Finally, the waiting is over!
Sorry it took so long...but anyway, here it is!!!
Chapter Twenty: Open JawsThe whispering of the wind and the rustle of the leaves, the cry of animals into the ghostly night…
Tetsugaku opened his eyes and frowned. All of this commotion and noise was an incredible distraction to him. All of his attempts to think and immerse himself in thought were punctured and harshly prevented by the noises of the world.
From reports hailing from the heathland, it appeared that Opal was settling in well, and getting along with all of the longnecks and children. What was worrying, however, was that her memories still seemed reluctant to return to her. She had no idea of her connection to the Valley, and if she were truly to be the one to overthrow Ulciscor, she was nowhere near ready. Things were moving at a snail’s pace, Tetsugaku concluded, and if things didn’t start to happen soon, it could all end in chaos…
He glanced at the other two rainbowfaces sitting either side of him to see what their take on this was. His mate, Hoshia, was sitting with a frown on her face and a furrowed brow. It was clear that she had come to the same conclusion that he had. On the other side of him was a slightly younger rainbowface with an ornate navy and paler blue body pattern by the name of Keibetsu. His eyes were closed, and it was apparent that the noises of the night were not perturbing him.
The three of them were sitting upon the top of a cliff that was directly facing the Night Circle, considering how far they had come.
“Things are moving too slowly,” Tetsugaku insisted. He stood up in an attempt to ease his mind a little. “Opal is still lost and confused…and Ulciscor maintains his hold upon the Valley!”
“But Chomper and the others have allied with them,” Hoshia commented. “Once they have all rested, they should begin battle?”
“But to start war with Opal still ignorant of her true self?” Tetsugaku shook his head. “The results could be disastrous!” Hoshia didn’t reply, but bit her lip in thought.
Then Keibetsu spoke.
“We could always intervene a little,” he remarked, not turning to face them. Tetsugaku gazed at him reproachfully. This upstart had been commissioned to shadow him, and despite his deep philosophy, Tetsugaku wondered how Keibetsu could be so blatantly ignorant sometimes.
“That is expressly forbidden,” Tetsugaku reminded him coldly.
At this, Keibetsu turned to him with a slight smile on his face.
“No offence or anything,” he said. “But that’s never stopped you…”
“The time concerning the fake stone of cold fire on top of Threehorn Peak was entirely different!” Tetsugaku protested. “There was very little at stake…”
“Bar the lives of several small children…” Hoshia quietly reminded him, also getting to her feet.
“But it wasn’t us who saved them from the mountain!” Tetsugaku insisted.
“True,” Hoshia replied, her voice becoming firmer. “But it was you who lent them food in the middle of the-”
“I wasn’t talking about that,” Keibetsu interrupted. “I was referring to how you saved Opal from Ulciscor’s henchmen when they went after her, Ronan and her unhatched son all that time ago. She would have met the same fate as Ronan if you hadn’t stepped in…”
One of Tetsugaku’s eyes had developed a twitch. “How do you know so much about that occasion?” he demanded defensively.
Keibetsu turned away. “It’s not like it’s something that was kept quiet. The point I’m trying to make is that, with your record, you’re not really one to discipline someone about the rules of non-intervention.”
“I agree…” Hoshia murmured, and Tetsugaku rounded on her, looking hurt.
“However, Keibetsu, how exactly are you suggesting we intervene?”
“Just tell her,” Keibetsu replied. “Plain and simple. Just tell her straight what she is and what she’s got to do-”
“No,” Hoshia cut across him, shaking her head. “No, that simply wouldn’t do at all.”
“Why not?” Keibetsu demanded.
“What sort of sense of purpose would that give her?” Hoshia admonished. “Apart from the fact that he brain, still recovering from the amnesia, might be able to handle this revelation, how we she feel if her sense of purpose was rigidly dictated to her? It could even give her a superiority complex, which is the last thing we want given the circumstances.”
“So what are you suggesting?”
“We’ll leave her to find it out on her own,” Hoshia replied, sitting back down.
“WHAT??” Tetsugaku looked aghast. “Are you really sure that’s wise?”
“What goes around, comes around,” Hoshia replied. “The Great Valley will not let her forget her role, and nor will her maternal instincts let her forget Spike. And if she discovers this for herself, it will give her a sense of purpose that will make her feel like a figure within the world itself as supposed to some tool of higher authority.”
She closed her eyes and said nothing more, leaving Tetsugaku and Keibetsu to consider what had just been said.
*
Uninvited, several cries of indignation rose up in various places amongst the vast groups of longnecks.
“Ridiculous…!”
“We need to get moving now!”
“How can he stand there…?”
None of them had ever heckled a Sharptooth before, and it was almost as if they had forgotten that it was Zyro’s nature to kill their kind for a living. However, their indignation was only matched by Zyro’s who promptly yelled back at them.
“I repeat!” he roared over the hostile crowd. “We cannot move from this place until Lini is recovered. I am not prepared to begin this war until everyone is back where they belong. You may think I should not bother with this one person, but would you feel differently if this one person was you?”
Confused mutters broke out, something along the lines of uncertainty, but none of them yelled out anything that was particularly hostile anymore. Well, that was something.
As the groups disbanded, Zyro gave a great sigh and slumped himself against a nearby tree, every inch of him feeling drained and overused. He hadn’t bargained on this.
Earlier that morning, Ferox had come to report that Lini had gone missing. He had of course searched feverishly throughout the surrounding area, but there was no sign she had ever been anywhere near them. Zyro had conducted another search, despite its lack of necessity, before finally announcing that they would not begin to mobilize themselves until Lini was returned to them. It hadn’t gone down well with some of the leaf-eaters, and Zyro wasn’t sure what he would have done if they had decided to rebel…
Zyro sighed again and gazed up at the sky. Shark sure was a trusting individual – so trusting in fact, did he not even realise that the one he had selected to lead these sharpteeth may not have been the right person after all? Zyro wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take – those among him were resisting, he had a missing child…and he was planning to lead a liberation force into the Great Valley? His egotism must have gotten the better of him…
“Everything alright?”
