducky’s behavior made him worry more than the actual problem though… if it was one to begin with. His sister was always happy and optimistic towards life. Seeing her in such a position of doubt and uncertainty made him feel bad for her so he tried to calm her nerves.
“I’m sure it’s nothing, Ducky. Now let’s hurry, I want to play a game, don’t you?”
“Mmh, I guess so…” Ducky mumbled, still pondering hard – the thought just wouldn’t let her go no matter how hard she tried.
*
“You know, Cera, sometimes I really wonder how I am still friends with you…” Littlefoot spoke up after a few minutes of silence between the three friends. The air was unusually thick as it was, literally and figuratively speaking. The rainfalls of the previous days had made the air heavy with humidity so it was unusually quiet where they were, far away from the loud, populated parts of the Valley as it was.
“While you only care for yourself and you not being entertained, Petrie and I are worrying about Ducky and Spike, you know? Just whenever you’re being nice for a while, you turn into an asshole all of a sudden again! I don’t get it; this is really not okay!” Littlefoot faced the Threehorn angrily.
“So what? That’s how I am, deal with it!” Cera huffed. “If you’re worried about them, don’t stand around here worrying! Do something! Yes! Do something and move your fat butt over to Ducky’s and Spike’s to see if there’s something wrong and don’t stand around here worrying like Petrie all day, geez!”
Littlefoot gave the Threehorn quite a stare after her rather blunt speech but he had to admit that Cera was right about one thing… as much as he hated to admit it. “I should really check back on them just in case…”
“You know what, I’ll even come along despite being an ëasshole’, okay? Are you happy now?!” Cera offered, aggressive but diplomatic all the same.
“Happy? No… but good to know you’re not completely unreasonable…” Littlefoot answered angrily. “Come Petrie…”
“Unreasonable?!” Cera spat that word out as if it was a piece of meat.
“At least I’m not getting upset about a silly game unlike you do…” Littlefoot muttered. “Now come along… unless you have something better to do!”
“Humpff! Just shut up already, do I even look like I have anything better to do?!”
Littlefoot deliberately turned away from the Threehorn without answering, taking her words quite literally. He knew Cera for too long already. If there was one thing she absolutely hated, it was being ignored. Petrie silently took off from his perch, having followed the intense argument silently lest to get himself into the focus of Cera’s bad mood again.
Without another word spoken, the sparks of electricity between the two friends almost visible, they started trotting though they didn’t get far…
*****
Well, a little later than intended but here is the next chapter! Motivation stayed low after the loss of that chapter, unfortunately. I also think I wasn't able to recover the chapter as nicely as it was written before but at least it's about 500 words longer despite the dialogue lacking description a little(in my opinion, that is.) :rolleyes Ducky's part got a bit longer and probably better than before but the fight between Littlefoot and Cera doesn't quite please me but oh well, as long as you enjoyed the chapter, I'm happy ^^spike
oh, and guess what? I only noticed that I forgot to include the prompt again while posting this :lol: Well, at least the story now officially qualifies lol.
With this chapter, I've also got a faint idea of how to name this story in the end. (Suggestions still more than welcome!!!) As always, things weren't planned when I started this, but, right now, it looks like there will be a second important theme in this story besides... well, you'll see soon enough :p
Anyway, now I can finally continue to advance the story, motivation has returned! I'll start working on chap 6 right now, maybe I'll get that one done too before it's getting too late ^^spike
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This chapter was awesome as usual. The argument the gang had about siblings was well thought out. I really enjoyed reading this chapter a lot great job on it.
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Man you've got me hooked. I love this story already.
I wonder what's making Cera so upset. She's gruff, but not usually that mean. And I'm kinda glad Littlefoot is sticking up for himself a bit, he's passive by nature but when pushed he can fight back. I hope whatever is going on with Ducky and Spike's mom isn't too serious as well. This is all very intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
Rock on man!
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Gotta say, I've been enjoying this so far, can't wait to see where it's going. :D
Hoo boy, Cera knows her swearing words in the last chapter and so does Littlefoot. How old is the gang in this story, have they reached "teenager status" yet? Seeing them swear like that kinda makes me think they do as I started to use words like that when I hit that age. xD
If you imagine them being in that age, the swearing does make sense, especially when it's an angry Cera talking. If they're still as old as we see them in the movies...well, artists have freedom. :D
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Same here this story is very good you're doing a amazing job with it. Looking forward to chapter 6
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Same here this story is very good you're doing a amazing job with it. Looking forward to chapter 6
Thanks again :) Glad you like the story.
Man you've got me hooked. I love this story already.
That's great to know! Though you got me hooked with your fanfiction too ;)
I wonder what's making Cera so upset. She's gruff, but not usually that mean. And I'm kinda glad Littlefoot is sticking up for himself a bit, he's passive by nature but when pushed he can fight back. I hope whatever is going on with Ducky and Spike's mom isn't too serious as well. This is all very intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
Cera is in a very bad mood because
1. she's still somewhat mad at Littlefoot because they got into an argument during the game the previous day (off-screen though, I didn't think it would do the story any good to do more than just a mention since it'd be continued on the next day anyway)
2. Ducky and Spike are making her wait (Cera surely isn't a character who has a lot of patience...)
3. she's Cera duh :lol She just loves getting herself into fights.
As for their mother, we shall see soon enough what's going on, anybody having guesses already? I won't confirm them either way but I'm curious :p
Gotta say, I've been enjoying this so far, can't wait to see where it's going. biggrin.gif
Thanks ;)
Hoo boy, Cera knows her swearing words in the last chapter and so does Littlefoot. How old is the gang in this story, have they reached "teenager status" yet? Seeing them swear like that kinda makes me think they do as I started to use words like that when I hit that age. xD
If you imagine them being in that age, the swearing does make sense, especially when it's an angry Cera talking. If they're still as old as we see them in the movies...well, artists have freedom. biggrin.gif
Yes, the language was a bit rough in the last chapter, I'll admit that though nothing too extreme or was it? As for your question, I'd say slightly older than in LBT 14 (that's where I'd place the story anyway, leaving Ruby and Chomper out because I had no real purpose for them). What do the others think? If the language is too rough, let me know. I just think that an argument is hard to write in a realistical way without using such words occasionally, especially with the restriction of keeping swearing words LBT-ish (I can hardly have Littlefoot call Cera a b***, can I? :rolleyes: )
Ahem, anyway, I should have the next chapter ready soon, just need to revise what I've already got since I uhh... got carried away :lol:
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Sorry for missing the last chapter. I've been pretty busy lately but let's see. Both of the scenes overlapping the two chapters were interesting and the brewing argument between Littlefoot and Cera was written well. I must agree that Cera got angry quite quickly but she had her reasons. Even if the argument had gone rather far, it was nice to see it calm down somewhat. But I don't think we've seen the last of their bilateral problems...
Ducky's mom seems to have a hard time but the reason is still unknown. Ducky's concern is understandable but so is Spike's hesitancy to worry. We'll see which one is right... Anyway, good job on these last two chapters.
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Man you've got me hooked. I love this story already.
That's great to know! Though you got me hooked with your fanfiction too ;)
I wonder what's making Cera so upset. She's gruff, but not usually that mean. And I'm kinda glad Littlefoot is sticking up for himself a bit, he's passive by nature but when pushed he can fight back. I hope whatever is going on with Ducky and Spike's mom isn't too serious as well. This is all very intriguing and I can't wait to read more.
Cera is in a very bad mood because
1. she's still somewhat mad at Littlefoot because they got into an argument during the game the previous day (off-screen though, I didn't think it would do the story any good to do more than just a mention since it'd be continued on the next day anyway)
2. Ducky and Spike are making her wait (Cera surely isn't a character who has a lot of patience...)
3. she's Cera duh :lol She just loves getting herself into fights.
As for their mother, we shall see soon enough what's going on, anybody having guesses already? I won't confirm them either way but I'm curious :p
Hoo boy, Cera knows her swearing words in the last chapter and so does Littlefoot. How old is the gang in this story, have they reached "teenager status" yet? Seeing them swear like that kinda makes me think they do as I started to use words like that when I hit that age. xD
If you imagine them being in that age, the swearing does make sense, especially when it's an angry Cera talking. If they're still as old as we see them in the movies...well, artists have freedom. biggrin.gif
Yes, the language was a bit rough in the last chapter, I'll admit that though nothing too extreme or was it? As for your question, I'd say slightly older than in LBT 14 (that's where I'd place the story anyway, leaving Ruby and Chomper out because I had no real purpose for them). What do the others think? If the language is too rough, let me know. I just think that an argument is hard to write in a realistical way without using such words occasionally, especially with the restriction of keeping swearing words LBT-ish (I can hardly have Littlefoot call Cera a b***, can I? :rolleyes: )
Ahem, anyway, I should have the next chapter ready soon, just need to revise what I've already got since I uhh... got carried away :lol:
Thanks! A new chapter is up in the thread if you want to check it out.
I can only hope she's not dying because that would be a real kick in the head. Somehow, I sense that something else is up with Cera. Maybe I'm wrong, but there's no excuse for her to act like that. Reminds me of LBT 1 Cera.
