W0000ooo00o0o0t!
=Part Twenty-SevenPterano cleared his throat, loudly, hoping to call everyone to attention. The leaf pile had long ago vanished from the middle of the cave floor, and the first shades of evening were already filling the entrance. The Gang was restless, but there wasn't much to be done, now. Night in the Mysterious Beyond - though enchanting in a way - was quite harrowing.What were you children doing out here, anyway?"
Petrie, still perched on his uncle's shoulder, pointed to Ruby and Chomper. "There was big earthshake back in Valley, and we come out here look for them."
"See, our cave started to collapse, while we were still inside," Chomper added.
"And it connects to the Mysterious Beyond by another tunnel," Ruby jumped in. "So I got Chomper out, and myself out, too. Only then, we were trapped in two ways." She shrugged.
"And well, we came through to bring them back." Littlefoot sighed. Grandma and Grandpa must be so worried.
"All by yourselves?" Pterano's eyes widened. "Did you... did you even ask permission?"
Cera scoffed. "If we did, we wouldn't even be out here in the first place." She paused. "Actually, maybe we should ask permission more often, Littlefoot."
"Why?" The longneck frowned, certain the threehorn had a smart remark in store.
"Oh, no reason," Cera's voice betrayed the hint that there was exactly the opposite. "I doubt we'd be in as much trouble all the time,"
The longneck replied, testily. "Cera, this whole thing was your idea."
Cera snorted in irritation. "I only jumped in 'cause it was a fine time for you to start thinking about what the grownups might say! You never held back before!"
Littlefoot stiffened. Cera had hit home, and she knew it. Littlefoot could have gone on and on about how dodgy and judgmental the threehorn was being, but the truth was that he had hesitated back at Ruby and Chomper's cave. He had literally just stopped. After who knows how many adventures they had been on together, sneaking off to the Beyond without permission hadn't really been that much of an obstacle for the children -- the way they saw it, they would go and be back again. But what Littlefoot had seen in his grandmother's eyes that day was fear. Fear and worry of loss. The longneck had never seen such fear in his Grandma's face, and that look alone was enough to give him a pang of conscience.
Pterano hastily threw up his talons to interrupt. "I didn't mean to start an argument," he protested. "I was merely curious. After all," he relaxed against the back of the rock with a sort of weak smile. "I am assuming that gallivanting off to the Mysterious Beyond is not a normal pastime?"
Spike shook his head, and Chomper smiled. "Well, I guess not."
Ducky giggled. "It is maybe normal for us, yep, yep, yep!"
The big flyer grinned wider. "Am I to expect such adventurism from all youngsters your age?"
Even Littlefoot had to give in at that. With an admitting shake of his head, he replied. "No, we're the only ones. But that's because we've been together the longest."
"The longest? Compared to who?"
The Gang of Five exchanged knowing glances with each other. "That is long, long story, Uncle! That before we came to Great Valley!" Petrie spoke up.
Pterano folded his arms with something like a grimace. "I'm certainly not going anywhere, and anyway I think it's time you returned the story favor. I have high hopes for this tale." He tilted his crested head.
"Where to start with a story like that?" Littlefoot asked, somewhat rhetorically; there was just so much that had happened.
"Start at the beginning, where else?" Cera collapsed onto her front. "The Moving of the Great Herds, back then."
"Moving of the --?" Pterano murmured. "You... wouldn't all happen to be talking about the Fail of the Leaf?" There was the slightest quaver to his voice.
The Moving of the Great Herds, The Fail of the Leaf, Littlefoot had heard it both ways. He nodded. "Well, yeah. That's when we all met."
Pterano quivered visibly, but he swallowed and shifted himself. He didn't know if the children were aware of his past... mistake, and up until now he would have liked to keep it that way. Granted, he probably wouldn't change much in the eyes of the youngsters Ôø? he knew they still held a grudge against him for putting Ducky in such danger when the Stone of Cold Fire had so muddled his brain a month ago. He hadn't meant any harm. He cleared his throat again. "C...continue,"
Littlefoot had caught the hesitation and the shiver of the older flyer. He knew his friends did, too.