Zyro looked up at the soft, considerate voice, and saw Opal, the mysteriously afflicted spiketail.
He smiled at her feebly.
“Not particularly,” he replied honestly. “What with everything that’s occurring, I don’t know how much longer I can last…and just yesterday I was giddily confident.”
“It’s strange how events can shake your self-esteem,” Opal commented. “I wouldn’t worry about the hecklers. Despite how they react, they do know the value of every individual in this force.”
“Yes,” Zyro agreed. “But what if this is the enemy’s tactic? Preventing us from mobilising by taking one of our own from us?”
“I agree,” Opal nodded. “That’s certainly the way many minds work…but if we don’t bother to go after her, what makes us better than them?”
These words had an odd chilling effect, despite the impeccable truth that they also carried. Zyro nodded and stood up.
“OK…well, even though Old One’s chief messenger has gone to inform the Valley of our imminent arrival, I have a few more who may be able to locate which way Lini has gone, and that may inform us of who took her…”
“You don’t think she went off on her own, do you?” Opal suggested uncertainly.
Zyro considered briefly.
“No,” he decided. “From what Al’s told me, she’s got guts and a heart as big as her grin. She’s not one to run away – besides, it’s more dangerous out their alone than it is with us.”
He gazed reproachfully at a group of longnecks in the distance.
“Don’t worry about them!” Opal insisted. “If you need any help with crowd control, I…I have experience.”
Zyro glanced at her.
“Really?”
“Yes…” Opal frowned slightly, but continued nonetheless. “It’s just starting to come back to me. I used to live in the Valley. I had a high position of authority before my family and I were removed by Ulciscor.” She shook her head. “I still don’t remember too many of the details, but once I return, I may be welcomed back with more of a greeting than I bargained for.” She smiled slightly. “And as for Ulciscor…we’ll see who’s laughing then!”
*
There was nothing to it – he just needed to remain silent.
Hyp swallowed and continued his attempted retreat through the undergrowth. He had assumed this part of the Valley was safe – nobody ever went near Saurus Rock! Sharpteeth sometimes even made their homes here…
Suddenly, it came to him. How could he have been so naÔve? Of course, Ulciscor and his thugs relished in the appearance of sharpteeth because of their joy of slaughtering them! That probably explained why there was a Bludgeoner, only a few metres from him, cold eyes surveying the landscape. If he was found here, there would be no way out of it this time. He was dead.
Slowly, Hyp continued his inconspicuous retreat. Slowly, carefully, inch by inch…
Snap.
Dammit, Hyp cursed mentally. Trust that twig to be in the wrong place! Was this really how it all ended?
The Bludgeoner had heard the noise, and now his gaze focused on the tall ferns Hyp was crouching in. Was there still a chance he could hide? The answer came to him when the monstrous longneck strode directly over and raised his sinister tail. Hyp ducked, but that was going to do him little good now. The tail swiped across the vegetation slicing the top half clean away and revealing Hyp in the full view of daylight.
The Bludgeoner glared down at Hyp and grunted.
“The official order for the Bludgeon Brigade from Ulciscor through Kai is that we are to kill you on sight,” he informed the quivering dinosaur. Then he closed his eyes.
“But who cares what Ulciscor says?” he muttered, settling himself down on the ground and casually chewing on a dismembered fern.
Hyp stared at this eating dinosaur for a second or so, until he had to do a double take.
“I’m sorry…” He mumbled, shaking his head slightly. “But did I hear that correctly? Did one of Ulciscor’s elite actually just basically say he couldn’t give a toss?”
The Bludgeoner scoffed.
“OK, let’s get a few things clear,” he replied, swallowing his mouthful of plant matter. “First off, I am hardly one of Ulciscor’s elite. Me, along with the rest of the Bludgeoners, are just expendables, that Ulciscor can shake off if necessary without a second thought and no regrets. Kai is the elite. He’s Ulciscor’s most trusted associate. But other than that, yes - that is basically what I said.”
Hyp was at a loss for words. The Bludgeoner didn’t seem particularly fazed, and continued to munch on the vegetation rhythmically. Finally, Hyp found his voice again.
“If you don’t care about Ulciscor, why are you even part of the Bludgeon Brigade?” he asked.
“At the time, I felt inclined,” the Bludgeoner replied simply. For the first time since he had discovered him, his eyes rested back onto Hyp.
“You need to understand where we all came from – The Brigade, I mean, and what our relationship with Ulciscor actually is.”
“Alright then,” Hyp nodded, squatting down. “So tell me.”
“We were once a herd,” the longneck continued. “You may have noticed all us Bludgeoners are the same species with distinguishing features.” He raised his clubbed tail to emphasize his point. “That’s because…well, we were rather exclusive in our membership of the herd.”
“How come Ulciscor got involved then?” Hyp questioned, scratching his head. “He’s not the same species as the rest of you.”
“You’re absolutely right,” the Bludgeoner agreed, nodding slightly. “And because of that, he had his work cut out for him when he tried to win us over. And he managed that by fending off the most feared predator in the region.”
“Who was that?” Hyp demanded.
“Blackclaw,” The Bludgeoner replied. “From what I’ve heard, Valleians tended to refer to him simply as ëThe Sharptooth’ because of how he single-handedly dominated the area and all sharpteeth within it. Including the infamous Redclaw, whom we believe is his younger brother.”
“And Ulciscor fended him off?” Hyp asked incredulously. It was one thing to see Ulciscor executing or picking on hapless leaf-eaters, but it was quite another to imagine him in a battle with a full-grown, monstrous and feared Sharptooth. This new dimension of Ulciscor’s strength and power sent a shudder down Hyp’s spine. Had he actually defeated this beast?