I don't mind the swearing. I think it's appropriate given their age and that they're older. I'm glad you made them bordering on their teen years. One of my biggest qualms with the show and the movies is that they just remained the same age.
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If the language is too rough, let me know
*letting you know* ;)
I was surprised and confused actually when I read it.
I know there're popular famous fanfictions here with huge amount of rough swear words, but still...
What do you think, does your story so NEED in them? Especially in such big amount...
(Maybe it's just my personality. I'm some kind of "good boy" here in my life. XD not using bad words at all and feel pain when I hear them)
also I hope there's biiiiiig reason behind so that Littlefoot and Cera are acting like this... %O
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I say keep some of that strong language. They're still kids, but they're growing up ya know? It's what happens when you reach that age. Sometimes those words make statements that regular ones don't.
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(I'll peply to reviews/responses after posting the new chapter)
Chapter 6:
Littlefoot, Cera and Petrie had hardly left their usual meeting area when they heard something move quickly through the thick undergrowth. Everyone was taken by surprise when Spike suddenly broke out of the vegetation to their right, crashing right into Cera, unable to stop himself. Littlefoot jumped away from the scene while Petrie shrieked, flying up to the crone of a tree before realising what was going on. Meanwhile, Cera and Spike were tumbling into the vegetation to their left, Ducky being thrown off the Spiketail unceremoniously, Littlefoot catching the Swimmer mid-fall.
“Whoa!” the Longneck exclaimed once he had caught Ducky. “Where’d you guys come from all of a sudden?”
“I would like to know that too, grr…” Cera growled with suppressed anger as she pushed Spike off herself, tearing the whole bush apart that she’d crashed into. “Can’t you watch where you’re going for once?!”
“Thank you for catching me, hehehe,” Ducky giggled, her worries forgotten for a quick moment.
“Oh, Ducky!” Petrie quickly flip-flapped down to where Littlefoot had placed the Swimmer on the muddy ground. “Me already wonder where you been!” The two quickly bonded before disengaging again, looking at each other curiously while Spike used the current distraction to get a few bites out of the bush Cera had ripped apart.
“You better have a good excuse this time or I’ll give you one to stay at home for a few days!” Cera threatened, positioning herself in an aggressive stance behind Spike who almost choked on the vegetation he was munching on.
What happened next, happened within the blink of an eye. Before anybody knew, what was going on, Littlefoot had reared up on his hindlegs, charging towards the Threehorn in a manner just as threatening. Cera jumped back out of instinct.
“If you don’t have anything nice to say, why don’t you just bother somebody else?! I’m sick of your attitude, Cera!” Littlefoot screamed all of a sudden while Ducky cowered behind Petrie, shooting an angry but also confused glance at the Threehorn while the Flyer stood in front of her protectively – not that there was anything he could possibly do to stop a rampaging Threehorn, trembling. Meanwhile, Spike was merely confused.
“Oh, you want a fight, you get one!” Cera roared, secretly looking forward to the opportunity while it lasted.
“I don’t want to fight you, I just want you to stop being an idiot!” Littlefoot quickly amended, gesturing wildly as he spoke on. “What became of our friendship? All we do nowadays is hoping you won’t get angry at anything we do, that’s not how it works! Either you stop being a mean idiot soon or we used to be friends!” The Longneck was panting now. It wouldn’t be the first time he got into a near-fight with the Threehorn but never had his words been any clearer. He wouldn’t deal with Cera any longer if she didn’t start acting more like a friend than a fiend again.
“You’re just a coward, Littlefoot, fight me!” Cera ordered, screaming, the rest of the gang watching in horror.
“NO!” Littlefoot shot back, his blood boiling. “Friends don’t fight! Stop being unreasonable for heaven’s sake!”
“Not bloody likely! You guys just piss me off all the time!”
Littlefoot noticed Cera taking a less aggressive posture though.
“You piss off Petrie too!” Petrie exclaimed, pointing at the Threehorn accusingly.
“Do not fight!” Ducky demanded, raising her little voice. “I am sure that whatever is upsetting you off can be talked-ed about without yelling, yes I am!”
“Ducky has a point but if Cera’s stays unreasonable… ugh!” Littlefoot appreciated the input of his smaller friend a lot. It truly was a blessing to have somebody in their circle of friends with that sort of personality.
“Yeah, Cera, instead of yelling at us like a bully, you could just say what’s bothering you for once!” Littlefoot spoke calmer, supporting Ducky’s plead of peace fully.
“I don’t like it when I constantly have to wait for you guys!” Cera then complained, apparently agreeing to the less violent way of discussing things. “You are much too late again, Ducky!”
“Why were you late anyway?” Littlefoot questioned, bending his neck down to Ducky, taking his attention away from the Threehorn for the first time since the argument started.
“Me worried a little ëcause your mama acting funny…” Petrie admitted.
Ducky looked around uncomfortably – first at her brother Spike who nodded firmly, then at Petrie and Littlefoot who were looking at her in a mixture of curiosity and concern and, ultimately, Cera who was staring at her penetratingly.
“Well, my mommy called us because she was tired-ed from the meeting the grown-ups had, yes she was,” Ducky explained.
“Huh? Why she tired from meeting?” Petrie wondered curiously, also a bit confused.
“Well, according to my grandparents, Mr. Threehorn must have been seeking fights with them again… I don’t know…” Littlefoot shrugged, offering his guess anyway.
“All good and fine, my dad can do what he wants anyway!” Cera spoke with some pride evident in her words. “But, that still doesn’t explain why you were late today!”
“It explains the reason for them having to leave yesterday though…” Littlefoot pointed out.
“Humpff!” Cera snorted.
“So, Ducky, go on, please,” the Longneck requested, ignoring the Threehorn as best as he could.
“Yeah, why you late today? Spike sleep in today?” Petrie added.
“Uhm, we both sleeped-ed in on accident…” Ducky admitted hesitantly, earning a deadly glance from Cera. “But it was not my fault, nope nope nope…” Ducky shrinked in size as Cera scrutinized the little Swimmer, looking at Littlefoot in alarm.
“How can this not be your fault?!” Cera raged as was to be expected of her. Angrily, the Threehorn stomped her foot on the muddy ground, leaving a deep mark in it. “That’s not a good excuse, I should…”
“Shut up, yeah you’re completely right, Cera!” Littlefoot completed the sentence for her.
“Why you…”
“If it not your fault, then whose fault it then?” Petrie chimed into the argument.
“Well, our mommy usually makes us get up early in the morning...” Ducky explained a little sadly. “But she did not this morning, no no no…” Spike shrugged his shoulders too.
“Unlikely story, I’m sure she’s making the entire thing up!” Cera speculated wildly.
“I am not!” Ducky retorted fiercely in protest.
“Oh Cera, really…” Littlefoot sighed audibly, facepalming. “Of all people I know, there’s nobody as honest as Ducky. Why would she lie anyway?”
“She’d have said it Spike again like usual, that not new,” Petrie mentioned. “But why she make effort of making up such weird story? Me believe Ducky!”
“So do I!” Littlefoot affirmed, glaring at Cera.
“Oh, my dad’s right, it’s a big conspiracy against us Threehorns…” Cera spoke quietly, shaking her head in disbelief.
“What?!” Ducky, Petrie and Littlefoot exhaled almost at the same time. When Cera didn’t say anything further, Ducky took the initiative again.
“Well, so that is why we were late, yep yep yep…”
“So, to sum it up, your mother slept in and, because of that, YOU slept in?” Cera said unbelievingly.
“That what she said, yes…” Petrie stated matter of factly.
“Yep, yep, yep…” Ducky replied meekly.
“So, I had to sit around until my butt got sore just because of you two snoozing in?! The hell with you!!!”
“Cera, just get lost…” Littlefoot growled. “I won’t let you ruin my day!”
“You already ruined mine, why should I care?” the Threehorn lashed out, stomping her foot again.
All of a sudden, something could be heard moving through the underbrush… towards them!
*****
Cliffhanger for the sake of having one? Maybe, but this argument has been going on for long enough anyway! Cera is being a dick today and there's a reason for that too. ^^spike
Ehh, this chapter was kind of dialogue heavy and I didn't quite know how to break it up effectively here. I'm sure that'll get better in the next chapter again.
Sorry for missing the last chapter. I've been pretty busy lately but let's see. Both of the scenes overlapping the two chapters were interesting and the brewing argument between Littlefoot and Cera was written well. I must agree that Cera got angry quite quickly but she had her reasons. Even if the argument had gone rather far, it was nice to see it calm down somewhat. But I don't think we've seen the last of their bilateral problems...
No, certainly not. The chapter I just uploaded should be proof of that... and I originally had it go a lot more... vicious. Thought better of it then though. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the latest updates ^^spike
Ducky's mom seems to have a hard time but the reason is still unknown. Ducky's concern is understandable but so is Spike's hesitancy to worry. We'll see which one is right... Anyway, good job on these last two chapters.
Yep, we will. Thanks again :)
Thanks! A new chapter is up in the thread if you want to check it out.
I shall read it asap, don't worry. Just need to read two other chapters first (plus hurry to get this story done in time, I'm far behind my schedule! :unsure: )
I can only hope she's not dying because that would be a real kick in the head. Somehow, I sense that something else is up with Cera. Maybe I'm wrong, but there's no excuse for her to act like that. Reminds me of LBT 1 Cera.
