And here be the next chapter! You'd better to enjoy it!
I think its important to stress how important and pivotal this chapter is - included within it is the long-awaited flashback concerning Ulciscor...and there will be more to come. With the exception of Ulciscor's flashback (that is told more as a narrator's story) thoughts and flashbacks will be indicated in italics.
Umm...enjoy!!! (Mild language.)
Chapter Seventeen: A Sibling ConnectionIt was on the same moonless night which saw a large bellydragger lying silently within a forest, deep in thought. Her nostrils quivered in the chilled air as she detected a vaguely familiar scent approach her from above.
“What do you want Ichy?” she growled.
“Want?” Ichy sounded rather amused as he perched on her snout. “Not a lot actually – Xal doesn’t seem to have much use for me now. He told me there’s no point in going in pursuit of Seizon any more if they’re on their way back. And he said going after Ferox was, after this time, a pointless activity, as our enemies have no way of discovering any new motives anyway, cause, well…there are none.”
“He’s right,” Dil grunted. “So what’s your point?”
“My point is - I’m bored!!” Ichy whined. “Even that damn Redclaw gets extensive training and energetic activity, as a member of the Piercer Platoon. Perhaps even soon a commander! I want to get on with this glorious revolution! I want to fight and…what???”
For Dil was now laughing humourlessly at him, shaking her head and causing him to tremble.
“You, in a fight?” she cackled. “You wouldn’t last two seconds against any of those hefty Bludgeoners! Or the Piercer’s for that matter…”
“You can’t see to land blows on anyone!” Ichy snapped back. “You’ll someone giving you directions like some sort of tour guide. And anyway, why would we need to fight Piercers? They’re on our side.”
“Maybe…” Dil sighed. “But I get the feeling that, to Xal, and certainly more so to this nutter Gigas, we’ll be nothing but a burden upon this army once the time is right, and we’ll have to fight our way out of this forest against the Piercers once he sets them on us. I swear they’re giving me contemptuous glares already…”
Ichy shook his head dismissively.
“Nah,” he said. “Must have been a squint. And yes, that was a direct reference to your appalling eyesight. Look, Xal knows better than to get rid of us. He can’t do this without us – we are the core fighters and cornerstones of any such army as this! To get rid of us would be…well…”
“Hang about…” Dil murmured, her ears pricking up. “What’s that?”
Ichy quickly shut up and tuned his ears into what was being said as well. And, with his superior eyesight, he could make out who it was who was talking.
Between a gap in the branches of the trees ahead of them, Xal and Redclaw’s silhouettes were visible against the cloudy night sky. Their conversation was not hushed, which seemed as though Xal had no shame at all with being associated with the one he had previously despised. This was rather unsettling to the curious pair, as they strained their ears to listen in.
“I’m impressed,” Xal was saying. And he sounded it too – he was never one to show emotions too obviously. “You’re progressing well with the Piercer Platoon.”
“Thank you, Xal,” Redclaw replied. “I take it that means I’m liable for a commanding position?”
Xal hesitated.
“Perhaps,” he replied eventually. “But be careful where you stand Redclaw! The memories of your tyranny have not gone away…”
“Of course…” Although it was difficult to see in the darkness, Ichy got the impression from the way Redclaw said those last two words that an immortal grin was spreading across his face.
“We’ll see how well you comply with our plan,” Xal replied levelly. “That Ambassador of ours is required for our revolution to work. He shall tell us exactly what we need to know to annex the entire Valley. And despite your past with them, you will allow him to do that.”
“Certainly,” Redclaw replied. “However…”
At that moment, the clouds in the sky behind swept aside, allowing the Night Circle to beam down upon them, illuminating Redclaw’s face. Ichy and Dil were barely able to hide their gasps as they saw this contorted, leering mask of evil shining in the darkness before them.
“If he needs persuading…” Redclaw hissed. “If he is reluctant to help us…may I give him that little ëboost’ he needs?”
Xal closed his eyes. Even with the moonlight, his expression was still unreadable.
“Yes,” he said. “Whatever works…”
*
As dawn began to break, four exhausted travellers found themselves in a chilling wasteland.
“White Mountain?” Lini looked around, puzzled. “Are you sure this is right?”
“This is where their scent leads,” Al replied, shrugging.
“What would they come here for though?” Saureen pondered, gazing up at the mighty pearly mountain.
“There could be a whole host of reasons,” Seizon shot back, flexing his arms. “Let’s just get on with getting them back!”
Alas, what Seizon was unaware of was the fact that another group was closing in upon the sleeping pair. It was a shame they didn’t stick by and watch them for longer – Chomper and Nycha cuddled up together like siblings to sleep was a phenomenon that had never occurred before. But what did they care? Nycha was the only one viable to join their pack. To them, Chomper was simply a waste of space.
