The Meeting of the HerdsThe afternoon was slowly growing old as the familiar walls of the Great Valley slowly started to creep over the distant horizon. All of the seven friends were tired from the day of emotional and physical ordeals but each of them knew that the worst and most challenging part was still before them. They wouldn’t return to the Valley without Ruby and Chomper but what happened if that wasn’t possible in any reasonable way? Luckily for the young dinosaurs, the sail-backed sharptooth didn’t return and they had the whole journey to think of a winning strategy in the coming battle for the Valley’s minds and hearts.
The propositions had been many, from the strict rejection of the Valley’s probable decision to expel the two to the pure coaxing of their parents. Still, in the end, this was an issue for all the Valley’s herds so they should have as many grown-ups on their side as possible. Petrie looked around himself in concern and confusion as he mentally prepared to their return into their home. Surely, the Bright Circle and the Warm Time wouldn’t allow the worst to happen? He and his friends had done their all to please the unseen benefactors of the fliers and the other dinosaurs and he had often wished to live in the belief that he had made it this far with his friends’ as well as the Bright Circle’s help.
Littlefoot’s expression was strictly fearful. Even if many in the Valley had disapproved his and his friends’ actions in the past, none of them had ever been under the threat of an exile. This wasn’t the first time he’d stand up to his friends but it was by far the most serious one.
At least this time each of us agrees on what we are doing. I nothing else, my Grandpa and Grandma should have a powerful say today. Hopefully… just hopefully, I’ll be able to spend the night with them… The longneck thought awkwardly, not willing to think about the alternate possibility. To him, only one outcome was acceptable. He had always gone to any lengths to help his friends and this time was no exception.
Ruby and Chomper walked behind the others, clearing their thoughts to put up as effective defense as they simply could. The coming hour would decide their future for a long time and they didn’t want to let down their friends’ display of trust and loyalty. Chomper felt extremely hopeful inside that he would be able to escape his feared future for now. Ruby, on the other hand, felt distinct concern due to her family’s absence from the Hanging Rock but she had to hope that they were safe somewhere. The two were prepared to go through this together, no matter the outcome. A certain, encouraging message was clear each time they exchanged thoughts.
At least we’re in this together.The Bright Circle was still high in the sky as a few flying, shadowy figures could be seen over the Valley’s walls. They started to quickly grow closer to the seven friends and it was mere minutes before they could be identified as Volant and her cousins who also lived in the Valley. It was clear that they had spent a long day searching for the lost children but, luckily to them, this time they returned rather quickly and safely. Still, Volant’s voice was far from happy when she and her relatives landed near the seven friends. She got straight to the point when she saw that Ruby and Chomper were with them.
“I’m glad that you’re alright, children, but we all know that Ruby and Chomper can’t go back to the Valley. The herds will never accept it.” The flier put her hands to her hips in a show of resolution and decisiveness. She had stood by her original judgement the whole day and she wasn’t willing to change it now. In the light of everything that had happened, she was rather surprised to hear Petrie’s answer.
“Actually, we think we have a chance, momma. Just give us that chance.” Petrie said in a soft voice, not willing to alienate his own mother and one of the adults that could prove helpful in the proposed gathering. He knew Volant didn’t have a personal drive to exile the two but even letting them to the Valley for a meeting would be a formidable show of trust and personal investment in their cause. If the attempt failed, her own and the fliers’ standing among the herds would take a blow.
“Ruby and Chomper have their homes to return to, Petrie. Believe me this once, things will be better if we won’t take this issue up in the Valley.” Volant tried to plead to her son, desperately willing to avoid conflicts with her son and the Valley. She looked in deep confusion and concern as Chomper approached her.
“We have thought about this a lot, Ms. Flier. It would be easy for us to leave right now but we would really like to live in the Valley as long as we can. We may be sharp- of halfteeth but we really didn’t steal the egg. We could have eaten it before you found us but we didn’t.” Chomper tried to reason carefully before Ruby came to his side. The fast runner took a more serious and apologizing tone.
“We are terribly sorry for what happened. I’ll never forgive myself for the mistake I made but please, believe us when we say we stand a chance to convince the Valley. We’ve helped you and everyone else so many times and I think we have many friends there who would listen to us.” Ruby spoke softly as she looked into Volant’s eyes. The flier looked extremely conflicted when one of her companions spoke to her.
“Don’t listen to them. Even if they end up being innocent, the fight to prove it will create divisions in the Valley for many Cold Times to come! Risking it and our own position I the Valley isn’t worth two children who have to leave it anyway!” The male flier’s voice told everyone that he took no joy in his strict position but he believed that his argument was completely rational. Another of Volant’s companions continued in a more hostile voice.
“And even that’s a big if! A fast runner found with a broken egg in the middle of the night doesn’t sound too innocent to me!” The other flier tried to continue but Volant waved her silent. He could see that Petrie said what he genuinely believed to be the truth and she couldn’t deny her own debt to the duo. Chomper had even saved her life when she was about to drown in the flood during the Days of Rising Waters. He could have attacked her children back had he wanted to but he had only wanted to help. Suddenly, she felt extremely guilty for putting the two in this position even if she still knew her responsibility to her herd. She took deep breaths when she turned to look at the children, taking deep breaths as she prepared to reveal her decision. She was clearly bothered and she held many pauses during her answer.
“Ruby… Chomper… You must understand that I’m taking a huge personal risk with this. And don’t be surprised if I don’t always stand up to you because I still am not sure what to believe. But what I do believe is that you deserve a chance to stand up to yourselves. I just fear it will be much harder than last time.” Volant’s eyes took an apologizing hue as she spoke the last words, implicating that her own stance was still undecided. The male flier to her left looked at Volant in chagrin and fear, saying in a demanding voice.