Ducky's mother dying? :o That would be dark indeed... Cera acting like LBT 1 is a good keyword there ;)
I don't mind the swearing. I think it's appropriate given their age and that they're older. I'm glad you made them bordering on their teen years. One of my biggest qualms with the show and the movies is that they just remained the same age.
True, I wonder if this is Hyp's doing... after all, he promised it :p
*letting you know* wink.gif
I was surprised and confused actually when I read it.
I know there're popular famous fanfictions here with huge amount of rough swear words, but still...
What do you think, does your story so NEED in them? Especially in such big amount...
(Maybe it's just my personality. I'm some kind of "good boy" here in my life. XD not using bad words at all and feel pain when I hear them)
also I hope there's biiiiiig reason behind so that Littlefoot and Cera are acting like this... %O
I thought you were going to wait until the story is finished before you read it? :smile
You ask a good question there though. I would say the conflict between Littlefoot and Cera is definitely necessary. It can be argued whether such a language is needed though. As I see it, it's hard to convey such an intense quarrel without the occasional strong word. I have tried to limit myself in this chapter a little...
It's totally fine being against such language, I think many people just use it way too much >_>
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Can't say I'm a huge fan of Cera right now, I really hope whatever is going on with her, there's a damn good reason for it. Maybe it's her dad.
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Can't say I'm a huge fan of Cera right now, I really hope whatever is going on with her, there's a damn good reason for it. Maybe it's her dad.
Well, me neither. I used to hate Cera for certain things she does and says but, at some point, I've realised that for the movie to work sometimes... it's the same with bad guys in general... you're supposed to hate them :p Anyway, I can confirm that she has a reason for acting a bit rougher than usual... though I'd say 70% of it is just her normal Cera behavior being triggered by having to wait for Ducky as well as some anger at Littlefoot because of the events of the previous day...
Chapter 7:
Everyone looked to their right. Nobody was oblivious to the movement in the bushes that Cera hadn’t destroyed yet.
“W-what that?” Petrie inquired urgently, pointing at the spot where the movement could be seen with his wings shaking.
“I do not know… but what if it is something that wants to eat us?” Ducky responded, the fear clearly evident in her voice.
“Oh, you’re just a bunch of eggs!” Cera teased, shooting a look at them which was hard to read. “I’ll handle this!” With a determined look on her face, Cera prepared her muscles before she charged right into the vegetation without any mercy – she had accumulated a lot of unreleased frustration and anger after all so the vegetation of the Great Valley would pay now as well as whatever dared to sneak up on them like that. Ripping more of the bushes apart, she pushed further into the thick jungle of leaves and wood until…
“Stoooooooop!!!” a voice screamed in panic – it obviously came from the spot where the movement was to be seen moments ago.
“Hey, that almost sounded like…” Ducky began but the realisation came too late.
“Ahhhh!!!” the voice screamed when Cera made impact with the creature hidden behind the leaves. It only dawned on her who she’d just knocked down after the deed was already done…
*
“Ohh…” As the female Swimmer came to her senses, everything was spinning in front of her eyes for a moment. “What is wrong with me?” A terrible headache made any attempt to think impossible and the gnawing pain in her extremities spoiled every bit of her motivation to get up from her resting position.
As her vision finally cleared, she noticed that she was at her nest. A quick look around confirmed that nobody was around. “The children must be off playing already…” the adult Swimmer figured – with relief when she considered her current state. Whatever it was that caused the pain, it seemed like something was seriously wrong with her. It was then that she noticed just how late it already was.
“I slept in badly, that is concerning indeed… ugh my head…” Ducky’s Mother massaged her head as a particularly heavy wave of pain spread through her whole head, her vision spinning once more. Once that had faded, she made a first attempt at getting to her feet. It would take her several attempts until she finally stood on her trembling legs.
*
“That Guido’s voice!” Petrie exclaimed, coming to Ducky’s conclusion as well.
“Guido? Why would Guido crawl through such thick vegetation towards us, Petrie?” Littlefoot wondered while he tried to make out what was happening in the undergrowth to his right where only some faint movement of the branches of a tall fern was suggesting that a Threehorn was somewhere in that mess.
“Oh, me forgot to tell them…” Petrie cursed inwardly, going after the Threehorn.
“Petrie, where are you going?” Ducky wondered when she saw how Petrie suddenly rushed into the bushes too.
“Me forget to tell you, Guido come to play with us today!” he explained briefly, coming to a short halt. “Me have to look if he fine!”
That was when Cera’s voice came booming out of the jungle.
“False alarm, it’s Guido!”
“So Guido is going to play with us today?” Littlefoot concluded. “Why that’s cool, isn’t it, Ducky?”
“Oh yes!” the Swimmer replied eagerly though something else was on her mind. “Though it almost sounded as if Cera had knocked right into him, it did…” Exchanging glances with Littlefoot and Spike, everyone walked a little closer to the tunnel that Cera had torn into the vegetation with her rampage. Shortly after that, they could hear Guido releasing a bunch of swears into Cera’s direction which were cut off gruffly by the Threehorn. Petrie’s accusing words could be heard too before the group came walking out of the tunnel back towards the rest of their friends.
“Next time you check out who you’re trying to kill first!” A very upset Glider was the first to enter Littlefoot, Ducky and Spike’s sight, closely followed by an angry Flyer and a Threehorn which couldn’t decide whether to be sorry or not.
“You almost kill Guido, Cera!” Petrie added fiercely.
“Oww, this is gonna hurt for a few days…”
*
As soon as Ducky’s Mother stood on her legs, albeit far from standing upright, her headache became unbearable and a terrible nausea spread through her whole body. Within seconds, her stomach gave her a feeling as if it was on fire before the Swimmer collapsed back onto her knees, a powerful fountain of her stomach’s content splashing on the ground below her. Even a long while after her stomach had emptied itself in this unpleasant manner, the pain caused her to bend in an almost fetal position.
“What is happening with me?!” the female wondered, her mind blinded by the screaming pain coming from various parts of her body. She was panting heavily, almost hyperventilating, and it took her a lot of willpower not to allow her body to fall over right into the vomit in front of her. Her whole body felt insanely hot in addition to the other ailments she was facing as it was. Eventually, she managed to crawl away from the scene back to her sleeping spot where she remained unmoving – extremely tired and exhausted but unable to sleep all the same…
*
Littlefoot was the first to speak up when the group had exited the undergrowth.
“What. Happened?” He spoke slowly, putting emphasis on each word - he already had a pretty good idea what had occurred in there and it made him furious.
“Cera hurt Guido!” Petrie promptly accused, pointing at the Threehorn as if he wanted to slaughter her.
“T-that’s right. She bumped into me full force…” Guido explained, pressing one of his wings onto his chest where he had been hit. “I-it wasn’t on purpose of course but it still wasn’t very nice!”
“You do that on purpose, me know you did!!!” Petrie screamed angrily at Cera who did her best to remain calm by her standards. However, Petrie got on her nerves a bit too much to ignore him so she inhaled some air and blew it at the Flyer with all her might, the wind pushing Petrie back, somersaulting a few times until he remained lying on his back. Cera approached him with a mad look on her face.
“If I were as puny and despicable as you, Petrie, I wouldn’t mess with a Threehorn… GOT THAT!?”
“Enoooooooooooough!” Littlefoot roared all of a sudden. The situation had escalated yet again. “Enough of this crap, I won’t have any more of this!” He gave the Threehorn a murderous stare as Spike walked beside him in mute support, ready to jump in if a fight broke loose. Meanwhile, Ducky hurried over to Petrie, offering him a hand to help him get back on his feet. “Cera, you leave now! I don’t want to see you around here anymore!”
Cera didn’t know what to say. She could only stare back at her four friends who were looking at her coldly.
“Come back when you’ve gotten your priorities back in order…” Littlefoot spoke much quieter though the threat of his words hung in the air nevertheless.
“You must be kidding, Littlefoot!” Cera found her voice again. “That didn’t happen on purpose!”
“This is none of my concern, Cera…” Littlefoot replied in a cold, monotone voice. Disappointment was also shining through his cold stare. “Our friendship doesn’t work if you continue to be like that. For now, this is temporary but if things don’t change it’ll be permanent… aaaaaaand noooooow LEEEEEEEEEEAAAAVE!!!” Littlefoot screamed his last three words, charging towards the Threehorn who knew that responding with a charge of her own would be a subscription to loneliness and boredom as well as a possible loss of face since it was more than apparent that she would be fighting a one on four match there. Without saying another word, Cera charged the other way, knocking a few ferns over before disappearing in the thick vegetation.
*****
I'm sorry to disappoint you... but there's no cliffhanger this time :p
Looks like the friendship between Cera and Littlefoot is at risk. And we now have confirmation that Ducky's Mother is in a dire state. Stay tuned ^^spike
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Now this is getting intense... Ducky and Spike's mom appears to be seriously sick but we don't know yet if it's fatal. The descriptions of her condition were realistic and well done. I have a feeling that she needs help from the Gang though...