“Well, not alone,” the Bludgeoner admitted. “But he certainly helped avoid any fatalities during the fight. To us, it was an incredible achievement. For us, it seemed he could easily be…the Lone Dinosaur…”
The longneck paused, biting his lip as he hesitated to continue. Hyp could see the struggle going on in his tiny eyes – here was someone who knew wholeheartedly of the consequences of their actions, and even though they weren’t directly affecting them, the guilt of what had happened since their Bludgeon Brigade’s meeting with Ulciscor was clearly gnawing away at him from the inside.
“And we were content to go with whatever he said,” the Bludgeoner continued. “We believed the Valley should be free from sharpteeth, and we were used to segregated herds…we had no idea what he really had in mind. At least, I didn’t…”
“Listen,” Hyp offered, attempting sympathy he didn’t even know he had. “We all make mistakes. We all fall for lifestyles we think is right. Moping over for them for ages afterwards isn’t going to change that – we’ve got to take action to put right what we made wrong!”
The Bludgeoner sighed and shook his head.
“You don’t understand,” he said. “It’s not that easy for me. It’s one thing and expected for the Valleians to have mutinous feelings towards Ulciscor, but it’s quite another for someone who’s supposed to be on his side! And I’ve been harbouring these feelings at least since Ulciscor’s fall following the Battle of the Great Valley. But none of them would let me leave…I’m as trapped as your are…”
He trailed off into a sullen silence, and Hyp sat and thought about what had been said for a while. Finally, he spoke up.
“But you’re already in the process of making it right!” he insisted, and the Bludgeoner looked down at him, puzzled.
“How so?”
“Well, I’m still alive,” Hyp explained. “And I highly doubt you’re going to tell Ulciscor, or Kai or Shock, or whoever that you’ve found me?”
“Of course not…” the longneck muttered.
“Exactly…” Hyp nodded. “So it’s in these subtle ways that you can be useful to the resistance movement. What’s your name?”
“Uriah,” came the reply. “But…”
“So, Uriah,” Hyp interjected. “You can provide us with sparse inside knowledge, be our double agent as it were, allowing us to find out what’s really going on with this phony Lone Dinosaur!”
“You don’t understand!” Uriah was distressed. He finally stood up and paced around in his frustration. “You’ve tried to resist before, and look where it got you! Just accept Ulciscor has won, and try to remain hidden…”
Hyp glared at him.
“Somewhere among the craggy rocks in the mountain walls that surround the Valley,” he said. “Is an unjustly dumped body a great hero who died resisting what he despised. Kosh would turn in his grave if he knew how much his brethren continued to suffer. And I know that the Valley has friends out there, as I do, that care too much for us to let this continue. Whether Ulciscor is overthrown in one cold time, two, twenty, or maybe even tomorrow, I firmly believe that the resistance will not cease until it is accomplished.”
Uriah was quiet after that. Hyp, with righteous anger still boiling in him, continued to glare.
“Listen, Uriah,” he said eventually. “Whether or not you want to be part of that resistance is up to you. But please consider where your conscience lies.”
Little did they know that their aid was already on the way, in the form of a wandering flyer that had been banished some time ago…
*
If Topps had believed his day couldn’t have got anymore outlandish than it already was, he was mistaken, for he had now laid his eyes upon somebody who’s association he had left far back in the mists of time.
“Pterano???” his voice was a half-strangled gasp. “What…what are you doing here? You were banished!”
At the last word, something of a smile crept onto the flyer’s beak.
“Ah yes, there’s the old threehorn I know!” he remarked. “But I hope you will not be so hostile once you’ve heard what I have to say…”
“No, Pterano, you’re listening to me,” Topps replied, shaking his head forcefully. No matter what may have happened between him and Tria, he wasn’t about to let that destroy his professional manner with which he hoped he addressed his fellow dinosaurs.
“For your own sake, get out of here now,” he commanded. “You don’t understand what’s happened here recently, we’re-”
“Under the oppression of some monstrous longneck named Ulciscor,” Pterano finished for him. “Yes, I know…”
Topps broke off, and his eyes widened.
“How?” he demanded.
“The movements of this ominous individual have been thoroughly scrutinized, my friend,” Pterano replied. “Don’t worry – we are coming to liberate you.”
Topps scoffed.
“Coming to liberate us…” he muttered condescendingly. “Yeah, like there’s any hope for us. This flathead has the Valley in his iron grip, and no one has been willing to stand against him since…well…anyway, Pterano, get out while you still can. You can’t liberate us on your own, and Ulciscor won’t take kindly to you when he sees you.”
“I know he won’t,” Pterano replied. “But I’m not worried about that. What I am concerned about is that this message is passed on to everyone else under the tyranny so they don’t live in despair!”
“I’ve already told you-” Topps began.
“I know what you told me!” Pterano interrupted forcefully. “And you wouldn’t have told me it if you had let me finish. So, Mister Threehorn – for once in your life – shut up!!”
Topps opened his mouth to retort furiously. He wasn’t used to be spoken to like this, much less from someone who had been banished for his crimes against the herd. But then an ominous little voice, sounding very much like Tria’s, crept across his mind.
“Sometimes for the sake of your family you need to bury your feelings deep down and continue doing what you have been called to do.”
Now, Topps realised, that had more than one meaning. Maybe it was time to shut up…yes, his pride had been dented by how Pterano had so callously admonished him, but in the grand scheme of things, what did that matter?
His family certainly included Tria, Cera and Tricia, but it was not limited to them. He had long since known that everyone in the Valley belonged to one single spirit, one community; united by…he wasn’t even sure. But it was something – something strong, which had made him determined to fight in the first place. He had gone the wrong way about it, but that was all going to change…even if Pterano had nothing worth saying, it would still be worth listening – for the sake of everyone else.
Topps closed his mouth again and nodded, prompting the flyer to continue.
*
And continue Pterano did, passing on the news, first to the threehorn, and then allowing, through both their influence, the message to pass through the Valley like wildfire. But although wildfire may explain how quickly it was passed on, the method was anything but.