“That is a huge mistake, Volant! Nothing good will come of this!” The words were largely overshadowed by sounds of jubilation from the children who were seemingly delighted by this chance the flier had given them. Volant felt happiness to see their reaction but she also understood her cousin’s opinion. With a sigh, she answered.
“I don’t know about it anymore but I stand by my words. They deserve a chance. Come, we have to alert the Valley about the meeting.” After those words, the adult flier raised her voice so that the seven friends could hear it also.
“One of us will stay here to check that you stay safe. Come to the Valley as soon as you can, we’ll call the herds. They should be gathered by the time you reach the Circle. Even if I cannot say whether I like it or not, you kids sure have the courage to get things done. Let’s hope it will also be enough today.” Volant took a brief smile before Petrie answered to her in delight.
“Thank you so much, momma! Don’t worry, soon things be good again! See you soon!” Petrie smiled as he took flight. Volant nodded in approval as she and the other fliers save for one took flight. Littlefoot looked at the departing forms and quickly spoke to the others. Volant’s words had invoked further hopes within the longneck of their gamble succeeding and he felt great happiness and even pride as he turned to look at the others.
“Let’s go. Let’s show everyone what we can do.”
Volant looked in clear hesitation as each of the herds started to gather around the Rock Circle, most of them confused about the situation whereas some others looked outright agitated. The fliers by her side didn’t look any more encouraged but they had been with her in gathering this meeting. No matter their opinion on things, Volant hoped they would stay reasonable along with everyone who had come today. The first blow to the flier’s composure came from Mr. Threehorn whose voice was very blunt. He had been very fast to accept the official account of Ruby and Chomper’s fall from grace.
“What is the meaning of this? The egg-stealers are gone and Cera with them! We should be going after them rather than talking here and doing nothing!” The threehorn said in clear agitation as he looked at Volant. His position earned him many cheers among the crowd as usual. The flier waited for a moment in growing despair as the voices started to calm down.
“The kids are on their way back here with Ruby and Chomper right now. I met them and I decided to call…” Volant’s answer was disturbed by a cry from the clubtails’ direction. it was a mixture of outrage and sorrow as the female clubtail tried to cope with the loss of one of her children. She had spent the crying and trying to call for a group to catch the murderers. The clubtail was filled with sorrow and bitterness.
“Then drive them far away from here or even better, crush them! I will not let those child-murderers step to our beautiful Valley ever again! What were you thinking, barkbrain? They have no right to even come here!” The clubtail spat at the flier in clear disgust and fury. Volant felt rage rise over the larger dinosaurs’ words when she heard Petrie’s voice near her.
“Me friends already in the Valley, momma! They here right away!” The younger flier had decided to arrive faster than the others to inform his mother that she wouldn’t have to wait with the others for long. However, Petrie was momentarily disheartened by the grim looks the assembled dinosaurs gave him. He quickly landed by his mother’s side who them whispered to him silently.
“Yes, the meeting will be tough, Petrie. I just hope you and your friends can make your case clear!” Volant said as she prepared to answer to the others. At this point the older flier would have wished she had chosen differently about calling this meeting but there was no turning back anymore. She gulped audibly as she continued to calm the situation down until the seven friends would arrive.
I hope I won’t have to see the others today, I do, I do! Things are bad enough right now!Ducky thought as she walked through the Valley by her friends’ side. Even if she had calmed down somewhat, the prospect of having to once again meet her siblings brought great concern to the swimmer. Trying to convince the grown-ups was bad enough but if she had to fight with her siblings at the same time… things would get really horrifying. The swimmer’s steps were nervous but she did her best to put on a brave face for the sake of her friends. There was far too much at stake here to worry about such small personal issues.
Littlefoot looked awkwardly at the distance. He could see that all of the Valley’s adults had gathered there. Some of them looked happy to see the seven young dinosaurs, some were confused and some were seemingly hostile. Littlefoot was taken aback by the cold welcome but forced his legs to take the steps forward. Soon, as the longneck was near enough, he decided to break the silence, no matter awkward the manner would be.
“Uhh… hi everyone! I… it’s great to see you’re all here already!” Littlefoot tried to accompany his words with a smile but it quickly turned into a goofy-looking grin. The longneck realized it quickly and he was saddened when he heard the first answer. It was the dead hatchling’s father.
“I don’t care whether it was you who killed my child or your friends, you’re all as guilty! Get out of this Valley now, or I don’t answer for my actions!” It was clear that the clubtail was serious as his voice dripped venom and cold hatred as his eyes glared at Littlefoot. The scary moment was interrupted by Littlefoot’s grandfather who spoke to the clubtail in a calm but commanding voice.
“Each of us partakes in your loss, Mr. Clubtail, but this is a matter left to all of us in the Valley. You may have your say but please, calm down and stop threatening Littlefoot.” The old longneck looked in compassion at the smaller dinosaur whose answer was interrupted by a domehead.
“For what? Those heartless killers don’t deserve to be heard!” The domehead spoke in anger as she looked at the longneck in an accusing glare.
“Ever since we came here, all of the herds have decided upon matters together. No matter what is to come, you will not decide about anything alone any more than I do!” Ducky’s father said matter-of-factly, willing to make the domehead see reason. During these gatherings, each herd had one vote and it had to be formed by consensus within the herd’s families. The system had been adopted due to the fact that the herds with larger families would otherwise soon hold too much power. Sometimes the consensus would be hard to build and in those cases abstaining from the vote was the most usual option. Before anyone else could say anything more, Littlefoot’s Grandmother spoke quickly in order to stop the dangerous escalation.
“Now that we’re all here, Volant can explain to us why she gave Ruby and Chomper a chance to come to this meeting.” The message was clear: the longneck didn’t expect the duo’s case to be accepted. Volant sighed in relief and glanced gratefully at the longnecks. Without further interruptions, the flier started.