I cannot believe this the same Cera we know... There has to have happened something serious with her that we don't know about. Even though this doesn't seem to have happened in a moment: Littlefoot seemed to imply that this has been a gradual process. In any case, it'll be interesting to see how this resolves. I cannot even fathom how Ducky feels at the moment with all the things that are going on.
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You had me sitting on the edge of my seat, there; especially with the details of Ducky and Spike's mom's illness. Hopefully she'll be all right. I'll be looking forward to the next chapter.
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My apologies for not reviewing, work has been keeping me busy lately. Wow it certainly seems like there are a lot of hidden factors as play here. A disagreement between Mama Swimmer and Topps... a disagreement between Littlefoot and Cera... Cera acting like a [insert impolite word here] and the rest of the gang not putting up with it... and now Mama Swimmer appears to have something seriously wrong. I am unsure where it all will lead, but I suspect that it is all connected in some way. Cera's insecurities and aggression often mirrors her father's and Ducky's empathy about people is seldom wrong. Neither of these facts bode well for the friendship between Cera and Littlefoot or for the health of Ducky's mother.
Despite my concerns about where it all will lead, I look forward to seeing what happens next. You have successfully written quite the intense story that appears to be on the verge of reaching a boiling point.
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replying to reviews after posting the new chapter ;)
*****
Chapter 8:
Silence, again, was filling the jungle around Guido and the four young dinosaurs… and it seemed almost as penetrating as the loud chaos which had reigned until moments ago. Everyone was staring at the spot where Cera had disappeared, each having their own thoughts about what had happened, Littlefoot being the first to break the silence with an audible, sad sigh.
“This could have been a good day with Guido joining our ranks today…” His gaze finally shifted back to his remaining friends. “But she ruined my day for the last time!” he added more sharply. “Cera, why can’t you just be a good friend like you used to be?!”
“Well, me glad she gone, she only causing trouble all of the time!” Petrie stated fiercely, his voice unusually determined.
“…and hurting us…” Ducky mumbled sadly, Spike nodding with an angry look on his face.
“Gee, what happened since I’ve last seen you guys?” Guido wondered, still rubbing his injury while pulling a pained grimace.
“Well, Cera has been acting unusually hateful as of late,” Littlefoot explained. “I mean… you probably know by now that she can be difficult sometimes… but it’s gotten so much worse lately and I’m quite frankly sick of it!”
“Me sick of her too, me no need to see her again!” Petrie growled, folding his arms in front of his chest.
“Do not say such a thing, Petrie…” Ducky requested, sighing. “Maybe Cera is really upset about us and it is us who need to try to behave better?” It was an idea after all though Littlefoot didn’t quite seem to have the same viewpoint.
“Ducky, whenever something doesn’t go Cera’s way, she’ll go berserk,” he explained with a kind but determined voice. “She is selfish – it’s her who needs to adapt, not us!”
“Well, maybe you are right…” Ducky admitted. “But… still I think that she was so upset about Spike and me and that is why things did not go well today…”
“Pfft, she was also still upset about losing the game yesterday when we hid in the same cave but Cera was discovered first… really, how childish is that anyway?” Littlefoot shook his head.
“Me agree with Littlefoot!” Petrie stated angrily, closing his eyes in indignation.
“What I am saying is… at least we could try not to provoke her?” Ducky proposed hesitantly, looking at Littlefoot and Petrie with an unsure expression, only Spike seemingly agreeing with her line of thinking. “If Spike and I try to be on time more often, maybe she will not get mad at us anymore, yes maybe?”
“Sure, but that doesn’t change that she’s a… you know what…” Littlefoot sighed. “Either way, I will not have her continue to act like that since that’s not how I imagine a good friendship to look like… don’t you feel that she is constantly making us fear her? It’s spoiling the fun of any game if you always have to expect being yelled at if something doesn’t go her way…”
“Uhh guys?” Guido piped up. “Ehh, maybe we shouldn’t dwell on that too much and move on for now?”
“That is a good idea, Guido…” Littlefoot approved, appearing weak and exhausted after the verbal fight with the Threehorn.
“So what we do now?” Petrie wondered.
“Play a game?” Guido proposed but everyone disapproved.
“Not now, Guido…” Littlefoot apologised. “I’m not in the mood.”
“I am not feeling up to a game either, no no no…” Ducky spoke sadly though nobody noticed her mental turmoil except for Spike who gave her a more than curious look from the side.
“Let’s do something else then,” Guido spoke, taking the role of the organiser of the group now. “Is there anything else you guys feel like doing? Explore something? Just hang out somewhere? Pranking Cera’s dad?”
“That be the last thing you ever do if you get caught…” Petrie advised.
“Well, I don’t know…” Littlefoot admitted. “What do you feel up to? Ducky? Spike?”
Spike looked at Ducky with some concern as she was clearly appearing to be in a thoughtful state. Upon being addressed, however, Ducky gave a pretty quick response.
“Well, I always like to go for a swim when I need to get my mind off things, yes I do.”
“Then let’s go to the Thundering Waterfalls and take a bath, shall we?” Littlefoot announced, looking around for any objections. But none came.
“That sound good, me can take sunbath on boulder meanwhile that also have that effect sometimes,” Petrie spoke, chuckling as he remembered the previous evening with Guido.
“Well, I could need a bath after being pushed into the dirt,” Guido mused, only some light anger still present in the blue-ish Glider.
“And Spike and I can have some underwater food for breakfast, how does this sound, Spiky?” Ducky just knew how to bait her brother – Spike nodded eagerly at the thought of catching up on missed opportunities to have a bite.
“Alright, then let’s get going!” Littlefoot suggested, walking ahead of the group. He didn’t quite feel like taking a swim himself but he was sure he’d be able to take his mind off the fight with Cera at least…
*
After a few minutes of tearing through the vegetation, Cera finally entered less vegetated parts of the forest, finally calming down. A few scratches were visible on her flanks where she’d accidently pushed through thorns though she couldn’t care less right now. In fact, the stinging sensations helped her to focus her mind again.
“What is wrong with me?! Why am I acting like that? I can’t help it!” The Threehorn trotted back towards her nest, trying to understand herself. She wasn’t too keen on admitting it openly but she knew that she had gone too far this time yet there was nothing she could do to battle her growing hate, anger and frustration seemingly directed at whatever or whoever stood in her way.
“These guys are still my friends, I don’t want to be mad at them but I am! Ugh, I’m so mad right now!” That was when Cera’s expression took on a strong sarcastic touch. “Riiiight, that’s just the bloody point… why is this happening all of a sudden?! I can’t just risk my friendship with Littlefoot as annoying as he can be sometimes…” Cera was clueless but she knew that there had to be a reason… and where there was a reason was likely to be a solution!
“Hmm, maybe Tria knows what’s wrong with me? Just as long as I’m not asking dad; that would only end with me getting even madder!” Cera’s decision stood; she would ask her step-mother. There was nothing to do at the moment so getting in touch with family seemed like the best thing to do that didn’t involve her boring herself to death.
*****
Well, I told you Cera has a reason for acting so shitty (even though I've only fully developed the idea today) and here it is! Well, you'll learn about it soon anyway :p
Now this is getting intense... Ducky and Spike's mom appears to be seriously sick but we don't know yet if it's fatal. The descriptions of her condition were realistic and well done. I have a feeling that she needs help from the Gang though...
Oh yes, the illness is serious indeed. No confirmations for your idea yet though but keep them coming, I like to read what my readers are predicting :smile
I cannot believe this the same Cera we know... There has to have happened something serious with her that we don't know about. Even though this doesn't seem to have happened in a moment: Littlefoot seemed to imply that this has been a gradual process. In any case, it'll be interesting to see how this resolves. I cannot even fathom how Ducky feels at the moment with all the things that are going on.
The thing is: Ducky isn't even aware of her mother's state yet :p As for Cera, yes it has been a gradual process and this is only the result of that we're seeing here. I find it quite funny though that you all are considering the situation so extreme... I think this could happen any day between Littlefoot and Cera if both don't have a good day ^^spike
You had me sitting on the edge of my seat, there; especially with the details of Ducky and Spike's mom's illness. Hopefully she'll be all right. I'll be looking forward to the next chapter.
Why, I'm glad to know you're on the edge of your seat, just be careful not to fall off the chair though :lol
Wow it certainly seems like there are a lot of hidden factors as play here.
Oh, compared to Shorty's Dark Past... this is pretty mild here :p
I am unsure where it all will lead, but I suspect that it is all connected in some way. Cera's insecurities and aggression often mirrors her father's and Ducky's empathy about people is seldom wrong. Neither of these facts bode well for the friendship between Cera and Littlefoot or for the health of Ducky's mother.
Well said. No confirmations of course :)
Just a note: I more than likely won't be able to finish the entry in time (I'd say I'm probably looking at about 20 chapters, maybe a few more with this story). Ugh, why do I always go for long stories, silly me :angel
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Going to relax is probably the best option in this rather unfortunate situation. Petrie is very vengeful towards Cera which seems kinda uncharacteristic for him. Of course she attacked Guido so that could be justified. For now, Cera's probably going to take the spotlight for a while but we'll see. We pretty much got the confirmation that the current problems are caused by Cera's dad and I'm looking forwards to seeing what has happened.