Now the carriers of this message were careful. This newly lit beacon of hope was all they had left, and all they could hold onto in the hope Ulciscor wouldn’t take it from them too. The Bludgeoners didn’t know a thing, but by the end of that day, everyone in the Valley who abhorred Ulciscor’s authority, even Grandpa and Grandma Longneck, Hyp and Uriah, has learnt the truth.
An army of liberators was on their way, a union of leaf-eaters and sharpteeth, united by their single common attitude of hatred for those who oppressed, and their desire to strive for an equal and free community. Not only were some old friends among them, but so were their children. The children of the Valley were coming back to reclaim their home for not just their own sake, but for everyone living in it and outside it as well.
“Do you think Ulciscor will learn it from someone?” Aster murmured nervously to his wife, as they carefully watched their son in the distance, deep in discussion with Kai, a dissatisfied frown on his face.
“What we have just learned will be hard to force out of anyone…” Arianna replied. “But even if he did, there’s little he can do to us…even if he takes our lives, it’ll be those who are left behind who will still be liberated from him…”
The last word caught in her throat a little as she found herself welling up. It was a great tragedy for any parent to be so forcefully and fundamentally opposed to their offspring. Yet it was also true that Ulciscor may be so far gone now, that disposing of him was the only possible option…she swallowed hard and steeled herself.
“I do not mean to sound pessimistic,” Aster continued. “But how can we know to trust Pterano?”
Arianna didn’t answer for a while, continuing to watch the tyrant of the Valley and his best lieutenant’s discussion. After a pause from them, Kai strode away, a faraway smile on his face, looking for all the world like a child daydreaming and watching clouds.
“Pterano knew what our situation was,” Arianna said finally. “And he knew that the children weren’t with us – he even gave us an answer as to where…I doubt he could have known without information from one who deeply cared about our well-being. Besides – as far as I know Pterano, while he may have many faults, he would be one of the first to resist against this monster, and would not betray us in the face of this oppression…” she drew a deep shuddering breath.
Aster turned to look at her, his eyes transformed with determination.
“Yes…you’re right…and feel no guilt about calling him a monster, for that is what he is…” he gazed back at Ulciscor. “As far as I’m concerned, he’s no son of mine…”
Unlike his crony, Ulciscor looked mildly disturbed, he had his head to ground, his eyes wrought with anger and worry. It seemed that the pressure was finally getting to him. He knew he couldn’t remain in this position for long – the populace hated him too much. Something would have to give soon.
And knowing that there was an even bigger force at play, ready to help topple him with great gusto made his stress even more pleasurable for the onlookers.
*
A tranquil breeze whistled through the treetops, sending leaf after leaf spinning gently and serenely to the ground. The woodland that surrounded the Rocky Heathland was the number one place where anyone in that area with the intent to relax would head straight to, and although it provided a welcome relief for the eleven young dinosaurs from the tensions that were radiating from the unsteady Vegimeat Alliance, an ominous association lingered here.
From what could be detected via scent trails, this had been the last place Lini had gone to before she vanished. For those with noses to detect it, they could smell her distinguishing aroma even now, sending their minds reeling back into memories of her, and filling their hearts with an ache of sorrow and growing concern…
In an attempt to diffuse the tension, and also because he was simply hungry, Spike took a generous bite of a nearby bush, before grunting and gesturing to Al, who was sitting nearby him, as an invitation to join the feast.
Al, who had been staring into space at this point, his eyes unfocused, slowly turned his rigid head towards the beckoning spiketail. Clenching his fists slightly, he made himself a silent resolve.
“No matter how bad things may be getting, I’m not to turn on the leaf-eaters. It would be a betrayal of Chomper, a betrayal of Zyro, and betrayal of Shark, and in all honesty, a betrayal of Lini. I will make do with other meat around here. Now, just calm down and politely decline…”Al gave a rather-to-obvious sheepish grin and gestured to the plants Spike was munching happily at.
“N-no thank you…” he murmured, stuttering slightly as he attempted to grasp the flattooth dialect. “Don’t l-like…plants…” He was already heading away as Spike nodded understandingly.
“Shorty,” Ali was saying, as Shorty too began to quietly munch on some leaves. “Do you know whether the sharpteeth are going to break off their alliance? Has your dad said anything?”
Shorty shook his head.
“Nope, nothing, as far as I can detect, it’s still…uncertain.” He tried his best to avoid Ali’s gaze as he said this. It wasn’t as if he didn’t like what he would see…her eyes were simply beautiful, shimmering pale blue like Big Water on the clearest day. But to him, to look into those eyes would be to stare directly into her soul, and see everything about her, including how she felt about him…and Shorty felt as though the stare upon him would be too judgemental…something he wouldn’t like. And it was Ali’s approval he wanted more than anything else.
To content himself as he chewed, he gazed across at the rest of the group. Littlefoot, Ruby and Cera were all flopped on the ground, perhaps fearing their pacing in their undergrowth with their large bodies would disturb the peace. Ducky and Petrie were having a whispered discussion near Ruby, Saureen was sitting down against a small tree, resting her back and looking into the clouds, her thoughts elsewhere. Chomper meanwhile, had been pacing on the spot, wringing his hands and emitting loud exhalations through his nostrils. At Shorty’s he words, he let out a deep growl of frustration, and pummelled his tiny fist into the dirt.
“No!” he said forcefully, and everyone turned to look at him. Chomper, although feeling all the eyes upon him, didn’t look up, and merely scraped his claws more forcefully into the dirt as the current situation reverberated and escalated throughout his mind, pounding on the walls of his skull. Lini, snatched from their midst, and now the entire alliance was falling apart.
“We have come too far…” Chomper muttered, continuing to punish the ground more, pressing his hand deeper. “We can’t disband this alliance. What would it mean for us then?” He looked up at his friends, feeling the tears once more forming behind his eyes.
