9
« on: February 12, 2017, 12:40:06 AM »
Sup everyone! I should've updated this on here awhile ago, but I got caught up with a bunch of stuff. Anyway, though 11 chapters are up on fanfiction, I still want to see people's reactions' on here. So feel free to leave a comment or review! It's much appreciated. Anyway, here is the 4th chapter.
Chapter 4. Many Lessons
Grandpa and Grandma Longneck had always done their best.
They had raised their grandson after the death of their daughter and the absence of Bron. They had tried to keep the herd together when the big earthshake struck the land, keep order in the Great Valley when misfortune struck and ward off any threats from sharpteeth. They weren’t perfect, this much was clear to them, but there was much to be thankful for. With the right amount of preparation, kindness and leadership, any problem that had come their way had been solved in due time.
But no amount preparation or knowledge could equip them to handle the most difficult challenge imaginable: a teenage dinosaur.
Could they manage, now not as young as they once were, to guide another teenager to adulthood?
“I suspect you’re thinking about the same thing as I am” the wise male said to his wife while he munched on leaves.
His wife, eating on the tree next to his appeared unsure as he had ever seen her.
“I am, then again you’ve always been good at that.”
“As you are with me. There’s a reason why we chose each other my dear.”
“Yes” she said smiling at him. The old longneck did always have his charming side.
“And soon it will be time for Littlefoot to do the same. He will find his partner, the girl of his dreams.”
Grandma Longneck swallowed her green food.
“It is such a feeling, to know your grandson is reaching adulthood,” she said aloud. “But the experience differs as grandparents to a boy than being the parents of a girl.”
“My dear we did fine with Adeline, we can do the same with Littlefoot. In fact, we need not be so cautious with him as we were with our daughter. The only thing we need to worry about is whether or not he becomes a father too early…”
“Grandpa Longneck do behave” she chastised.
Chuckling slightly, he replied, “Of course my apologies. But we must try not to worry too much. He has always had a good head on his shoulders. He will come out of this perfectly fine.”
Looking at him seriously, grandma longneck had a glare that could pierce anyone, even if it was not out of anger.
“At the same time we must be realistic. Littlefoot is about to go through some serious changes in his life that are not easy to deal with when one is so young. As you and I both know, mental maturity comes after physical maturity.”
“I know grandma; we were both young once.”
“But of course you realize that he is no ordinary longneck. We know this, Bron knows this, and I’m quite sure Adaline knew it even if she never got the chance to say it openly.”
A small tear appeared in her eye at the mention of her late daughter. She wiped the tear on a tree star, but not before her husband noticed.
“My dear, please. It hurts me to see you like this. We both weep eternally for what happened that day. But it is the future that we must look to. Our grandson. As you said, Littlefoot is destined for great things.”
“Yes, and we must ensure that outcome. Whether he joins his father or starts his own herd here in the Great Valley, it is imperative for the good of our species. That day is coming soon.”
The elderly male looked at his wife thoughtfully.
“Be patient my dear. We must not rush Littlefoot into anything before he is ready. When the opportunity arises, he will have plenty of chances to meet female longnecks of our kind.”
Grandma Longneck smiled at this.
“Yes you are right. The thought of the day he gets married warms my heart.”
“As it does mine. And we will do all we can to see him through these years.”
Grandpa looked west towards another faraway patch of trees.
“In the meantime, we must place our trust in Mr. Thicknose to educate our growing children properly about the Time of the Great Change.”
______________________________________________________________________________
Unfortunately, that was not the scenario Grandpa Longneck envisioned.
Mr. Thicknose, still the formal instructor of the Great Valley, was struggling to keep the teenage dinosaurs focused. Littlefoot flicking pinecones at Cera with his trail, Petri was practicing his dive bombing, and Ducky was riding on top of Spike cheering on the flyer’s impressive feats.
“Alright, alright settle down young….”
Mr. Thicknose stopped. He was about to say the words “young ones” but that didn’t seem to be quite accurate anymore. The children he had once taught were now almost as big as he was and still growing. True they were still juveniles but he could no longer consider or treat them like mere hatchlings.
“Ehh, I mean settle down everyone,”
I guess that term will do, he thought. In any case, it was enough to catch their attention from their roughhousing. Slowly, they assembled around in a semi-circle in front of him.
“As you are all well aware your parents have decided to entrust me to teach you on a matter most delicate…”
Littlefoot tried to listen attentively. He had a newfound respect and relationship with the old thicknose since the days of the big freeze. If anyone could help them understand ëthe Time of Great Change’ as his grandpa called it, it was him.
Cera nudged him as Mr. Thicknose droned on. Unfortunately, that tendency hadn’t changed.
“Ugh, I wish he wasn’t so boring,” she whispered. “He wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t sound like a creaky old log.”
“Cut him some slack,” Littlefoot. “Least he’s not a cranky old three horn,” he winked.
“Shut up,” she replied giving him a slightly harder nudge.
“…so in conclusion. I will attempt to inform and guide you on your journey experiencing the Time of the Great Change. Or otherwise known as ëpuberty.’”
The teens all looked at each other in surprise.
“Huh?”