“I’m sure we all know by now what happened last night and I’m not saying that I trust our two guests myself. However, seeing to which lengths our children trust them and, whether you like it or not, how much they’ve helped us in the last seasons, I wanted to give them a chance to make their voices heard. I truly believe that they deserve that much. I’m going to be honest, I don’t know what they are up to but I can only ask you to have an open mind. Ruby, say what you have to say.” The adult flier said in a tired voice and the fast runner wasted no time in moving to the speaker’s rock. Chomper followed near her but he didn’t rise to the stone just yet. Ruby felt her heart sink as she looked at all the murderous glares from the audience. With a wavering voice, she started to speak.
“He… hello, everyone! There’s nothing I can say to repair the damage I have done but I promise to you, I and Chomper didn’t do what we did because we meant it. We tried to save the egg from egg-stealers and we succeeded but in a way, I’m a killer also. I tripped and the egg crashed because of my clumsiness.” Ruby felt a tear fall from her eye as she taught about the life she had wasted so stupidly. In a way, she would have wanted to sink inside the rock as she felt unworthy to stand before the parents of the baby who would never see sunlight. Still, it was too late to regret her return to the Valley. Her internal conflict was stopped by Cera’s father who called to the fast runner in an accusing voice.
“It’s useless to paint yourself as innocent! There was never any proof of these eggstealers and it does you no good to invent these things to make yourself look less guilty!” Other voices joined the choir of accusations and Ruby felt like her head was slowly getting crushed under today’s weight. With a desperate voice, she called over the noise in a loud voice.
“But it’s true, true it is! We had a chance to eat the baby but we didn’t! Why would we steal an egg after all this time, break it and leave the hatchling lie in a bush! You have no reason to believe me but it’s not logical! Also, why would we have broken the egg in the middle of the Canyon where any flier can see us?” Ruby tried to reason to the Valley denizens when a voice called from the crowd.
“Maybe the hunger got the better of your judgement, sharptooth!” Another chorus of accusations rose from the assembled dinosaurs and they ranged from pure bloodthirst to the accused stupidity of “all sharpteeth”, including the omnivores. Ruby frowned heavily at this outburst but the fast runner knew she’d have to keep her cool. At this point the rest of the seven friends started to disperse towards their families, resolved to ease the verbal bombardment Ruby was going through.
Cera felt great anger as she walked towards her father, her blood boiling as she listened to his words and cries in the crowd. However, she knew there was no way she could approach the older threehorn in a hostile manner and hope for him to listen. With great effort, Cera approached her father and tried to keep her voice as friendly and neutral as she could. She wasn’t about to listen to his father’s bellowing for any longer.
“Could you please listen for a moment, daddy?” Cera said as her father seemed startled by the sudden words. He turned to quickly look at his daughter who had managed to approach him without the older threehorn noticing. His composition immediately softened as he saw her daughter return safe and sound. Volant had said that she was with the others so there had been no reason to be concerned about Cera’s whereabouts. However, he was more than happy to see Cera gree him even if he could already see what she was going to say.
“I know what you think, Cera, but there’s nothing to talk about! The way I see it, the case is completely clear!” The adult threehorn prepared to listen to Ruby’s next words but Cera’s still-restrained voice took his attention. Mr. Threehorn would have wanted to be left alone with this matter but he knew that Cera wouldn’t give up this easily.
“Didn’t you hear what Ruby just said? If she and Chomper were searching for a meal here, they could have killed any of us during their time here or stolen any egg they would have wanted to. I know you never wanted them here anyway but listen to me this one time, daddy. They were with us in releasing the Valley’s water supply and in getting rid of sand crawlers and they always acted like one of us. They didn’t do it daddy, trust me” Cera was about to continue when another voice which had been silent until now joined the conversation.
“Cera’s right, Topsy. If Ruby and Chomper had been up to no good, we would have seen it by now. I know you don’t easily trust other dinosaurs too often but we do this time.” Tria said as she moved closer to her mate. She had grown very fond of the duo and she was far from happy with her mate’s handling of the situation. The male threehorn looked extremely bothered but he tried to keep his composure intact. He stuttered for a moment before he could clear out his thoughts.
“But… the flier told that she was sure of their guilt! I’m more than capable of understanding that she meant what she said! Leave me alone, there’s a meeting to attend to!” The older threehorn wished to shrug the issue quickly away as he didn’t want to be proven wrong once again. He trusted Cera and Tria’s judgement but there were times he wanted to get something done where he was sure he was right. He had suffered too many defeats in the meetings to take on further setbacks kindly.
“Like many of the times where your decisions were far from perfect? Daddy, I’ve known my friends for a long time and there’s nothing dangerous about them! We must let them stay!” Cera sharpened her voice quickly while her father took a deep sigh. She couldn’t deny Cera’s friendship with them but he wanted to do what he thought was right. The older threehorn was at a clear loss on what to say. After a moment, he tried to counter her argument.
“I’ve always done what I thought was right! Cera, you must believe me that not once did I put my personal well-being before yours. I always wanted the best and you know It!” Mr. Threehorn tried to put on a brave defense but, to his great shame, they ended up hurting the older dinosaur himself than they did Cera’s position. His grave mistake in the huge forest fire during the drought, his efforts to separate Cera from Littlefoot and most importantly, his inability help his dear mate and children and his poor herd during their journey to the Valley. It was the truth that he had always cared about the others even more than about himself but total failure had more often than not been his prize. The mere thought about his original mate made him want to weep. Cera was his only concrete memory of her, the only thing that bound him to the past he had been forced to leave behind. Looking at Cera’s pleading eyes made something turn in the threehorn’s mind. He had shown his daughter far too seldom how much she really meant to him and the older threehorn understood how much Cera’s friends meant to her.