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Well, to say a lot has happened since my last review would be an understatement!
So now Ducky's mother has come down with a mysterious illness (yikes!) while Cera has effectively alienated herself from the rest of her friends. I must say, you've certainly captured the severity of whatever is plaguing Ducky's poor mom very well. I truly feel sorry for her, and I hope we can reach a good conclusion on her arc, in the end.
Now, I've sworn myself to honesty in my reviews, so I must say that I don't entirely agree on the direction you've taken Cera's character. However, this does not detract from the way you've written the character herself. Even if I don't agree with her portrayal, the way you've written her still shines, and crankier-than-usual Cera seems a well-developed character in and of herself.
I also feel the decision to remove the worst of the swearing was a good one. A lot of it felt out of character, and swearing really only works when it carries weight (a character who never swears suddenly drops an F-bomb and we know shit's about to go DOWN), or if the character is already established as someone who swears a lot. Swearing is, contrary to popular belief, very difficult to pull off effectively in writing, so keep that in mind.
But, these chapters still absolutely held my interest, and I look forward to seeing what happens next, especially in the Cera and Ducky's Mom arcs. As for not finishing on time, don't worry about it! We have enough material here to judge easily. Best of luck with the voting, and great job on this month's prompt!
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I still hope you submit this for the prompt challenge. What you've posted so far is enough to merit consideration.
In terms of plot this is an A+ story. You've completely drawn me in as a reader, hanging on every word and development. Characterization is pretty spot on too.
I don't like it when Cera acts like a bitch, but as you've shown, there's a reason for it and I'm curious to know what it is. I really hope it's something I never would have thought of before. And I really hope Ducky and Spike's mom is okay because whatever she has does not sound pleasant.
Anyway, really love this fic. Gotta work on my own submission now haha.
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Chapter 9:
Finally now, the Bright Circle was high in the sky, sending an increasing amount of heat into the Great Valley, the humidity quickly making the atmosphere uncomfortable. It was probably a good thing that the five dinosaurs had decided to go near the water to cool down not just their minds but their bodies as well. When the group of friends arrived at the river leading them to the Thundering Falls, everyone decided to continue their walk at the shallow shore to keep their feet cold. No word had been spoken ever since they started their short trek through the Great Valley. Now, Petrie was the first to break the silence.
“Gee, me no think me wanna take sunbath anymore, it too hot today!” As if to support his statement, the Flyer started fanning some air into his face to help dealing with the growing heat of the day. The fact that the air seemed to be as unmoving as a rock today, didn’t help things improve at all. And Littlefoot was walking much too slow to create any significant air movement to keep him cool too!
“Maybe we should swim to the Thundering Falls?” Ducky suggested from atop of Spike.
“Uhh, as you probably remember I ehh umm… I’m not a very good swimmer…” Guido mentioned as they continued to waddle through the shallow water. “Though I wouldn’t mind if my feathers got a little wet… if you know what I mean… uhh I mean…”
“Jump in and then hop on,” Littlefoot spoke invitingly. “I think Ducky has a point after all, this won’t be a pretty day if it’s so warm this early already. And any games will probably be water-bound…”
“Me no mind that… not today,” Petrie replied, earning a short chuckle from everyone.
“Great, then let’s jump in!” Littlefoot exclaimed, being the first to launch himself into the water, almost throwing off Petrie in the process.
“Yay, water!” Ducky squeaked before diving into the fresh, cool fluid, disappearing below the surface for a little while as she took a long dive.
Spike just gently walked in with a smile on his face when he thought about the plentiful underwater food that grew here. Of course he still couldn’t swim very well yet but he was fine as long as the water wasn’t moving very fast which it wasn’t here. There was a small current leading away from the Thundering Falls but it was hardly noticeable at all.
“Alright, towards the Thundering Falls!” Littlefoot eventually ordered once Guido and Petrie had found a comfortable position on his back while Ducky was playfully diving in a slalom between the legs of the two taller dinosaurs. The fight had already been forgotten.
*
When Cera arrived at her nest, only her father was to be seen relaxing in the sun.
“Oh great, just what I wished for…” Cera mused with some sarcasm, shortly hesitating before approaching her dad. Luckily, he didn’t seem to be taking a nap, otherwise she probably wouldn’t have confronted him at all.
“Hey dad…” Cera spoke up quietly not to startle the tall Threehorn.
“Cera, what’s the matter?” the adult yawned, opening his eyes which were now staring at his daughter.
“Where’s Tria? I need to talk to her…”
“Thundering Falls… playing in the water with little Tricia,” Topps responded with a smile. “Time for me to relax.”
“Okay, thanks dad! Seeya!” Cera exclaimed, storming off towards the Thundering Falls.
Topps’s gaze followed his daughter for a while until she disappeared behind a hill. Then he closed his eyes again, continuing to drowse in the warmth of the Bright Circle while he could do so without getting disturbed.
*
“There they be!” Petrie announced when the group arrived at the Thundering Falls. The water that crashed down into the Great Valley here made a deafening noise as it fell from the high wall bordering their home against the Mysterious Beyond. The river that fed the waterfalls was the main water source of their Valley, allowing the abundance of flora and fauna to flourish here. The spray of the waterfall was sometimes enough to become wet all over when the wind was carrying it away but that was not the case this day. But Littlefoot, Ducky, Guido, Petrie and Spike were wet all over as it was… and Littlefoot made sure that his two passengers wouldn’t dry up too soon.
“Stop splashing water at Petrie!” Petrie laughed when Littlefoot continually beat his tail onto the water surface to send water spraying everywhere around him.
At that, Ducky had a sudden idea. Quickly making Spike aware of her plan too, she began swimming on her back while Spike appeared to be diving for some food growing under water. Suddenly, Ducky started kicking her legs as hard as she could, sending a shower at Petrie and Guido while Spike spit a fountain of water right into Littlefoot’s face.
“Watch it!” Littlefoot laughed as he fought back with some splashes of his own. The battle was raging on for some more minutes until everybody found themselves a free spot at the shore underneath a tall tree spending some shade. As the group relaxed, the joys of the water war slowly calming down, thoughts shifted to less joyous matters again.
Ducky was the only one still actually in the water, gently floating on the surface with little to no effort. Naturally, her gaze was directed towards the sky in the position she was currently taking but there was very little too see aside from the occasional Flyer roaming in the sky. No clouds were on the deep blue sky today to play a guessing game so there was very little to distract herself with. As Spike began making short work of some tall grass growing at the shore nearby, Ducky’s thoughts shifted back to the morning.
“I wonder if my mommy has woken up by now, I do, I do… I would really like to know if she is alright… or not.”
Meanwhile, Littlefoot was just looking around, time and again amazed by the sheer amount of life that was gathering at this place each and every day. However, during his scan of the area, there weren’t only things he liked seeing but also some he didn’t.
“Oh great, why does Tria HAVE to be here right now too… can’t these Threehorns just leave me in peace for once?” Gone was his relaxed state of mind. The memories of the fight came crushing down on him again, darkening his mood significantly.
“Gee, I really do wonder what she is going to do now…” Predicting the course of action of the Threehorn was sometimes more likely to fail than making predictions on the weather. What would she do? Would she see reason and apologise? Or, at least, promise to behave better in the future? “Hmm, maybe she would…” Littlefoot pondered though he didn’t place his bets too high yet. Knowing Cera, she could very well be plotting to get back at him this very second.
“Well, we’ll see… but now I would like to think about something e…” That was when he saw her… “Forget what I just said…”
*****
Thanks for the support so far guys, I'm slowly developing a habit of writing almost daily (and, typically, in the middle of the night too :DD). I feel very good about this chapter since I actually had some ideas for description inbetween dialogue this time ^^spike I guess this is what I'd label an "inbetweener" - just a chapter inbetween two important scenes. These can be pretty easy to write once you get started with something. All you need is a topic starter of sorts and there you go (at least that's the impression I got here :p)
Anyway, I really hope you liked this new chapter too and let me now have a few words about your lovely reviews before going to bed 6 am in the morning, haha ^^spike
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Going to relax is probably the best option in this rather unfortunate situation. Petrie is very vengeful towards Cera which seems kinda uncharacteristic for him. Of course she attacked Guido so that could be justified. For now, Cera's probably going to take the spotlight for a while but we'll see. We pretty much got the confirmation that the current problems are caused by Cera's dad and I'm looking forwards to seeing what has happened.
Well yeah, I got the impression in some of the sequels that Petrie is always very easy to turn his back on Cera whenever Littlefoot does. The fact that Guido is the one who took the blow added to his anger obviously.
As for Cera, well, you'll see in the next chapter or two ;)
Well, to say a lot has happened since my last review would be an understatement!
Uhh, quite ^^spike
So now Ducky's mother has come down with a mysterious illness (yikes!) while Cera has effectively alienated herself from the rest of her friends. I must say, you've certainly captured the severity of whatever is plaguing Ducky's poor mom very well. I truly feel sorry for her, and I hope we can reach a good conclusion on her arc, in the end.