“We would be…separated once more…” he murmured. “And what would it mean for the Great Valley?”
There was a pause as everyone let this nefarious question sink in, but after a moment, Littlefoot rose to his feet. He held his head upon his mighty neck high in pride and gazed at Chomper with a face that was at once filled with both long-lasting friendship and a ferocious determination.
“I know what you mean Chomper,” he said earnestly. “And therefore, I think this is one of the reasons that, no matter how bad the tensions get…the alliance won’t disband.”
Chomper looked back at him, eyebrow raised, not looking so much sceptical, if anything, more hopeful.
“Yeah,” Cera added, also standing up, a rare sweet smile present on her features. “I agree. Despite our differences, we have the common goal of rescuing the Valley, and we know we have to hold together for that.”
Chomper felt a warm smile, almost though he caught it from Cera, spreading over his face now.
“I’m sorry if I gave you any doubts,” Shorty relented, looking a little guilty as Chomper turned to him, though smiling all the same. “I concur with these two. No shared ambition of this scale is going to drive us apart.” His face twisting into fierce loyalty, and he slammed his front foot into the ground, feeling the might radiating from the displaced earth. “If we’re not going to take down Ulciscor, then there’s nobody else that will!” He could feel Ali’s admiring eyes upon as he said this, and refrained from looking at her as the heat rose up in his cheeks.
Chomper beamed and nodded.
“Thanks guys…you’re right…” Sighing happily, his attention was suddenly taken by something small he saw scuttling along the ground, which instantly took him back to the Valley. It had been so long since he had eaten insects, they almost seemed to be part of it – those were fantastic those sunny afternoons! Running around with all his friends, playing everything they could think of, the warmth of the Bright Circle bathing them lovingly – the cool of the water as they splashed and laughed their way through it…and of course, snacking on any tasty little insect morsel he could find along the way. He sighed. Ulciscor would never get away with taking that from him, he decided. His reign would end soon…just after they found Lini…
But as he looked closer at this beetle-creature, he noticed, what with the red colouration and distinguished black spots, that he had hit the jackpot.
“AWESOME!!” he suddenly cried, diving forward and snatching the creature from the dirt, where it wriggled helplessly in his hand. “I haven’t had one of these since I was on the island!” He took a deep a blissful sniff of it, taking in the spicy aroma. “It’s the best of the best, just wait until you all see it…!”
Everyone in the vicinity was staring at him incredulously. It was interesting how quickly his moods could be changed…Cera simply rolled her eyes and settled back down on the ground. But Saureen’s reaction was by far the most prominent.
She had begun to approach Chomper during his concern about the alliance splitting up, but upon seeing the squirming bug clutched in his claws, she had felt its legs crawling all over skin. Gulping, her eyes wide and fearful, she had recoiled rapidly, pacing backwards until she slipped and fell heavily to the ground.
Now all eyes were on her. Nobody had the slightest idea what was going on, and Chomper only made it worse when he approached her.
“Saureen…you OK?” he queried.
“Mmm…” Saureen could only mutter in reply, her eyes still on the insect. “Yeah…just…just keep that away from me OK?”
“Huh?” Chomper gazed, puzzled, at his potential prey. “Why?”
“I’m scared, OK?” Saureen murmured, not looking directly at him as she stood up, trembling from head to toe. “I’m scared…I really don’t like insects. As such, I first had to learn how to hunt fish from…well…I just don’t like insects.”
“OK…” Chomper nodded, still looking slightly puzzled, and downed the bug in one gulp.
Saureen panted quietly as she held herself against a tree, her skinny arms clinging to each other defensively, still shaking and trembling as though sitting amongst the snow. Despite the relief that the insect was now out of sight, that was the least of her problems. What would Chomper and Al think of her now they knew she was scared of insects? She could still feel the onlookers giving her funny stares, and she could have sworn Shorty understood every word she said. It was a joke – absolutely laughable. Whoever had heard of a Sharptooth, top of the food chain and born to strike fear into the hearts of other dinosaurs that was terrified of insects??? Once Zyro had gotten wind of this, she didn’t think he’d be particularly happy either with the weak link that was now presented to him.
Only one person had never judged her for her phobia. Only one had ever brushed it off as just a personality habit. That same person who had taught her to hunt fish, and it really worried Saureen that she had come that close to mentioning Seizon’s name, something that she knew was a taboo amongst this group…
Al took a deep breath.
“OK,” he said, trusting Chomper to translate it for the leaf-eaters. “I’m going to go now, and talk to Zyro, see if he can keep me informed in what’s going on.”
“Oh, can’t you say?” Shorty replied, in almost perfect Sharptooth. Al gave him a small smile and replied,
“No…I don’t know how long I can stay around here without thinking too much about…her…” He sighed once more and waved. “See you all later…” He quickly sped away to the valedictions of his companions.
“He seems…I dunno…a little off at the moment…” Ali commented, squinting as she watched him go.
“Well, Lini’s disappearance must have shaken him up,” Shorty replied simply.
“I know…” Ali replied. “But still – he seems…I dunno, more distracted than everyone else…”
A scurry of wings and footsteps on her head told her that Petrie had perched on her head.
“Me think there may be a reason for that!” he told her, chuckling slightly.
“Petrie!” Ducky said accusingly, coming up next to Ali. “We do not want to poke fun at this bad situation, nope, nope, nope!”
“Me know…” Petrie relented. “But me just think that Al likes Lini in a ëspecial way!’ His emphasis on the words made Ali gaze up at him, completely non-plussed.
“You think?” she muttered, but as Petrie slid off her neck, she found herself growing more pensive about it. It was true – it did make sense, and considering what else was on her mind, it seemed all the more appropriate…
“Your way with words presents a way of wording to be reckoned with Petrie!” Ruby grinned, somewhat ironically. “But yes, I agree with you.”
Ali turned to her.
