Once again, for added effect, listen to this while you read"LITTLEFOOT!"
Tears of relief burst from the old longneck's eyes as he saw his grandson running full gallop towards him.
"Grandpa!!" Littlefoot cried as he came to a halt by his grandather's lowered head. The pair embraced with joy, each glad that the other was still alive.
"Oh Littlefoot! Your grandma and I were so worried!" He said.
Littlefoot stepped back "Sorry Grandpa...."
He paused for a moment, but found that he had nothing more to say. He hugged Grandpa Longneck again as Topsy joined his side. Not far behind were Mamas Flyer and Swimmer, who wept with relief as they saw their children safe and sound. Petrie flew into his mother's arms, hugging her tightly as Spike affectionately rubbed himself against Mama swimmer, who hugged him back. Even Ruby was't left out, hugged by both mothers. Her back still ached from the boulder that had almost crushed her, but she didn't care. She was just relieved to be among friendly dinosaurs again.
The reunited parents and children could have embraced there in the gentle rain for hours upon end, but the moment was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Mr Clubtail.
"Longneck! Threehorn! We need some help back at the Opening!"
Grandpa opened his eyes "Really? Lead the way!"
Hyp's father persed his lips in anxiety as he watched the approaching cloud of dust, clearly visible through the opening in the Great Wall. he heard the soud of footsteps behind him and was relieved to see the group returning.
"Not a moment too soon! We got incoming out in the Beyond!" he called, pointng out the opening.
Topsy squinted through the rain, watching the faraway stampede growing closer and closer.
"Looks like Fast-biters, and alot of them!" He grunted. "They must have seen the opening when the Wall collapsed!"
He beckoned the other dinosaurs to follow him, and the group hurried to the top of the ridge, just above the opening. Looking over the damage, he thought for a moment.
"Find as much rubble and rocks as you can and pile it all up here, and on the other end of the opening!"
"What's your plan?" Longneck asked, with Littlefoot now perched on his head.
"We're gonna seal up the opening again. If we hurry we can get it closed up before those fast-biters get here!"
And so the dinosaurs went dilliently to work. Thanks to the recent chaos and carnage, rubble was in no short supply. Soon a massive heap of rock, dirt, branches and rubble was piled at either end of the opening.
"Good, now you lot get down to the opening. If this doesn't work, we'll need someone down there to hold them off! Clubtail, you go to the other pile and get ready to push!"
Clubtail nodded and ent as fast as he could to the pile opposite Topsy's. meanwhile, the other dinosaurs formed a row from one end of the opening to the other, down on the ground. Standing their ground, they watched as the forms of running creatures became apparent in the dust cloud, ever approaching.
Grandpa Longneck and Littlefoot waved to Topsyand Clubtail, signalling to begin the induced landslides.
"Okay, now PUSSSSHHHHH!" Topsy roared, as he charged headlong into the heap of rubble before him, heaving with all his might, as Clubtail did the same with his heap, shoving at it with his head and batting any stray fragments with his weighted tail.
Those assembled below retreated as the landslides tore down the mountainsides, a mess of boulders, tree branches, mud and dirt. With a mighty crash, the rubble plummeted to the ground and filled the opening, sealing it for good.
A cheer arose from the dinosaurs as the massive hole in the opening was filled, repelling the stampeding fast-biters and averting further disaster.
But this cheer soon turned into roars and screams of shock as they spotted a creature emerging from the trees.
Redback dragged himself hrough the fringe of the trees, his limbs heavy from exhaustion, and bleeding profusely. He had won the battle, but not without taking a severe beating himself. Scratched and gashed all over his body, as well as a black eye and a tear in his once magnificent sail, he stumbled into the clearings near the Great Wall. He was on the verge of collapse from sheer fatigue when one voice rang out clear among the roars coming from nearby.
"REDBACK!!!"
If Topsy had been shocked when he saw this gargantuan monster emerge from the trees, it was nothing compared to his surprise when Littlefoot leapt from his Grandfather's head and galloped towards the sharptooth!
"Littlefoot! NO!" Grandpa Longneck cried, making to follow his grandson. But he stopped in his tracks as Littlefoot reached the sharptooth and embraced him.
Redback hugged him back, not caring about the pain wracking his body. He was just relieved to see his friend alive and safe. Tears squeezed from his eyes as he hugged his friend.
"Redback, are you oay? You look pretty badly hurt."" Littlefoot said, breaking away. He hurried to a mud puddle forming nearby, scooping up a glob of mud with his tail. Returning, he took pawfuls of the mud, gently slapping it onto some of the more prominent wounds.
Redback groaned as the cold mud at least sothed the pain, as well as staunching the bleeding a bit. "Aahhh, that's the trick... I'll be fine, Littlefoot. I just need to sit down a moment, I..."
He stopped as he saw the massive forms of the adult dinosaurs approaching. Looking up at them, he gulped nervously.
"Littlefoot...?" Gandpa Longneck said.
Littlefoot left helping Redback and turned to face his grandfather and the other elders.
"... I think an explanation is in order, Littlefoot."
Littlefoot nodded and took a deep breath. But beore he could bgin, Redback spoke up:
"Alright, but you may want to get comfortable, sirs. This could take a while."
Topsy stepped back in suprise "What the...? He...He just..."
"Spoke leafeater?" Redback finished, with a small grin "Heh, yeah, I can do that."