Gee, I wonder... I'm not telling yet :lol:
Now, I've sworn myself to honesty in my reviews, so I must say that I don't entirely agree on the direction you've taken Cera's character. However, this does not detract from the way you've written the character herself. Even if I don't agree with her portrayal, the way you've written her still shines, and crankier-than-usual Cera seems a well-developed character in and of herself.
Why, that's totally okay. Cera is a bit of an edgy character and, in this story, I'm taking a rather extreme path (though, trust me, I could make this 10 times worse if I wanted to :p). As you said, she is well written (if you say so, it shall be truth!) and you haven't seen the end of it yet so stay tuned. Maybe you'll like the resolution of the issue I've planned :)
I also feel the decision to remove the worst of the swearing was a good one. A lot of it felt out of character, and swearing really only works when it carries weight (a character who never swears suddenly drops an F-bomb and we know shit's about to go DOWN), or if the character is already established as someone who swears a lot. Swearing is, contrary to popular belief, very difficult to pull off effectively in writing, so keep that in mind.
Well, I think it's in-character for Cera at least :unsure:
But, these chapters still absolutely held my interest, and I look forward to seeing what happens next, especially in the Cera and Ducky's Mom arcs. As for not finishing on time, don't worry about it! We have enough material here to judge easily. Best of luck with the voting, and great job on this month's prompt!
Thanks, much appreciated Fyn! ^^spike
I still hope you submit this for the prompt challenge. What you've posted so far is enough to merit consideration.
Of course I will still do that! Don't worry! :) (I just need to settle on one of my ideas for a title ugh!)
In terms of plot this is an A+ story. You've completely drawn me in as a reader, hanging on every word and development. Characterization is pretty spot on too.
Thank you very much! That's good to hear that I scored in these areas in your book :)
I don't like it when Cera acts like a bitch, but as you've shown, there's a reason for it and I'm curious to know what it is. I really hope it's something I never would have thought of before. And I really hope Ducky and Spike's mom is okay because whatever she has does not sound pleasant.
I'm sure, at least, it won't be the #1 guess most people probably have by now ;)
Anyway, really love this fic. Gotta work on my own submission now haha.
Good luck with that! :yes
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This has a chance of becoming real awkward... I don't think it's likely that Littlefoot and Cera are ready to share a chat yet but the situation will certainly turn sourer... Cera's day is unlikely to get any better and there's a good chance Tria will be dragged to the plot too. In any case the descriptions in this chapter were very nice and managed to build a good atmosphere, as you said.
I, too, write daily. Without a strict timetable I fear my writing sessions would become far and between. :p
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I'm glad Cera is seeking out Tria. Don't think her father would be very helpful, especially if it's a "girls" issue as is my guess. Maybe not and that was a bit chauvinistic lol, but I am still very curious as to what's going on with her.
And I really hope Ducky's mom is okay. From the fever and the vomiting, it looks pretty bleak for her at the moment.
Littlefoot better keep his cool, he's the more coolheaded of the two, but he also has a temper. So I hope seeing Cera at the falls doesn't set him off.
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Now we have an interesting situation shaping up. I am pleased that Cera is seeking out help from someone that she feels that she can trust, but now it seems that her and Littlefoot might be on the verge of butting heads (hopefully not literally :p ) as they are going to the same place. But with Littlefoot appearing to be fresh out of patience... things might get a bit dicey here...
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Ugh, I'm suffering from writer's block
:bang
I'll respond to your feedback properly whenever I get the next chapter up. For now, let me just quickly make an announcement:
This story now has a title, though a very unoriginal one. After a lot of debating, I decided to choose the following title for this story:
"If We Hold On Together"
Both of the main plots going on here are reflected by that title in my opinion. I'm not 100% happy with it but it's the best I could come up with (and nobody had any better suggestion either :p) So don't be surprised if you suddenly find a story with that title, I'll ask the admins to make the necessary changes to the thread title :yes
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Finally! Stories must have title! :D
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Yep, yep, yep :D :angel
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Beat writer's block today, yay!
*****
Chapter 10:
As the young Threehorn stuck her head out of a small forest that grew at the shore of the large river fed by the Thundering Falls, she scanned the crowd for the sight of her pink-coloured step-mother. It almost seemed like the whole population of the valley had decided to come to this place on this hot day which wasn’t particularly surprising nor was it in Cera’s favor for that matter. She didn’t like it at all, when places were crowded.
It took her a while but, eventually, Cera spotted Tria. Her step-mother was standing very close to the Thundering Falls, appearing to watch something that could only be Tricia playing in the water. Relieved to have discovered her, Cera began walking towards them, avoiding the crowds as best as possible. As much as she hated them though, she also couldn’t deny that watching strangers do all sorts of things could be entertaining sometimes. Or listening to gossip for that matter. Cera was in no hurry whatsoever – there wouldn’t be any games today, so, instead of hurrying to get to meet Tria as soon as she could, she was slowly strolling along the shore of the river, all the while keeping eyes and ears open for anything to keep her entertained. Had she known whom her eyes would soon spot, she’d probably thought better of it.
*
Littlefoot felt his anger rise to an unhealthy level yet again as his gaze met the orange form of Cera walking on the other side of the stream. How dared she to come back already after everything that happened? Or was she just here for the same reason than he was – to try and cool down not just mentally? Whatever the case, Littlefoot wouldn’t have her here… not now.
*
“What is that flathead doing here?!” Cera couldn’t believe her eyes when she suddenly spotted her friends on the other side of the stream. Whether their meeting was coincidental or not, Cera did not know but neither did she care much. Anger was bottling up in her like a volcano about to explode and her reasoning limited. Yet, Cera didn’t know what to do. Some part of her wanted to charge right through the stream towards the Longneck to chase him away with force but another, smaller part of her also reminded her why she was here in the first place – and it was not to seek fights with dinosaurs who were supposed to be her friends.
“NO, I mustn’t fight now as much as I want to. I have to get to Tria to ask for advice…” Despite that realisation in mind, Cera still couldn’t refrain herself from sending a loathful, penetrating stare in the direction of the Longneck. After all, a fight didn’t have to be fought with horns all the time when a battle of the eyes would do too.
*
“What is she up to?!” Littlefoot noted with annoyance that Cera gave him a very cold stare which almost hurt as much as a piercing stab of her horn. His wrath about Cera’s action prevented any logical reactions though so he simply returned the favor as best as he could, the two dinosaurs fighting a battle of stares for some moments before Cera; apparently, had enough, demonstratively turning away from him while sticking her tail high up into the air.
*
“Stupid flathead, leave me alone…” Cera soon had enough of this little contest, leaving the Longneck behind and continuing her way towards her step-mother, this time keeping her eyes on the ground lest she’d spot other things to enrage her even further on her way. The least she needed right now was an aggressive mood if she wanted to be acting somewhat reasonable in front of Tria who surely wouldn’t take it well if she acted with the same anger towards her that she was expressing towards her friends too.
*
Once Cera was out of his sight, Littlefoot took a deep breath to calm his nerves down again, the tension of the encounter slowly falling from him as he ate a few treestars just to have some distraction for a moment. It was only then when he turned back towards his friends. Did they notice the Threehorn?
The first to enter his view was Spike, having a delayed breakfast. Surely, he seemed very focused on the task.
“He didn’t notice her,” Littlefoot concluded with a shrug and moved on to Petrie and Guido who seemed to be quietly talking among themselves while resting on some rocks. However, the talk seemed carefree and easygoing from what he could tell so he assumed that they didn’t notice her either. “Otherwise Petrie wouldn’t be laughing right now…”
That left only Ducky. Littlefoot discovered her still swimming in the water, however he also noticed something else.
“Ducky is looking very worried…” Maybe he wouldn’t have been too concerned if it had been somebody else from his circle of friends but Ducky clearly wasn’t somebody who worried a lot about life. She was someone who was always seeing the better things – the good in bad people as well as hope in a seemingly desperate situation. Right now, however, none of that was visible on the young Swimmer’s worried face as she seemingly stared at something distant in the sky although there was nothing to see except the deep blue sky.
“Ducky?” Littlefoot decided to approach his friend, partly out of curiosity and concern but also to have something other than the current conflicts to set his mind on. It only dawned on him just why Ducky might be feeling that way as he was walking into the river again.
Ducky?” he repeated when Ducky wasn’t showing any signs that she’d been listening, craning his neck into Ducky’s distant gaze to get her attention.
Ducky jerked slightly when the head of her friend suddenly entered her field of vision, however the moment of surprise quickly passed. Ducky got into a normal swimming position so she could talk to her friend better.
“Yes, Littlefoot?” Ducky could already imagine why his friend would be seeking a talk with her right now so she didn’t make any attempt to hide her emotions whatsoever.
“Are you alright, Ducky?” Littlefoot addressed the Swimmer who made a pretty downcast impression on him, eyeing her cautiously.
“No, I am not,” Ducky responded in all honesty, knowing that it was pointless to pretend here. She had shared the story of what happened earlier that day with the Longneck already so he would have probably deduced what her current gloomy state was all about by now.
“You’re worried about what happened this morning, aren’t you?” Littlefoot analysed, looking at Ducky, understanding. He didn’t even realise that he was, technically, pointing at two separate events. Ducky did.
“It is not Cera I am concerned about, no no no.” She looked down sadly. “I am scared about my mother… what if she does not wake up?”