If this is a way to make you happy, Cera, then so be it. I can do this. Even if it would hurt him in the power struggle in the Valley, the threehorn could see this was a perfect time to show his appreciation to Cera and to please Tria. He took a much softer expression and almost smiled as she looked at Cera.
“I’ll think about it, Cera.” Something in the aging threehorn’s voice told Cera that he really meant what he said. She took on a much happier face and nuzzled her father gently. This rare display of affection was largely missed by the herds too busy to bombard Ruby with their accusations to pay attention to other things.
Volant looked with a mixed expression at the scene below the large cliff she was standing on. No matter her initial reservations, her opinion was slowly moving to Ruby and Chomper’s side in the argument as she listened to Ruby’s emotional memories about her time in the Valley and the times she had been helpful to the others. Likewise, Petrie’s urgent and genuine efforts to help his friends were slowly starting to register in the older flier’s mind and the initial arguments were rather convincing. She had seen the scene firsthand and, after hearing the fast runner’s descriptions, she was forced to believe that they hadn’t been up to egg-stealing, no matter what it had looked like. Even if Petrie had often been repeatedly manipulated, most prominently by her brother, and easy to persuade, the adult flier could see that this was not the case here. It was clear that he was fuly and completely ready to accept the duo’s innocence. Volant was startled by a sudden comment from her left.
“Well, Volant, this is going much better for you than expected! Even the old threehorn seems to be starting to hesitate! It seems that the kids are quite good at persuading.” The male flier said with an unreadable expression. Even if he had initially tried to prevent this whole meeting from commencing, he was pleased to see his cousin’s initiative hadn’t been crushed right away. He was somewhat amused to hear Petrie’s voice speak to him. The younger flier’s voice was joking but it carried a sense of genuinely and gratefulness to it.
“It easier to trust us when we save the Valley so many times! Also, Ruby a great speaker and she make the others easily see that she speak the truth! Petrie so happy with this meeting!” The brown flier sounded extremely hopeful and the older flier smiled slightly when he answered. Even if he and Petrie didn’t see each other too often, he was rather caring of his young relative and his siblings. Seeing that the fliers weren’t going to be completely shamed today, his tone changed into an almost friendly one.
“Well, I hope this goes well for your sake, Petrie. Who would I be if I voted for their exile just to spoil your day. I’ll help make them stay if the consensus starts to shift towards that direction.” The older flier was happy to announce the good news to his cousin’s son after he realized that the stakes were lowered considerably. Petrie looked at him in excitement before he nodded in approval. He answered quickly to the older male flier in clear appreciation.
“Thank you so much, uncle! Petrie promise Ruby will make the others see how things are! Thank you!” Petrie didn’t find much more to say in this situation but two major blocs, Cera’father and his relatives, had been won to their side. Petrie sat down to the cliff to see how things would turn out. He felt perfectly confident as the rays of the late afternoon shined on him.
Ducky was having different challenges than her friends. Her parents were very understanding to her stance and they were happy to agree with her. Ducky looked in slight happiness at the developments around her. Most notable was Cera’s conversation with her father and the clear uneasiness the older threehorn was apparently going through. Ruby had vacated the stone in order for the herds to be able to think about the developments before the voting process could begin. The fast runner had gone through her points but the others could have their say before the vote, if they wanted to. Ducky looked at Spike in a tired but somewhat relieved look. She was about to speak to her adopted brother when one of her sisters came to talk to her. Ducky had sat down further away from her siblings to avoid this but apparently they had a different idea.
“Is it really that hard to stay out of trouble, Ducky? Mom has been concerned the whole day and now you spoiled the evening with this meeting!” The speaking swimmer was darker green than Ducky and her voice was far from friendly. It was a mixture of smug jeer and real annoyance that had been far too common among the swimmers lately. Ducky closed her hands into a fist and felt her anger rise already as she answered.
“You know where we were, Tide! I know you have never approved of my and Spike’s trips but that’s none of your concern! Could you please go away?” The swimmer felt a flicker of bitterness flow through her as she thought about herself and her siblings. It wasn’t too long ago when they were on good terms but for some reason, which wasn’t completely Spike and his deviancy, that had escalated drastically lately. Now, Ducky wasn’t willing to even see most of her siblings but this time she had hoped she could have escaped this torture. She sighed internally when another voice spoke behind her.
“Without this interruption we would be still playing but now we are forced to be here listening to this boring talk! This is all your and Spike’s fault!” Another young swimmer approached Ducky, this one male, and his expression was just as furious as his sister’s. This time Ducky turned around and her voice started to turn into an extremely toxic one. One that many others wouldn’t have even recognized to have belonged to Ducky if they hadn’t seen them come out of her mouth.
“If that’s what you have to say, you may just leave. We did this to help our friends and if you think that’s wrong, I don’t want to hear it, no, no, no.” Ducky turned her gaze back towards the main group of assembled dinosaurs and prayed in her mind that the other swimmers would leave her at peace. To her great chagrin, that wouldn’t be the case.
“You mean those sharpteeth? We would all be better off without them! It seems your company has turned into an ever more stupid one!” Most of the young swimmers didn’t know whether this behavior was “innocent” teasing or full-blown conflict but in the huge group of siblings it was easy to join this mentality and not question its reasons in any way. There were only two or three who had initially joined in bullying Ducky but it had since become a nonverbal consensus among the children that the two were unpopular. Their parents had noticed some kind of problems among their offspring but they couldn’t guess its severity and Ducky wasn’t willing to tell them. But now Ducky could see that the situation was getting too mean for her to stay. With a barely contained voice, Ducky walked to her brother and whispered to him silently. Spike seemed extremely sad about the situation and grunted in regret. Ducky merely sighed and whispered to him in a nearly tear-choking voice.