Dumbstuck, the Elders obediently sat down, as Littlefoot and Redback began to relate their tale. As they spoke, more dinosaurs began to gather and sit down to listen. Among them were all of the Council Elders, Tria and Tricia, The Swimmer and Flyer families, and all of Littlefoot's friends.
Cera, Ducky and Chomper had all regained consciousness and were on the path to recovery. They sat in the front row, close to their parents, with Spike, Petrie and Ruby, listening as Littlefoot and Redback related the tale of their meeting, all he way from that fateful day wen they ran after their ball into the Mysterious Beyond.
The listeners sat, listening with rapt attention, collectively gasping as Redback related the plan of the Blackweed Brotherhood, and his involvement. He told them of he and Littlefoot's struggles against the other members of the Brotherhood, and his eventual triumph when he slew Tero.
"... And I just wanna finish by saying this," Redback ended " From the bottom of my heart, honest to the Bright Circle... I'm sorry. For all the trouble I caused. I never wanted this to happen here. But, it was beyond my control, and I apologise."
The small crowd sat in silence as the story came to an end. Plumes of smoke and steam arose from all about the Valley, as the steady rain slowly put out the raging fires.
Grandpa Longneck finally broke the silence as he stood up "I propose that the Elders and I retire to the Rock Circle to discuss what to do about this. In the meantime, the rest of you should probably tend to your herds and get started on cleaning things up."
A murmer of agreement arose from the assembled dinosaurs as the crowd dispersed, each herd going their own way. The Elders, consisting of Topsy, Littlefoot's Grandparents, Mama Flyer, Mr Clubtail and a handful of other dinosaurs gathered and headed together to the Rock Cicle in the center of the Valley for a meeting.
"You and...uh, Redback, had better come along too, Littlefoot." Grandma Longneck called back.
Littlefoo and Redback sat, listening nervously to the debate from outside the Rock Circle. The longneck waved his tail back and forth distractedly, while Redback twiddled his claws. To him the verdict didn't matter. he already knew what his own decision was. He just wasn't sure how to break it to Littlefoot.
Their discussion lasted for several hours before Grandpa Longneck and Mr Threehorn emerged to give their verdict. Littlefoot and Redback stood up.
"Well Redback, we have reached a verdict." the old longneck began "After hearing your story from you and Littlefoot, we have decided this..."
Littlefoot held his breath, anticipating the worst.
"...Despite the reprehensible actions of you and your fellow...er, Blackweed Brothers, most of us have seen that you are indeed remorseful about such actions. Since you are apparently capable of surviving without feeding on others, you would pose little danger to us.
And furthermore, we have decided that in light of recent events, due to your aid in..well, saving us, and ridding us of those guilty of these..unforgivable actions, we will be willing to grant you sanctuary and permission to live here, in the Great Valley."
Littlefoot could not believe what he was hearing! Positively jumping for joy, he hugged his grandfather in thanks and then turned to Redback.
"Well, I appreciate yor kindness, sirs..." Redback muttered.
"Me too, Grandpa! Thank you, thank you so much!" Littlefoot chirped in, moving to stand by Redback, smiling up at the sharptooth.
"But I'll have to turn ya down."
Littlefoot's face fell "...What?"
Redback knelt down beside the young longneck "I'm sorry, Littlefoot. I can't stay here."
"But why not? Littlefoot asked, the first hints of tears appearing in his eyes.
"Think about it. I might be able to live off greenfood for now, but things'll change when I'm older. I'm almost a grown-up meself... I can't live off greenfood all the time. Us sharpteeth need somethin' more... well, filling.
Plus, I got a feeling not everyone would be glad to see somethin' like me living in their home."
Littlefoot bowed his head, tears now welling up in his eyes. "P-please" He muttered sadly "I don't want you to go..."
Redback gently raised the longneck's head with a hand, to look eye to eye with his friend "And I don't wanna go either. But it's what's best for both of us. You saw what happened when I came under the RedWrath, I couldn't control myself! And I can't control when it happens either...I'd never be able to forgive myself if I hurt you or one of your friends."
He wiped a stray tear from his friend's cheek "C'mon buddy... You and me will always be friends... I promise I'll never forget you."
He and Littlefoot shared a gentle hug, as Littlefoot spoke through his tears "Me neither... I'll never f-forget you either..."
Redback tore one of the final stray strands of Blackweed from his head and gently wrapped it around Littlefoot's shoulders "...To remember me by."
He then let go and walked away from the Rock Circle, towards the Great Wall of the Valley. Turning back, he smiled and waved goodbye to Littlefoot, tears streaming openly down his cheeks.
Littlefoot followed behind him at a distance, as he watched Redback stride through the Valley, aching the eyes of every dinoaur he passed, until he reached the Great Wall.
Breathing deeply, the sharptooth began the climb to the top of the Wall, stopping for a moment to gaze over the Great Valley one more time, before he began the climb down the other side.
Littlefoot clambered up the Wall after him, watching from the top as Redback reached the bottom.
Then, with one final glance back at Littlefoot, Redback sighed and headed out, as the rain let up and the clouds parted sowly, revealing a stunning, golden sunset.
Littlefoot watched as the strangest and most amazing sharptooth he had ever met walked off into the wide world. Choking for a moment, he curled up at the top of the Valley Wall, holding the strand of black grass to his heart, and quietly wept to himself, on after the final rays of sunlight finished shining, and the little longneck fell asleep there on the ridge.
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