Ducky’s state of mind wasn’t lost on the Longneck. In an act of friendliness and support, he reached out his tail for Ducky to hold on and placed her on his back. “I wasn’t thinking about Cera either. Have you seen her by the way? She just walked past here and gave me a stare… was heading towards Tria over there,” Littlefoot spoke though Ducky didn’t listen eagerly, merely shaking her head to indicate that she had not. “Anyway uhm… if you’re worried about her, Ducky, maybe we should go to your nest and see if something’s wrong or not?”
Ducky climbed towards the neck of her friend to give it a quick embrace. “Yes, please…” Sighing, she added. “I have a very funny feeling that I cannot explain; right here…” the Swimmer pointed at her chest, rubbing it slightly as if it hurt.
“Hmm, if you have a funny feeling in your tummy, then we should really go. Oftentimes, it’s telling us nonsense but, sometimes, it can also tell us something important… as my Grandpa says anyway…” Littlefoot responded with mixed feelings. “Well, let’s get the others, shall we?”
Ducky nodded.
*****
well, that took too long, huh? Just a heads up, I definitely have the intent to finish the story even though the contest is now finished. The other stories were too good competition anyway :DD
Hope you like the new addition, this is probably the 3rd or 4th take on the scene between Cera and Littlefoot and I'm still not sure if I've handled the scene well but I'm at this point where I stop caring for the sake of continuing it at all. A scene can be altered later on after all, if need be :yes
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What a great surprise is waiting Ducky... :(petrie The next chapter's going to be a sad one but we'll also see what Cera wishes to talk to Tria about. Littlefoot and Cera's "meeting" was a tense one but escalating it further at this point would have benefited no one. Nice chapter as always but the future seems pretty bleak for now.
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Here's a first: Two chapters finished on one day... and I have written part of the next one too... Having a go apparently, well I don't mind :p
*****
Chapter 11:
It took Littlefoot little to no time to convince the others of his idea to go to Ducky’s nest, seeing if everything was alright. Spike was in favor of it anyway and Petrie was quick to jump on Littlefoot’s back too to make sure Ducky had some company while Guido rode on Spike – something he had, admittedly, never done before.
Ducky’s nest was only a few minute’s footwalk from their current position since it was also located at the water. Nobody spoke for a while, the whole situation having a slightly odd and gloomy touch to it despite the low likelihood of something being wrong. After all, everything was probably just a coincidence despite the curious series of unique events. Oddly enough, it was Guido who spoke up first.
“So uhh… Ducky?” he began, a bit unsure how to reach the Swimmer. “What is the funny feeling like that you have? I mean… uhh.” Littlefoot had explained in two sentences what was going on in Ducky’s mind right now before they began to head towards her nest but Guido wanted to know exactly since he had his own experiences with odd feelings. Maybe there was something familiar he’d recognise?
*
“Yeeeeeee!” Tria wore a broad grin on a face as she watched Tricia squealing as she was playing in the shallow water near the mighty waterfalls, splashing water around everywhere. It was a perfect day to relax in her opinion.
As Cera approached carefully, her mind was a mess. Some part of her was still angry, another was just confused about the whole situation and yet another was giving her a very awkward feeling about asking for advice in the first place. Nevertheless, there was no way around this conversation if she wanted answers… and she wanted them badly.
“T-tria?” Cera spoke up quietly, nervousness, a most unfamiliar feeling to the orange coloured Threehorn, making itself known. As the adult turned towards her, Cera asked her piece. “C-can I talk to you? There is something… not right with me I think and… I hope that you might… know how to fix this?” Cera initially regretted her decision but now it was too late to back down as she’d already made a fool out of herself before the actual talk had started.
“Of course, honey,” Tria replied sweetly, turning her full attention to the girl now. “I’ll see if there’s anything I can do.”
“Thanks Tria, I wouldn’t know who else to ask…”
Tria gave a short chuckle at this. “I see, Cera. So what’s the matter?”
“CEWA! Cewa!” Tricia had now noticed the presence of her older sister as well, calling her out in excitement.
“Hey Tricia, I’ll play with you in a bit, but first I need to talk to mum, okay?” Cera addressed her sister, silently appreciating her for the chance to get her nervousness under control. The little one seemed to be pleased with the answer she got, continuing to play in the water while Cera began explaining the problem to Tria…
*
Ducky looked down on herself, rubbing her chest again. “It is very hard to explain, it is, it is…” the girl answered in a voice that indicated how troubled her mind was right now.
“Try?” Petrie offered from her side while Littlefoot quickly looked back to her sitting on his back, giving a confirmative nod – even Spike joining the party, nodding.
Ducky sighed. “I do not know… it feels like something inside of me is narrowing and cringing whenever I think about my mommy, it does. I think it means that something is wrong with her…”
Petrie put one of his wings around her back. “Me sure this not case, she be fine Petrie know she be.” However, Ducky didn’t seem too convinced albeit it was clearly visible that she appreciated the support.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’re just overreacting – I do that all the time, ehehe…” Guido chuckled nervously as he said this.
“Well, her nest is right behind that bent of the river. We’ll know in a bit…” Littlefoot announced in a very serious voice, the tension not lost on him.
*
“…so yeah, that’s what happened anyways…” Cera finished telling Tria about the fight with her friends that had happened earlier. She was by no means proud of her deeds though she also wouldn’t just apologise to Littlefoot.
“Oh my, Cera…” Tria sighed. “Why did you act like that anyway?”
Cera gulped. “That’s the problem, Tria… I don’t know.”
“Care to explain, honey?” Tria asked gently, knowing that it must have taken Cera quite a bit to open up to her like that, considering her usual hardheadedness.
“Sure, I’ll try I suppose…” Cera spoke quietly, collecting her thoughts. “You see… lately, I’m feeling mad at others for no apparent reason! I snap at the smallest insult and I feel like I’ve lost control of my feelings… like, sometimes, I’m totally funny and happy but, sometimes, I just can’t help but feeling like crap! Like… today…” Unsure of herself, Cera looked up at her step-mother, waiting for a reaction.
Tria tilted her head slightly as she observed her daughter very closely. Cera gave her a slightly odd stare but didn’t say anything. Then, Tria spoke up.
“Oh, I think I know what is going on, dear.” The female wore a knowing smile as she said these words.
“Yes? You do?” Cera inquired, curiosity in display.
“I’m not saying Iëm absolutely certain, Cera, but the signs are pretty unambiguous,” Tria responded, her smile becoming even broader up to the point where it actually began annoying her step-daughter.
“Then what is it?!” Cera was back to her usual self now.
“I’ve had it too when I was your age, all Threehorns go through it at some point.” Now Tria’s voice had a mysterious touch to it, gaining Cera’s attention again. “I still remember that one time… Topsy and I were very good friends at the time and I suddenly started getting into arguments with him all of the time and so did he. Now, it seems like you’ve reached that time in life too, Cera.”
“What is ëit’?” Cera wondered, her face still showing doubt. “You never mentioned what ëit’ actually is!” Much to her annoyance, Tria only laughed.
“Oh Cera, you’re growing up, dear.” The dumbstruck face of Cera alone was reason enough for Tria to giggle like a little child.
“Why… of course I am!” the younger Threehorn responded with some pride in her voice, not quite catching the implications of her step-mother’s words.
“Yes, Cera… the point is, honey, I think your current problems are a result of you growing up,” the grown-up explained. “Mr Thicknose may be able to tell you more about this if you’re curious but, for now, let me tell you what I know.”
Cera didn’t object to this as she was now about to hear the reason for her behavior; and, hopefully, the solution of her current problems too.
“As a Threehorn grows up,” Tria introduced. “We all go through changes. We learn, we grow… and we are also going through changes that we cannot see. We can only feel them as they occur, honey.“ Tria gave her step-daughter a smile. “At your age, Threehorns begin to act more competitively and aggressively – and I can also relate to the moodiness you are experiencing. Your dad still hasn’t lost it!”
A quick glance was exchanged, laughter soon following as the two females had some fun on Mr. Threehorn’s expense.
*
Two minutes later, Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie, Guido and Spike stood in front of Ducky’s nest… but they didn’t like the sight.
“Mommy?” Ducky was the first to speak up, her voice unusually shaky. Littlefoot stopped dead in his tracks, gulping audibly while Spike uttered a sound hard to interpret, Guido and Petrie wearing a very worried expression.
“Mommy?!”
*****
How right you were, Sovereign... the shit gets real now to put it a bit blunt :sducky
Well, I just had to end this on a cliffhanger, huh? Fortunately, chances are high I won't allow myself to stop working on this again.
Well, I don't know what else to say right now. I'm eagerly awaiting your reactions for sure ^^spike
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It's a very emotional story ducky123 :D
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Oh no... it looks like the crap is about to hit the fan. :(petrie Based upon what we have seen previously to say that I am concerned for how Ducky's situation will turn out would be an understatement. Meanwhile it looks like Cera is having a bit of the teenage hormones kick in which, when combined with being a threehorn, is a rather violent combination. I wonder if her and Littlefoot can reconcile after this or if the both of them will misconstrue the actions of the other.