“Ruby…have you ever been in love?” she asked. It seemed nonsensical to dance around with euphemisms and mince terms – just be direct, she told herself.
Ruby, though grinning sheepishly, nodded.
“I don’t know if it was love,” she admitted. “But back when I was living with my parents, there was a boy fast runner who…” she sighed and giggled slightly. “Well…it’s a rather long story. But if there’s one thing I know about boys…” she leaned forward to whisper in the longneck’s ear. “They will never be direct about anything…so don’t look for the obvious signs!” Ali stared at Ruby as she stepped back.
Could she have possibly been reading her mind?
Chomper meanwhile, not wanting to be drawn into such a conversation, walked a little distance away from the rest of them. Here, he could hunt for more insects out of sight of Saureen, therefore not creeping her out. Although admittedly, most of the insects here were…well, extremely hard to catch.
Chomper gave a great sigh as a beetle scurried up the bark of a tree, therefore out of his reach. Looking for just a few insects sure was exhausting…he took a deep inhale as the wind rustled through the trees once more, and took in the exciting mixed aromas of the air, including one that, for some reason, reminded him of getting his head struck with a rock…
Rock…?
Chomper stood stock still as the scent registered in his brain. It was unmistakable. A fated meeting, beginning with him knocking Chomper out and…but what was he doing here??
“Saureen!!” Chomper hissed. “Come over here! I promise there aren’t any insects about…I just need to see if you can smell something!”
“Smell what?” she asked, wandering over, now having stopped trembling.
“When the wind blows in our faces,” Chomper instructed, trying to keep his voice steady as his heart pounded against his ribcage. “Tell me what…or who, you can smell…”
Saureen did as she was instructed, and Chomper, his heart rate still excessive, looked to see the transformation her face would go under when she smelled what he had smelt.
His prediction wasn’t far awry, and her eyes flew open in shock with her face tensing up when the realisation hit home.
“No way…” she whispered. “It can’t be…what’s he doing here…?”
“Well…” Chomper growled, flexing his arms. “I want him to tell us exactly that!”
Saureen turned to him and moaned softly in exasperation.
“No Chomper!” she protested. “You mustn’t!”
“He is not going to ruin our lives any longer,” Chomper replied firmly, sniffing the air once more. “He’s moving…” he observed. “In…” his eyes swivelled to a direction slightly east of them. “That direction!!”
And without warning, he leapt up from the log he was perched on in a rapid and unrelenting pursuit of the unwelcome scent.
“Chomper…?!” Saureen squawked, her voice hitting several octaves higher.
“COME ON, GUYS!!!” Chomper yelled at the top of his voice, causing everyone else to look up.
“Huh?” Cera uttered. “Where’s he going?”
“Chomper!” Ruby called after him, giving chase, the other eight soon following suit.
“No time to explain guys!!” Chomper informed them as they sprinted through the undergrowth.
“That’s a pity…” Shorty muttered under his breath.
Feeling like he was losing the scent, Chomper skidded to a halt, sending everyone behind him into a pile-up.
“Chomper!!” Saureen wheezed, attempting to disentangle herself from Littlefoot’s tail. “You’ve got to let it go!”
“I can’t!” Chomper insisted, sniffing forcefully around for the trail. “He shouldn’t have come anywhere near us…we made it specifically clear…and I want to know why…sniff, Saureen!!”
Reluctantly, Saureen joined in the scent detection, until they had pin-pointed it.
“GOT IT!!” Chomper roared, his face with an expression on it to make any small animal flee turned towards the new direction. “Come on, let’s go!”
“But Chomper!” Ruby protested as the ten of them continued to gallop along. “Whatever’s happening, wouldn’t it be better if we got Old One, Zyro or one of the other grown-ups to deal with it?”
“There’s no time!” Chomper called back. As he dashed through the trees, every one of his senses were alert…he could smell the one he was pursuing, he was sure he could distinctly hear him crashing through the undergrowth ahead of them. He could almost see a bladeback’s shadow at every turn they made, near every tree they ran past…all he knew was that they were getting closer…
With a great gasp, the young dinosaurs burst out from the woods, finding themselves both in the blazing sunlight and scorching rock of a much more desolate area.
“Chomper!” Littlefoot gasped, gazing around. “We’ve come too far, we’ve gotta go back…!”
But Chomper wasn’t listening, because at that moment he had charged. He had seen, ahead of them, a small cyan shape in the distance that was unmistakable, and as he drew closer, Chomper’s rage only increased.
“SEIZON!!!” he screamed as his quarry’s amber eyes came into view.
But they weren’t full of malice, or of an arrogant air and swagger that Seizon normally carried. They were wide open, and filled with anxiousness, concern and humility. Then, he opened his mouth to speak.
“Chomper…” he began.
But Chomper didn’t care. All he knew was that he hated Seizon, perhaps more than anyone else he could think of right now. It was Seizon’s fault that two noble and amazing fastbiters who Chomper had felt as close to as siblings now lay dead in their graves, and Seizon had been prepared to leave two more to their fates, just because of some stupid worldview he shared with his elusive stepfather. And Chomper didn’t want Seizon near anyone he cared about ever again.
And so, he charged straight into him, knocking him to the ground. As the two sharpteeth rolled in the dirt, Chomper heard screaming behind him, telling him to stop…but he refused to stop. He couldn’t stop…this was Seizon he was dealing with. Chomper eventually leapt to his feet and pushed Seizon back to the ground, placing his foot on his chest to prevent him from getting up.
“You picked the wrong time to come crawling back!” Chomper snarled at him.
“Chomper, please!” Seizon pleaded, his eyes continuing to display his worry and fear, which shook Chomper up a little slightly – this bladeback seemed to be only Seizon in appearance.
Seizon held up his hands.
“Come on – hear me out!” he insisted.
“Who’s this?” Ali asked, as the rest of the group gathered around Chomper and his quarry.