“Let’s go see if the others have come back, Spike. I don’t want to stay here any longer.”
“Well done, Ruby! Some are looking really confused!” Chomper said as he spoke to the exhausted fast runner. The sharptooth felt distinct embarrassment for leaving the speaking to Ruby but he couldn’t deny that the larger dinosaur was a better speaker and had a better chance in building confidence among the herds. The young sharptooth waited eagerly for the vote o see if they truly had done well enough to regain the herds’ trust. The formula of the gathering was still the same as the first time so at least it wouldn’t bring any surprises.
“Yes… yes they do, Chomper! Cera and Petrie did well, well they did! I wasn’t shouted silent too many times anymore and some even seemed to realize but my point. At least we weren’t driven off right away as I had feared.” Ruby said while she panted, thankful for her friends for speaking to their parents and silencing at least part of the opposition. Chomper looked at the fast runner in a hesitating, unsure look before he spoke silently and carefully.
“Do you think we’ll win? Silencing Cera’s dad is really a good start but is it enough?” Chomper said with a slight smile on his face. Seeing all the trust and help his friends had given him and Ruby brought him great warmth and relief during this day of distress. No matter what happened, the duo’s fate would be decided within an hour.
“A good start it is but I’m still afraid, Chomper. Some of the herds seem to have turned more understanding to us but the biggest problem remains. Even if most support us, I don’t want to think what the clubtails are going to do if we win or what my parents would do to someone who would have killed anyone of my family. In a way, Chomper, I feel terrible and guilty for defending myself to the family whose child I took from them.” Ruby said glumly as she looked at the blue sharptooth. The fact that she tried to free herself from the crime she actually did, even if unwillingly, made her feel worse than the fast runner had expected.
“Yeah… you’re right. Even if it was an accident, we can never show ourselves to them again. I cannot blame them for wanting our blood but even then, we only tried to help. We shouldn’t blame ourselves for the rest of our lives for a single, well-willing but failed chase.” Chomper sounded beaten as he thought about the full implications of their deed but he chose to trust his own words. That was the best chance either of them had. Ruby would have wanted to talk more about her fears but she knew it would help little if she, who was known to be calm and reasonable, would start to panic. Ruby was about to answer when she heard an elderly, familiar voice speak among the crowd.
“May I have my say? I’d like to tell you something I think could clear the whole situation.” the voice belonged to Mr. Thicknose who had thus far been quiet. His voice was grim but soft and he looked at the others in an asking look. Even if his position in the Valley had taken a massive hit during the fall of the Valley’s first Frozen Sky Stars, his respect had partly been restored by his genuine and invaluable advice later on and his unmatched knowledge. No matter what, the ancient dinosaur’s word would find many listening to them among the crowd. Everyone fell silent in the Valley as Thicknose started to speak.
“Ruby and Chomper have lived irreproachably with us for three Cold Times, without the least of incidents against the Valley. At this point, I doubt they have harbored hostile feelings on us, at least willingly, and because of that, the only thing that could possibly explain their claimed egg-stealing would be the hunger madness.” Loud voices of gossip rose up from the crowd as they contemplated the old dinosaur’s words. Few of them cared about the meat-eaters’ issues and so nearly none of them had heard about this hunger madness. Ruby and Chomper looked at their teacher in puzzlement, unable to decide whether they approved Thicknose’s initiative. Hunger madness was something they both dreaded heinously as their worst memories in their past were from the early stages of that bloodthirsty, meat-craving hunger. It was one of any dinosaur’s worst fears and they weren’t pleased to hear themselves and it in the same sentence.
“It’s close to impossible that Ruby would have succumbed to it back then because she, despite also eating meat, can eat the green food here, as you all know. I can promise you that Ruby wouldn’t have done that willingly and the hunger madness is out of the question. However, there’s a chance she could have done it for Chomper. Even then, I doubt that’s the case here. We should have seen it earlier and in that condition, he should have attacked one of our children brashly, not the eggs. I’ve heard many tales about the times when sharpteeth lose their self-control and this occasion surely doesn’t sound like one. And, as I said, I hardly doubt they did it willingly. The way I see it, this was a pure mistake as Ruby and Chomper claimed, not a calculated kill. I say that we let them stay here.” The old dinosaur’s announcement earned many approving nods but part of the crowd seemed to explode into loud cries and enraged shouts. Thicknose walked slowly into his former place to escape the flurry of cries coming from some of the assembled herds. The whole gathering seemed to descent into chaos until one voice overshadowed the others in its enraged bellowing.
“SILENCE! He had his right to speak and we will not rob it from him! We will vote on this matter as we have always done!” The voice that seemed to freeze the whole scene still belonged to Mr. Threehorn who seemed to have lost his patience due to his internal confusion and the antics of some of the herds. He was surprised to be countered by another, just as furious voice.
“So that we can be manipulated to letting a murderer back into the Valley!? Can’t you see that we’re all being deceived? The kids can’t be the only reason you change your minds about this! I always thought you more reasonable than this, threehorn!” The clubtail’s voice dipped poison and disgust as she looked at the threehorn. An observer could have found the latter’s changed role in the gatherings amusing if the stakes hadn’t been so incredibly high. The threehorn wasn’t used to such blunt-worded opposition to his stance as the longnecks had often been his principal adversaries in the past. Rather unusually for him, he decided to back down a bit from his previous stance. Creating a long-term rift between himself and the clubtails could cause him even more trouble in the meetings of the future. Still, he tried to keep on a rough mask on his face in order to retain his status.