These were some excellent chapters, Ducky. :)littlefoot I both look forward to, and dread, what we might see in the subsequent chapter.
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I somehow managed to write this despite being in a huge hype of another fandom right now :lol:
*****
Chapter 12:
As the group was standing in front of the unmoving body of Ducky’s mother, Littlefoot had a terrible dÈj· vu. Suddenly, he was catapulted back in time, the lifeless body of his mother appearing in front of his inner eye, his surroundings momentarily blurred out. It wasn’t until a sound just as terrible as the sight in front of him brought him back to his senses – it was when Spike gave a quiet howl, however it hurt his ears more than the roar of a Sharptooth.
Ducky had jumped off his back in the meantime, taking slow, uneasy steps towards her mother seeming as lifeless as a rock. Everybody was rendered incapable of movement and speech as the gravity of the situation began to dawn on each of them – even Ducky stopping her zombie-like walk, reaching one hand out towards her mother as if trying to grasp her with her tiny arms.
“Mommy?” It was hardly a whisper, only audible because every other sound around them was of no importance whatsoever.
“Oh no…” Littlefoot finally found his voice again, though his throat was unusually dry, while Spike uttered another howl. The Longneck could clearly spot the first signs of tears in the eyes of his two friends – it was almost enough to make him tear up as well.
“She no deserve this…” Petrie spoke in a croaky voice, sharing his friends’ emotions, not trying to hide his tears as they welled up in his eyes.
As the four young dinosaurs stood there, unable to move, speak, think or even breathe, Guido suddenly found himself in a very uncomfortable situation. It was an awkward feeling, almost as if he didn’t belong here. He was almost about to leave his friends to not disturb them when something caught his eye…
*
“Anyway, you don’t have to blame yourself for the things that happened today…” Tria continued once the laughter had died down again. “Though I would also advise you not to use it as an excuse for your behavior. We may not be able to have full control on our moods, thoughts and feelings all of the time but we still have the choice not to act on them as they are occurring, Cera. So, next time you’re feeling angry without any reason, just try to understand that it’s a passing thing and try not to let it get the better of you as it happened today.”
“I can try, I suppose,” Cera replied though some doubt still remained. “But what if I can’t? And how do I fix the whole situation now? I can’t just go to Littlefoot and say that I was being a butthole!”
“If you can’t, you should take a break,” Tria advised. “Go someplace else, distract yourself for a while until it passes. As for fixing the mess… I think that’s exactly what you have to do. Say you’re sorry and prove that you mean it, dear.”
Cera didn’t like that answer at all. “B-but I can’t just back down? I may have ignored my pride to seek you out and ask for help but there’s no way I back down in front of a stupid flathead!”
Tria sighed, still upholding a slight smile though. “You’re so much like your father… but there are times when we have to show our weaknesses… or admit that we’ve made a mistake. Even your father makes mistakes sometimes, you know?”
“I know too well…” Cera rolled her eyes, his infamous mistake during the great fire in the valley coming to her mind.
“See, it’s tough to be strong and brave but it’s even tougher if you’re not hiding your weaknesses and admit when you’re in the wrong.”
Cera wasn’t particularly sure what to make of it yet. She could not just scrap years and years of her father’s influence, could she? What self-esteem would be left after she’d admitted to being guilty in front of her friends? And would they even accept an apology?
“Are you sure this is right, Tria?” Cera reassured herself. “It doesn’t feel… right.”
At this, Tria began showing some mixture of concern and also anger. “I think I will need to have a talk with your father about your education…” she muttered under her breath. “Cera, if you want to fix your friendship with Littlefoot, there’s no way around it. For today, maybe stay apart from each other. Tomorrow, tempers will have calmed down. Tell your friends what happened, I’m sure they’ll understand.” Tria encouraged.
“O-okay… then I’ll try that…” Cera sighed as she was still not fully agreeing to the thought, however seeing the necessity of this action now. “Well, thanks for your help, Tria.” Cera bowed slightly, that alone showing how glad she now was that she knew what was going on with her even though there was little she could do about it as it seemed.
“Why, you’re welcome, honey!” Tria replied, smiling warmly. In an act of motherly affection, she even gave Cera a nuzzle.
“Tria, you know I don’t like that…” Cera quietly complained, almost as if she was ashamed of it. In the end, she endured the procedure without further complaints.
The grown-up just chuckled. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Cera?”
“Not right now, thanks,” Cera replied. “I think I’ll spend the day with Tricia then, huh?”
“Well…” Tria was smirking slightly. “How about a mother-child day? Only you, Tricia and me?”
Cera was considering for a quick moment but she didn’t see any reason to object when she considered that there wouldn’t be any games with her friends today after what had transpired.
“Sure, why not?”
*
Guido rubbed his eyes again to make sure his discovery was not a blunder on his part. It was almost as if he’d seen the Swimmer’s chest… move? With all concentration he could muster in such a situation of extreme stress, the Glider focused his eyes on Ducky’s mother entirely, ignoring the sounds of grief uttered by the two siblings, ignoring Littlefoot who was slowly walking up to Ducky to spend some comfort, all that mattered being his possible discovery now. Guido waited and waited. Did his eyes mislead him? Was there any life left in the dinosaur in front of him? Would Ducky and Spike be orphans now? Many questions were beginning to cloud not just Guido’s mind but his eyes as well. In an act of extreme willpower, he blocked them once more. Just at that moment, he saw it again.
“Her chest… i-it’s moving… it’s moving!” Now there was no doubt anymore. There was movement… and that surely meant… life!
“Errm… guys?” Guido perceived his own voice almost as loud as a scream even though it was hardly above a whisper. He also wasn’t sure if anybody was paying attention but he spoke his piece anyhow. “Guys listen… I-I think it’s not too late yet… look…”
Littlefoot was the only one who had managed to maintain his composure for the most part. Not stopping to be there for Ducky, he blinked the moisture out of his eyes to allow for a somewhat clear sight and cast his look onto the Swimmer about a length of a tree in front of him, lying on her side, a pained expression on her face before she must have lost consciousness.
“What’s wrong with her? Did she get sick like my Grandpa long ago?” The Longneck knew what to look for. Ever since his infamous encounter with a Sharptooth that looked dead but turned out to be very well alive, he knew better than to assume a dinosaur to be dead before making sure he really was – or, in this case, wasn’t.
“She’s just breathing, it’s hardly noticeable but she is… there’s…” Littlefoot decided to say the last words aloud.
“Guys, there’s still hope! She’s breathing!”
*****
Well, did you think I'd be that evil? Though, wait, the story isn't finished yet. Still many opportunities for me to be evil ^^spike
It's a very emotional story ducky123 biggrin.gif
That it is indeed :p
Oh no... it looks like the crap is about to hit the fan. sadpetrie_by_rockingscorpion-d9nxkqn.png Based upon what we have seen previously to say that I am concerned for how Ducky's situation will turn out would be an understatement. Meanwhile it looks like Cera is having a bit of the teenage hormones kick in which, when combined with being a threehorn, is a rather violent combination. I wonder if her and Littlefoot can reconcile after this or if the both of them will misconstrue the actions of the other.
These were some excellent chapters, Ducky. littlefoot1_by_rockingscorpion-d9nxnsx.png I both look forward to, and dread, what we might see in the subsequent chapter.
Thank you very much, I hope they were worth the long wait (nothing compared to the time you usually have to wait for updates of SDP but.. ehh :lol )
As for the Cera-Littlefoot f®iendship, let's just say that I've got some good plans :smile
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Damn, they don't call you the evil swimmer for nothing, you almost had me there haha.
Now I really wanna know what's up with Ducky's mom. Will they have to go on another wild goose chase to find a cure? Who knows!
And man I like the way you portray Tria here. She's a threehorn but not an overtly aggressive one and she's a good influence on Cera. I like how she wants to talk to Topps about going overboard with Cera's upbringing. Indeed that does seem to be a topic that has come up frequently on this board lately.
looking forward more as always!
Gut gemacht!
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*random detector detects yet another Ducky's unfinished story*
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Hopefully soon he'll get it done if it's not done already
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actually, I was gonna try to bump this one today. Maybe I'll get a new chapter done later. I'm in writing mood today after all ^^spike But first... *posts new story* :angel
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*posts new story* :angel
My point: When you have dozen unfinished stories at the same time, it would be very difficult to finish them all...
:angel
Be careful with that
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I know :angel
So I was working on the new chapter now but there's one question I have (and the course of action will probably depend a little on that):
Should Ali be part of this story?
I'd like to hear your opinion if you have one that is ;) I pretty much don't care (and I won't use any romantic plotline either :p) but I think it could make the rest of the story a little more interesting ^^spike
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Well, I wasn't exactly expecting for Ali to make an appearance and I'm not sure what her addition would accomplish judging by the parts we've seen at this point. But I don't know what's going to happen before the end and if you think she would add something to those events, introduce her by no means. Do whatever you think makes the story better. :)
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Should Ali be part of this story?
Only if there's no romantic relationsips with one specific character we all know. x(cera
and wait, you still don't have general plot for story?
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I do know, what's about to happen in the next chapters, don't worry :) The addition of Ali would simply alter some of those scenes a little and probably add a bit to the story in general.