“His name’s Seizon…” Saureen replied, and Chomper was surprised to hear her new grip of the flattooth language. “He was the one who…” she paused for a moment as she struggled to translate in her head. “Took Chomper from the Valley originally…and we left him because…well…we’ve had our ups and downs.”
Chomper snorted.
“Mainly downs,” he growled, continuing to glare at Seizon.
Seizon, despite not understanding the exchange that had just gone on, continued to try and plea his case.
“I know I could say sorry a thousand times and it not mean anything,” he said. “But it’s still the truth. I was wrong – I can see that now. What I’ve done was…unforgivable…”
Chomper just frowned, not entirely sure where he was going with this – Seizon had practically worshipped Xal and his ideals. This change of heart seemed very…sudden.
Saureen gently nudged Chomper off of Seizon and bent down to face him. As she did so, she saw his amber eyes soften, and a small, relieved smile of recognition and the security of something familiar form on his face. Upon seeing this, Saureen had to look away – it was the least she could do to supress her rising sense of guilt. She had shouted, screamed and hollered abuse at him when he had left…and here he was, still grinning as broadly as they day he had taught her to fish, all innocence…
“So, you’re sorry for what you did,” Saureen murmured. “OK – what about Xal?”
“Xal??” Shorty exclaimed suddenly in his native tongue, having followed the conversation in Sharptooth. He turned to his fellow leaf-eaters.
“Wasn’t Xal the one Zyro warned us about?” he asked.
“Yeah…” Littlefoot agreed, nodding. “The one he said wanted Chomper to help him take over the Valley…for his own purposes.”
“So wait…” Cera murmured, her face twisting into a snarl which she then glared at Seizon with.
“Are you saying this guy is in league with him??”
“Oh yeah…” Chomper growled maliciously. “Which is why we all left him in the first place.”
Seizon couldn’t understand what was being said here, but he got the basic impression when he realised every one of the leaf-eaters was now glaring at him with a loathing almost to Chomper’s standard. Swallowing nervously, he turned back to Saureen.
“Look…I was really deluded. About Xal. I was wrong…h-he was- is wrong…”
Saureen drew back, eyes stretched wide, but speechless as she took in what he had said. Conversely, Chomper’s eyes narrowed, and he drew even closer, without shifting his gaze from the apologetic bladeback.
“Say that again…?” the twoclaw murmured.
“Xal was wrong…” Seizon repeated, getting unsteadily to his feet, now that he saw Chomper made no move to stop him. Shorty was busy translating for the benefit of his leaf-eater friends, and they gained similar expressions of surprise, and also didn’t desire to stop him.
“I went back to the Fanged Forest,” Seizon explained, his voice full of earnest, as he flamboyantly wrung his hands to emphasize his point. “And reported back to Xal… and once I heard everything he had done, and was planning to do…I knew I couldn’t stay there anymore. He’s even allied himself with Redclaw!”
Chomper, Saureen and Shorty gave theatrical gasps following this statement, followed by the rest of them once the translation had been made.
“I may have worked loyally for him before,” Seizon continued, his voice growing more distraught by the second. “But I refuse to do so anymore…Chomper…” he turned to him, his amber eyes filled with sincerity. “I’m really sorry I took you away from the people you care for.”
That could have meant the Great Valley populace, it could even have extended to Pyron and Nycha, but Chomper could almost feel the apology radiating from him…it seemed he had truly turned over a new leaf…though it was early days, and Chomper, nodding dismissively, still felt it wise to be cautious.
Saureen on the other hand, beamed a broad smile that set her emerald eyes twinkling, and quickly stepped forward to put her arms around the one she once called brother in a warm embrace.
“It’s good to have you back Seizon…” she murmured. Seizon didn’t respond.
“We know that everybody makes mistakes,” Ducky piped up, climbing down from Spike. “And it is best if you can put them behind you, it is, it is!”
“What did she say…?” Seizon muttered to Chomper.
Chomper reluctantly translated. He was still unsure what to make of Seizon’s apparent regret. He chanced a glance at Littlefoot, who merely shrugged. Of course, he didn’t have the foreknowledge that made Chomper so unwilling to forgive Seizon as quickly as Saureen seemed to be…then again, she knew him even better.
“Seizon,” Chomper said levelly, suddenly remembering another issue at hand. “In all your wanderings from the Fanged Forest to here…have you seen Lini anywhere?”
“I may have done actually…” Seizon replied, shrugging. “Why…?”
All grudges aside, Chomper stepped quickly towards him, his face shining in earnest.
“She’s missing,” Chomper explained quickly. “She’s gone missing from the Heathland, and we need to find her before we march on the Valley. It’s vitally important. Where did you see her?”
“It was about…” Seizon turned to look at the horizon from where he had come from. “At that point where…tell you what, I think I can find it again, come on and I’ll show you.”
Against his better judgement, Chomper followed without a second thought, Saureen closely beside him. The eight leaf-eaters all exchanged looks, shrugged and followed after them.
“Is she OK?” Saureen asked tentatively.
Seizon looked down at the ground.
“Not sure,” he replied. “We’d better get there quick…”
And so they walked on in silence, feeling they had nothing to say. They had only one desire within them – to find their lost companion. But eventually, with constant walking, and nearing a shady oasis, Petrie flew close to Chomper’s ear.
“Me not want to be a party pooper…” he murmured. “Buuuuuut we seem to be going too far from Heathland!”
Chomper considered for a moment, before nodding.
“Please tell your friend we need to get there soon, or we’ll be lost!!”
Chomper nodded, and tapped Seizon on the shoulder.
“Hey, Seizon,” he said. “If it’s any further we’re going to have to go back and get help from the adults. So, is it too far? Because we need to make a decision now!”
Without hesitation, Seizon turned to him and fixed him with a steely glare. This glare caused Chomper to recoil, because those penetrating amber eyes were the ones he was used too. The eyes had lost their sympathy and apology. Now they were cold and ruthless.