He doesn't know we know, the longneck felt his stomach tighten up. Giving Pterano pain wasn't exactly on the agenda right now. In fact, Littlefoot would have been happy if they hadn't met up with him at all. It was too awkward. But he continued his tale.
"I hatched while my herd was on the move. It was my mother and my grandparents traveling with me. One day when we stopped to eat, I met Cera." He gave the threehorn a sort of sideways grin.
Cera returned it, except hers was more of a smirk. "He got nailed by my dad for wanting to play."
Pterano was tempted to express that he had absolutely no trouble in imagining that, but held his peace as the children continued. Ducky spoke up next.
"I met Littlefoot after the Big Earthshake, I did, I did! And then we met Petrie when he felled out of a tree, yep, yep, yep!"
Petrie gave a shy sort of shrug. "Me try to fly and climb up on tree, but then me fell out."
"And then we found Spike!" Ducky cried, giving her adoptive brother a hug. Spike returned the favor with a big slobbery lick, which caused Ducky to topple over amid giggles.
"And... and you found the Great Valley like that? Traveling all on your own?" Pterano asked.
"Uh-huh! And we fight off big Sharptooth, too!" Petrie asserted.
"You did?" The big flyer gaped. "...How may I ask did you deliver such a... feat?"
"Well, Ducky was the distraction." Littlefoot explained. He couldn't help but feel more at ease. Talking about that journey back then with his friends seemed to take his mind off everything else happening. "And Petrie was the lookout. We needed to get Sharptooth into a deep pool, and then Spike and I would try to push him in with a big rock."
Pterano would have jumped in surprise if not for his sore back. He didn't have a chance to reply when Ducky suddenly started in with her own version.
"I was scared-ed, I was, I was! Sharptooth almost eated me, a lot of times! But then, I getted him in the water, and Petrie flew down to save me, he did, he did!"
Petrie nodded. "Uh-huh! Uncle, I a flyer, then! I flied down and peck Sharptooth in the eye" The little flyer made a swift striking motion with his wing. "Me go so fast!"
"And what about the rock?" Pterano found his voice, or at least the croaky remnants; he was still so bewildered.
"Sharptooth saw us," Littlefoot admitted, almost bashfully. "He jumped up, and tried to get at us--"
"Me never see Sharptooth jump that high!" Petrie broke in.
"And then I showed up!" Cera grinned, wagging her frilled head for emphasis. "I hit that old rock so hard, it toppled off down into the water, bringing Sharptooth with it!"
"And... and you did this all by yourselves?" The flyer could almost hear his jaw dislocate, he was gawking so much. Really, he must have looked utterly ridiculous, but it certainly wasn't every day one came across such intrepid explorers! And children, nonetheless!
Littlefoot nodded. "Yeah. We got there together," the way he looked, his expression might have been called remiss.
"And then
these jokers showed up," Cera broke in with a snort, nodding towards the Egg-Stealers in the back. Ozzy and Strut, their systems full after who knew how long, were languidly draped on the hard stony floor, dozing. Only Taylen was awake - or nearly so. His eyes shot open and he gave a sudden jerk at the mention of his brothers.
"What happened?" He blurted, more curious than insulted. "How'd you get in trouble?" The little dinosaur sort of stumbled his way to the group, settling down beside Pterano. The flyer composed himself and settled back, not quite sure what to expect.
"...Might I ask how many adventures you've had?"
"Oh, loads! I'm sure they've had more when I was gone, but--" Chomper was interrupted.
"'Gone'?" Echoed Pterano. "Gone where?"
"To an island with his parents. But first, we rescued him as an egg from those two." Cera cleared her throat. "I'll start."
Pterano had the feeling this was going to be a very long night.
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Heeeeeeerrrreeee's the next chappie! Haha, somehow I pictured the Gang recounting their tales of derring-do as elderlies, sitting around Council Rock and discussing the old times.