“You don’t have to tell me about such things! I lost many children and my mate to the sharpteeth so I know what you think about this. Still, we must do this according to our traditions or else this Valley would soon fall apart. I promise you, should the vote go your way, the two will receive a just punishment!” The threehorn hit the ground with his leg in order to underline his point. The clubtail looked at him in disappointment but at the sight of the condemning faces around her, she decided to take the chance. In her grief, the clubtail couldn’t see a scenario where she and her mate would lose the vote.
“Very well. But remember: she is a child-killer and a filthy thief and he is a mere bloodthirsty monster! Remember this when you think about your stance.” The clubtail backed down slowly, her eyes looking at Ruby and Chomper with a murderous glance. The two gulped and tried to ignore the voices in their own conscience. The knowledge that each and every part of the unending hatred towards them was earned brought great unease upon the two. Their internal conflicts were interrupted when Grandpa Longneck’s voice could be heard in the clearing.
“It’s time for us to reveal what we have decided. Each of the herds may tell during their turn in what conclusion they have come to. We’ll start from our left side.” The old longneck said in concerns as he looked at the highly tense situation in the meeting. He hated to see the herds this badly split by any issue but there was no helping that now. He could only hope that things would go as well as they could.
The seven friends had gathered back together to hear the decision of the herds. They would have wanted to stay with their families but they wished to prove their point by sticking together at this crucial moment. Ruby and Chomper were still far from safety and all they knew, the vote could still go against them. The five listened in silence at Mr. Threehorn’s and the clubtail’s spat and hoped that it wouldn’t escalate further. Petrie spoke silently as they looked at the tense scene.
“Me hope the Warm Time thankful enough to help us. We gave it a lot of gifts and tales so it should be happy. We can only hope…” Petrie looked at the last day and he couldn’t believe it himself that it had been less than a day since most of the herds had celebrated together in good spirit. It felt like it had happened an eternity ago as so much had happened since the last evening. Cera snorted as she looked at the clubtail’s antics.
“How can that clubtail speak to my dad like that?! He should show teach her to mess up with a threehorn!” Cera looked at her in anger as the clubtail finally gave up and went back to her place. The whole atmosphere felt awkward as they waited for the gathering to resume in full swing. All of them felt a mixture of hope and fear but Ducky felt far more.
How can I make things good in our family again? I don’t want this to continue any longer, no, no, no…Ducky would have wanted to cry as she thought about the last weeks but she decided to keep her concerns to herself for now. This was far worse than her anger at Spike all that time ago and letting those emotions out at this point could open a whole new feud between her and her friends. For now, the swimmer decided to stay silent and hope that a positive answer could ease her nerves.
Littlefoot could see that something still bothered Ducky greatly but the starting vote captivated his interest more profoundly. No matter how much he would have wanted to help Ducky, the longneck could understand that this wasn’t a place for that discussion. Littlefoot gulped nervously as he heard his grandmother continue from her mate’s remark.
“Hollowhorns may be the first ones to speak. Just stay calm whatever you decide.” The elderly longneck exchanged worried glances with her mate as they thought about the results. No matter what came to pass, one kind of crisis would be brewing in the Valley. The hollowhorns stepped forward and one of them spoke briefly. Their stance was no surprise as they had often aligned with the more isolationist herds in the Valley.
“We vote against them staying.” The answers had to be brief in order not to influence the other herds’ opinions. The hollowhorn sounded firm and unhesitating as he gave his answer. Petrie looked at him in anger. This wasn’t a good start at all to the vote, even if the hollwhorns’ vote went as expected. Next in line would be the swimmers whose stance was as similarly expected.
“We think the two should be able to stay here. We vote for them.” Ura, Ducky’s mother, said in an unsure but decisive voice. Each of the herds weighed the first two herds’ decisions but the gathering stayed somewhat calm. In the following minutes, the votes went mostly as expected: the longnecks voting in favor and the domeheads against the two staying. What really surprised most of the assembled dinosaurs was the fact that the fliers actually voted yes as most of the assembled dinosaurs had expected their internal disputes force them to pass their vote. This brought slight murmurs in the circle but each of them knew fighting during the voting process wouldn’t help. Petrie looked in deep surprise to his relatives who seemed surprisingly calm about their decision.
Thank you momma and cousins! Petrie never forget this. Oh, perhaps we win after all!The next one to vote were the clubtails and their stance was what everybody had expected. The female’s voice dipped with cold hatred as she announced her stance but, to everyone’s relief, she withstood from further attacks. However, as Mr. Threehorn stepped forward after them, everybody’s eyes turned towards him. It had been expected that he’d stand to his ideals and he’d cast the vote against Ruby and Chomper without hesitation but his apparent indecision had made the others wonder his true stance.
The threehorn had usually strived to a consistent, decisive appearance in these gatherings. He had often been seen as the longnecks’ counterpart and the natural leader for the more traditional forces in the Valley. He had many allies in the other herds and he knew letting them down even once would permanently hurt his image among them. The dinosaur shook his head in an effort to clear out his thoughts. Even if he knew defending the two would be far from reasonable in his position, he couldn’t deny Cera’s points about her friends. The threehorn had once stood against them but none of his fears had been realized. They had never been rude, manipulative or murderous as he had once argued. Even the last night’s incident was slowly starting to confuse him as so many things started point in the duo’s innocence. The threehorn gathered all his courage and regaining his usual, authoritative pose.
“I’ve given this much thought and I’ve finally arrived at a conclusion. The threehorns vote for the two staying.” A total chaos erupted in a moment as the aging dinosaur’s usual allies started to cry in disbelief. One of the most probable herds to vote against letting the two back into the Valley had completely reverted to the opposite side, in effect settling the issue once and for all.
Cera couldn’t believe her ears. Even after all her defense for her friends, she had never dreamt of her father actually voting for them. She jumped in joy and would have wanted to immediately run to her dad and nuzzle him in deep appreciation. However, she could see that the situation was too instable for that. In its stead she spoke happily to her friends.