“Let’s just use the term ëGreat Change’ for the sake of posterity. In any case, there a number of things you will experience as you get older and some will be quite strange.”
Ducky looked nervous.
“I do not like the sound of that, Mr. Thicknose.”
“Me neither,” Petri agreed before asking with some reluctance, “What sort of changes? Is it painful?”
“It’s nothing life threatening,” soothed Mr. Thicknose. “Although I will admit some are rather unpleasant. Much of it depends on the species and of course, gender.”
Littlefoot suddenly became more conscious of the girls in his midst, one in particular, who caught his eye and quickly turned away turning beet red (likewise causing a reciprocal reaction).
“I won’t get too graphic” assured Mr. Thicknose. “But there is some basic knowledge you should know. I’ll start with the boys.”
He turned to Littlefoot, Petri and Spike.
“One of the first changes boys typically experience are voice cracks. As your voice deepens sometimes it will alternate between high and low pitches.”
"What that sound like?" squeaked Petri, who then clapped his hands over his beak in embarrassment.
"I think you just answered your own question," laughed Cera.
"Hey, it not funny!" he tried to yell, only for another crack to occur.
Everyone started to laugh at this. Petri attempted to make his voice sound more normal. But the more he tried, the worse it became.
"Alright that's enough" Mr. Thicknose said, betraying a slight amusement in his own voice.
"Oh man, I haven't laughed that hard in good long while," Cera said wiping a tear from her eye with a front paw.
"Moving on," the old Pachyrhinosaurus continued. "The males, especially among three horns, tend to get bolder and much more aggressive. This will manifest itself in many ways, the most common of which tends to be fighting or pranks."
I’ve never really done any pranks before, or want to fight people, thought Littlefoot. Why would I want to now?
He shook his head and tried to divert his attention back to the lesson.
“You all are now at the age where your bodies will start to grow much more rapidly in order to achieve their adult sizes.”
“We are already big, yup, yup, yup. Are you saying we will get bigger?” Ducky asked.
“Yes, and the patterns of growth will vary among you, although girls tend to grow earlier than boys.”
“Haha” Cera said, sticking out her tongue at Littlefoot, Spike and Petri.
“However,” added Mr. Thicknose, with a hint of a chuckle. “The boys will end up sustaining their growth longer and will end up much bigger.”
“Haha” replied Littlefoot in kind, nipping Cera with his tail.
“Hey!”
Mr. Thicknose rolled his eyes.
I almost forgot that growth doesn’t necessarily equate maturity, especially among teenagers
“Anyway,” he said clearing his throat. “In order to facilitate this growth, you all experience an marked increase in appetite. However, it will be especially prevalent among the boys.”
Ducky put her hands on her head.
“Spike already eats enough as it is. He will eat all of the green food in the Great Valley if his appetite gets any bigger.”
They all turned towards the Stegosaurus, who had found a small patch of grass to much on.
“Well I can’t tell a difference so far,” barbed Cera.
She turned back towards Mr. Thicknose.
“All this talk about the boys, what about the girls?” she humphed.
“Do not worry, I have not forgotten about you” said the old teacher. “Girls experience most of the same changes as the boys. However, there are others that will be different, some I will leave to your stepmother to explain to you. But one of the first will be mood swings. These will occur mostly at random, but especially in times when one is feeling emotional or vulnerable…”
“Mr. Thicknose?” Littlefoot interrupted. He felt guilty for doing so, but the question in his mind was bugging him too much.
“Yes Littlefoot?”
“What happens after dinosaurs mate?”
Looking slightly uncomfortable, Mr. Thicknose frowned.
“Er..sorry” Littlefoot backtracked.
“I’m not upset with you Littlefoot, but I am trying to figure out how best to answer your question.”
Standing a little more upright he attempted to address it.
“Well you all know mating is the act of making hatchlings. During this time there is an extended courtship between the male and female dinosaurs. Females will typically not eat for an extended period of time in order to protect the nest. The psychological and physiological stress will cause considerable strain.”
“Suddenly, I feel less enthusiastic about being a girl,” muttered Cera.
“Same,” echoed Ducky. “Yup, yup, yup.”
“During puberty, each gender will start to notice the other in ways previously unknown to them. This in turn causes fighting among the males in order to win the heart of a female.”
“You mean love?” Petri squeaked. “Me no want to fall in love!”
“Yeah that stuff is for grown ups,” Cera added.
Littlefoot stayed silent as he glanced at the orange three horn next to him.
“Well, like it or not, you all are in the midst of becoming adults. This is what happens during the ëTime of the Great Change,” Mr. Thicknose spoke sagely. “It is not always an easy process to go through. But I assure you, you all make it through just fine.”
He then gave a rare smile.
“I too remember first being told about love and being just as apprehensive as you are. But if there’s one thing I can guarantee, it’s that you all will warm up to the idea very soon.”
The others muttered amongst themselves at this revelation, however all Littlefoot could do was stare at Cera. He had been doing this more often lately, and now he was afraid he knew why.
I hate changing, he thought to himself.
Apparently, love had showed up much sooner than expected.
__________________________________________________________________
Hope you guys enjoy! More will be up soon! You can always check it out on Fanfiction too.