“You’re right Chomper…” Seizon replied, his voice also taking on a cold, hard quality. “I think this is far enough away. Now we can get to business.”
For a moment, the other ten had no idea what he was talking about, but all became clear when Ducky let out a horrified scream. With dread flooding every inch of them, they slowly turned their heads in the direction she was quivering at.
A tall, savage-looking, jet black Sharptooth over twice the height of Littlefoot was leering down upon them, saliva dripping, eyes gleaming. They noticed a strange triangular fin near the end of its back, but weren’t thinking too much of it now. On an impulse, the ten of them turned to run in the opposite direction…only to be blocked by a second one of these finned sharpteeth, this one slate grey. Like the other, it didn’t seem to be intending to attack…yet. It was more like hemming them in.
As the gang watched in rising panic, more of these sharpteeth began to surround them, coming from nearby rocks, or under trees in the oasis. It was, to be put bluntly, an ambush, and they all quickly came to the conclusion that the mastermind of this ambush was amongst them. Chomper, dread still dominant over his emotions, turned to look Seizon dead in the cold eyes. They told him everything he needed to know.
“Piercers,” Seizon said simply, completely unperturbed by these ravenous beasts. “Members of an elite division known as the Piercer Platoon, as commanded by Xal. You may have heard of them from your beloved leader. Either way, Xal put a few under my authority, because he knew you’d be hard to reign in.”
Now the dread was gone. Even as all his friends quaked and panicked around him, and even though he should be very afraid, now all Chomper felt was anger, fury, rage…uncontrollable rage. For a few seconds, he had trusted Seizon…but he had betrayed them, stabbed them in the back. He felt no remorse. He was nothing more than a low-life traitor – that was how Xal had made him.
With a roar of all his compiling emotions, Chomper charged straight at Seizon, not caring that Seizon had essentially bodyguards with the presence of the Piercers, bodyguards who could rip him apart in a second. All he wanted was to make Seizon pay.
Again…
But in Chomper’s blind fury, his charge wasn’t overly effective. Seizon merely pushed out at Chomper’s head and shoulders, sending him careering backwards onto the ground. Unperturbed, Chomper leapt to his feet and made to go after him again, only to have a Piercer grab him and pin him wordlessly to the floor.
“You’re all far too trusting,” Seizon informed them, a small smirk creeping onto his face. “Oh, Chomper…I had high hopes for you. I thought you would have seen the light long ago…” He knelt down, and extended a foreclaw to grab Chomper buy the chin, so they were once again eye to eye. Chomper glared and let out a guttural growl, his canines bared. Seizon simply ignored this.
“But instead, you keep forcing me to take extreme measures. Now I have to drag you to the forest. And you, in your selfishness, you’ve landed your friends in it too…”
At these words, Chomper forgot his anger with a jolt of horror to the stomach. He turned his head to look behind him, to see all the leaf-eaters he had brought with him pinned under and held secure by the Piercer’s, who were indifferent to their struggles. Although they were not attempting to eat any of them, they were more than capable, and all Seizon (who they were watching closely) had to do was give a single word of command…
Chomper’s eyes shifted to Saureen, the only one amongst them who wasn’t attempting to struggle against the one who held her captive. Her eyes seemed strangely unfocused, and were staring at the ground, in abject despair, tears beginning to form in them…her mouth was beginning to also tremble.
Realising the misery and guilt she must be feeling for trusting Seizon so easily, Chomper wanted to try and comfort her, but under restraint, it was difficult to do so…besides, he was worried about the fates of all his other friends…and, he realised, why just them? He wouldn’t put it past Xal to endorse cannibalism.
“Where’s Al?” Seizon demanded, frowning for the first time since he had captured them and pacing amongst them. “I wanted to have a few words with him, that treacherous little bast-”
“He’s not here…” Shorty snapped at him in sharptooth. Seizon broke off to look at him, amazed.
“Wow!” he exclaimed, a grin returning. “So Chomper managed to teach the livestock how to speak! OK then flathead…actually that doesn’t really apply…where is Al?”
“He’s in the Heathland,” Shorty shot back. “Are you prepared to go there?”
Seizon’s smile slipped and he turned away.
“In answer to your earlier question Chomper…” he continued, sweeping past Saureen whilst determinately not looking at her. “Yes – I’ve seen Lini. We have her.”
“I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN!!” Chomper roared in anguish.
Seizon ignored him.
“We realised taking one of your precious companions would have been an ideal way to get you out into the open,” he explained. “Because we still need your input. Having said that, all of your flattooth friends will probably come in useful for our Valley infiltration, so therefore, we’ll keep them alive. For now at least.”
At least that was one weight of their chests, but as the ten felt themselves wrestled to their feet by the Sharptooth thugs, they knew that they could not avoid whatever fresh horrors awaited them.
“The revolution begins here,” Seizon told them all, his eyes now alight with zeal. “Xal’s dream of a Sharptooth utopia will soon be made real. And once we get you to the Fanged Forest, you will be our key! Don’t worry – your Valley will be liberated soon enough!”
And with a small smile that ignored all the glares it attracted, Seizon turned on his heel and began to lead his prisoners and their detainers eastwards.
~0~
And there you have it!
Really hope you enjoyed, and well...things are heating up! Seizon's returned, and, well...he really hasn't learnt much has he? Everyone is getting ready for war and the characters' thoughts are all over the place! :blink:
Anyway, please give me reviews and THANKS FOR READING!
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Interesting insight to Pterano's though processes there - glad to see he's staying optimistic throughout this whole affair, though that may be a by-product of his ego...who knows? 
) really shows what they may have been thinking during the first film. 
: 
But, it was a good chapter, I feel Pterano has a lot to add to this story yet... 
It's all part of Seizon and Xal's plan, whatever that may be, and I guess you all hate Seizon now, but just tell me what you think of him here anyway! Things haven't improved for Topps and Tria it seems, unless...Pterano?