“Did you hear that? I don’t know how I can ever thank my dad for this! Sometimes I doubt it but at least he listens to me when I really want him to.” Cera took the widest smile she had had in a while as she turned to her friends. Littlefoot also had similarly stunned expression and all of the five would have wanted to embrace at that moment. It was becoming clear that their mission had been successful after all.
“I don’t say this often but I’m really happy for your dad, Cera. Good job for talking to him. You know what this means? Ruby and Chomper are going to stay with us!” The five tried to close the chorus of curses and threats from their minds as they contemplated on their apparent victory. Even Ducky forgot her siblings for a moment and joined in her friends’ jubilation.
On the other side of the circle reigned similar disbelief. The clubtails couldn’t belief the threehorns had turned their backs on their tragedy and instead given in to Cera’s manipulation. Without their support, it was all but certain that the two killers would be allowed into the Valley. Both adult clubtails stood still for many seconds, the outrage of the moment growing by the minute in their minds.
The female locked her eyes on Ruby who was standing near the gathering rock, preparing to join her friends in their celebration. Here the manipulative murderer would be able to join the Valley and receive a full pardon for her deeds while her own unborn child would never take his or her first breath, never play, never feel. And all of that because of the fast runner’s lies and the threehorns’ betrayal. In her highly critical mental state, the clubtail knew exactly what she would have to do. Even if she could no longer help her poor child, she could at least ensure that the fast runner’s manipulative lies would never again deceive the Valley or anyone in it.
What happened in the next seconds was a complex flurry of different, quick actions that none taking part of it could make sense of. The massive clubtail locked her eyes on Ruby and prepared to charge on her. The fast runner was on the way to joining her friends after the miraculous victory. She and Chomper could hardly contain their joy and gratefulness as they begun to digest the news.
I cannot believe there was this much trust in us left in here! Maybe I was wrong about the Valley, wrong I was!Ruby had decided early on that Volant’s initial decision would be the Valley’s consensus but she had been proven wrong. Maybe most of the dinosaurs had actually seen the two as their equals? The mere thought of that possibility brought a great smile to her face. She and Chomper were on their way to thank and celebrate with their friends when the two heard loud steps and a maddened cry behind them.
“This is for my child, murderers! You will never again hurt another innocent hatchling, I’ll make sure of that that!” The clubtail approached with immense speed and Ruby was momentarily frozen at the sight of the larger dinosaur’s murderous glare and quickly approaching form. Chomper’s mind seemed to grow blurred as the massive leafeater threatened his friend’s life. The sharptooth had to act quickly if he wished to save his beloved caretaker. Far too fast for his conscious mind to react, in fact. For the first time in his short life, Chomper’s instincts took the full control of his actions, doing something that had been unthinkable for the young carnivore for many Cold Times and something he would regret for the rest of his life.
The blue sharptooth ran towards the clubtail who seemed to ignore him largely. Chomper’s pupils enlarged to an unseen degree and his movements told that the friendly sharptooth was no longer in control. On instinct, prompted by his wish to save his friend, Chomper jumped on the clubtail’s neck, his teeth tearing their way into the larger dinosaur’s soft flesh. The clubtail screamed in pain and twitched heavily but her mind was still fixed on Ruby and to ending her disgusting existence in this world. Getting rid of Chomper would have required letting Ruby escape and that wasn’t something she was going to do. A part of Chomper’s mind screamed in panic at what he was doing but the predator’s mind reminded him that this was the only way to save Ruby. The fast runner had started her escape but a mere youngling of her kind couldn’t outrun many adult dinosaurs.
Chomper’s claws dug ever deeper to the clubtail’s neck, dying the young sharptooth completely in blood. Soon, the female’s pace started to drop and, not much later, she collapsed to the ground, her mind darkening quickly. The large dinosaur’s eyes were still fixed on the fleeing fast runner who had just realized what had transpired behind her. Only a single thought rang in her mind as consciousness fled her fleeting mind.
You won’t live long, monsters! You won’t leave this Valley alive! I’m sorry my child, for failing you again…The time seemed to freeze in the Valley at that moment. No one seemed to take another breath as the badly injured clubtail collapsed to the ground, her breath increasingly weak, and the blood-covered sharptooth rising to his feet from the ground. Chomper’s thoughts were still highly overshadowed by adrenaline but it started to wear off slowly. He didn’t have any idea what had happened initially and the first thing that accompanied his clearing mind was a chest-crushing horror. Was the seriously-injured clubtail truly his handiwork?
Not once in his life had his instincts taken full control of him. Even during his hunts with his parents, his actions were well-thought out and he had never done any more harm to others than he had needed to. Now, however, he had lost himself to the bloodthirst that was the constant companion of any sharpteeth. Even worse, that had been targeted against a denizen of the Valley, her lifeblood slowly painting the ground around her red. Chomper’s chest rose and fell ever quicker as he realized what he had done. In a matter of seconds, his whole mind turned into a flux of horror and fear as the other dinosaurs around him started to realize what had just transpired before their eyes. No questions remained unanswered or unclear. No matter his motive, Chomper had attacked a resident of the Valley with an intent to kill.
Ruby would have wanted to cry right there. The feeling was a mixture of sorrow at the final failure of the duo’s efforts to gain the trust of the Valley but also about the depth of love Chomper had for her to do such a thing for the fast runner. If it weren’t for the sharptooth, Ruby’s body would most likely lie broken on the ground right now, as unmoving as the bleeding clubtail. The thought humbled her greatly but there was no time to dwell in such thoughts. In a few moments, all hell would break loose when some of the adults would want to exact their judgement. With a herculean force of will, Ruby run towards Chomper in an effort to get him to safety.
Littlefoot’s dominating feeling was that of horror. He had seen the handiwork of a sharptooth before far too close to remain unmoved by the brutal display. Ever since the sharptooth’s birth, Littlefoot had cared for Chomper as if the carnivore was his younger brother, he had looked after Chomper in his earliest hours, stood up to him when all others would have doomed to him to death or starvation. This was the same sharptooth whom he had told his heartfelt farewells during his original departure from the Valley and whom the longneck had saved from drowning in the island. They had saved each other’s lives many times and Littlefoot had always seen their bond as a special one. Tears formed in Littlefoot’s eyes as he went through the young sharptooth’s hatching, his efforts to care for him and all the times they had shared in the island and the Valley. Seeing the sharptooth show his primal side like this broke the longneck’s spirit for a moment but he had always decided to stand to his friends. He had to defend his old ideals to force him to get over this most dangerous and horrifying of situations.
“Let’s go! We have to get them to safety!” The four other dinosaurs followed quickly, their lines of thought highly similar to the longnecks. They looked in horror as the surrounding herds started to slowly awaken into the new reality. No matter his motives, Chomper’s unexpected attack had ended all chances of a reconciliation with the Valley.
“Crush the killer! We mustn’t let the sharptooth escape!” One of the domeheads screamed. Many of their herds as well as the fallen clubtail’s mate started to charge towards poor Chomper who heard a familiar voice speak to him.
“Come on, Chomper! Let’s get to the Secret Caverns while we still can!” The longneck’s voice sounded distant to Chomper but he complied with his friend’s command. The young carnivore’s eyes started to brawl as he turned his back on the bloody scene and started to run quickly towards the Caverns and rescue. The chasers initially held back a bit, unsure what to do with the five leafeater children. After a moment, the clubtail called in deep fury.
“Get lost, kids! You saw what they did and if you still defend them, you’re just as guilty!” It was apparent that the adult dinosaur was serious but Petrie’s call spoke for all of his friends along with the flier himself.
“You leave Ruby And Chomper alone! We will not let you hurt our friends!” The flier spoke quickly as the group drew closer to the sight of the cave on a high ledge forward. The clubtail gritted his teeth but didn’t answer. Each of the chasers knew that the die had been cast and no mercy would be given. Whoever defended a killer of a Valley resident deserved no mercy. Chomper felt streams of tears fall out of his eyes as he moved quickly forward. This chase was purely and fully his fault and because of him, all of his friends’ efforts had been wasted. The blue sharptooth would have willingly turned around and sacrificed himself if it had helped the others.
The domeheads and clubtails gained on the children quickly, their escape growing ever more improbable by the minute. However, a sudden and unthinkable development changed all that as Grandpa Longneck who was often seen as frail and weak, ran in front of the chasers and spoke in a thundering voice.
“You won’t threaten my grandson no matter what his friends have done! Back down!” The longneck knew his deed wouldn’t go unpunished but that was a prize he was willing to pay. No matter what, the last memory of her daughter, his beloved grandson wouldn’t be chased by the other dinosaurs, no matter what Chomper had done.
“Move along, longneck! You know what is at stake here!” The domeheads growled as the longneck stood defiantly before them. The smaller dinosaurs knew they wouldn’t get past him quickly enough and they would be overpowered by mere brute strength. Even then, the longneck wouldn’t be able to block them all. They started to spread out to and the older dinosaur was able to stop and hinder only a few them.
The younger longneck looked in fear and admiration as his grandfather bought him and his friends the time to escape. He would have wanted nothing more than to turn around and stood by his side but Littlefoot knew that was out of the question. The younger longneck could only hope that the high status his grandfather enjoyed in the Valley could get him out of the dangerous situation. Tears started to form in the young longneck’s eyes as he thought about the crisis they had managed to create in the Valley.
Be well, Grandpa. Please stay here until we return. We… we’ll back soon, you’ll see!Littlefoot couldn’t even begin to think about all the good things his grandparents had provided him with during their time together. He felt miserable for being forced to leave them like this but it couldn’t be helped anymore. The seven friends had gained enough distance between the two and the chasers because of his grandfather. The young dinosaurs rose quickly on the ledge that would lead to the Secret Caverns and by the way of the Cave of Many Voices, into the Mysterious Beyond.
Ruby looked at the scene below them as the clubtails and the domeheads started to realize that they were too late. Different dinosaurs were surrounding the old longneck and even if it was clear he wasn’t being physically threatened, he wouldn’t get out of this with mere apologizing. Ruby felt a deep guilt in her chest when she thought about all the mess and sorrow she and Chomper had caused. She was simultaneously grateful and fearful for the young sharptooth. It wasn’t up to any doubting that he had saved her life and she was more than moved that he cared so deeply for her. Chomper had never shown that side of himself before and the fast runner was more than humbled by his instant reaction in saving her life.
However, Ruby knew that Chomper hadn’t done so knowingly. The fact that Chomper wasn’t always in charge of his own actions was a reason for deep concern. The fast runners knew a whole lot about the sharpteeth and impulsive, violent outbursts were never a good thing. They would make them unpredictable and possibly dangerous to be close to. But this wasn’t the time to bring up any more bad news. For now, they were safe but forced to flee from the Valley again, this time most likely for good. The seven friends looked at each other, only guessing what was going on in the others’ mind as they headed towards the Cave of Many voices. There would be many reprisals in the near future, ones that none of them could have foreseen half an hour earlier. Today had been a complete disaster for everyone involved: they could only hope that no one would have to pay for it with their lives.
This chapter is a bit longer than usual but I hope you'll enjoy it! Quite a many things happened here, many that will have very long-lasting implications! I truly wish you find them interesting and let me know what you think!