Romov and Mei had been given the task of nabbing him without waking Nycha. It was not the easiest of tasks, but using their precision and skill, they carefully plucked him from the spot and clamped their claws over his snout.
Chomper was immediately awake, but all he could do was eye the situation horror-struck as his muffled cries failed to wake up his sleeping companion.
“Sorry love…” Mei hissed, her tongue snaking out over her teeth. “But you’re no longer of use to us. You cannot remain in our pack, and so we are going to dispose of you. But fear not – it shall be done honourably and traditionally. You will have your throat cut by a member of the tetrarchy’s sickle-claw. Such a swift and merciless death don’t you think?” She cackled softly and Romov rolled his eyes.
“Cease talking Mei, we have a job to do. Let’s just get him back to the cave.”
“Of course,” Mei replied, still grinning. “Sorry twoclaw – but you’re a pointless waste of space! We need to do something…”
Still carrying Chomper and restraining him tightly, she and Romov headed away. As luck would have it, just a few moments later, Nycha awoke blearily, stretching, yawning, and reminiscing in what was the best night’s sleep she had had in ages, with someone who was now a brother…
And speaking of which, where was that brother?
She looked around the small outcrop she and Chomper and slept on. He may have gone off to hunt for breakfast, but surely the footprints would tell such a story?
She gazed down at the footprints still visible in the snow. There were no sign of Chomper’s, just two sets of adult fastbiters’…
The penny dropped and the terrifying truth sunk deep into Nycha’s heart. She had witnessed it before, the tetrarchy’s so-called ënecessary killing,’ where sharpteeth thought to be intruding on the pack’s sovereignty in whatever area they were in, were killed in front of everyone before the body was immediately cannibalized…
With a sickening wrench of her gut, Nycha suddenly had a vision of Pagetona smiling sadly at her and saying, ëSorry, but it looks as though your twig-armed friend just run away and left you. Looks like he wasn’t such a good companion after all.’
Nycha’s blood began to boil. It would be just like them, wouldn’t it? Covering up their horrendous crimes by twisting the tales and characters of their victims. Well, Nycha had now grown to be wiser to that. The tetrarchy may not think much of Chomper, but to Nycha, he was one of the most important people in the world – a wonderful and selfless Sharptooth who had helped Pyron release her from the prison inside her head. And now the tetrarchy, who had been the cause of the prison in the first place, was trying to take him away. Well, no more. Nycha no longer cared for consequences. Today was the judgement day, where everything in her life would finally come to a head, and she would do everything in her power to save the ones she cared about.
Because they cared for her first.
*
Kai, flanked by two Bludgeoners, slowly approached Ulciscor.
“Nothing sir,” he said. Ulciscor nodded slowly.
“Right…no sign of any work being neglected? Not even a little bit?”
“Well, it’s difficult to assess,” Kai replied. “But nothing that we can see.”
Ulciscor frowned. Yesterday he had received a strange report from a Bludgeoner, telling him that the usual population of the Valley seemed to have shrunk somewhat – at least sometimes, with many Valleians missing for hours at a time. Judging by the security outside the Great Wall, there was no chance of them having left the Valley itself. Not to mention the normal labour was being completed to a sufficient standard.
“If this is another rebellious ploy,” Ulciscor snapped at them. “Then it needs to be stamped out at once. Kai, I need you to search the Valley for me, this time as thorough as you can make it, searching for any location that these dinosaurs may hide in during their absentee period. And if you can, what they need such a location for.”
“On it,” Kai nodded, moving off quickly.
“And Shock,” Ulciscor said, addressing a Bludgeoner commander. “I need you and the other Bludgeoners to interrogate as many other Valley members as you can, seeing if they know anything about the whereabouts of the usual suspects.” He smiled briefly. “And if they seem to be with-holding information, beat it out of them.”
Shock nodded and also moved off.
Ulciscor closed his eyes as if praying for patience. Noticing this, a certain someone in a nearby tree laughed.
“If you want a secret location found, Ulciscor,” Rinkus cackled. “Then look no further!”
Ulciscor fixed him with a contemptuous glare.
“I wasn’t asking you,” he spat. “I needed you only for keeping in contact with my allies.”
“Surely you can think of better usage?” Rinkus asked, looking mildly disgruntled.
“I have no need for a cackling klutz anymore,” Ulciscor yawned. “Rinkus – consider this an honourable discharge.”
“What?!”
“You heard me.” Ulciscor was walking away now. It was clear he was bored with the conversation already. “Now I suggest you leave…unless…” He twisted back to look at the flyer.
“Unless you want to be discharged with something a little bit more dramatic? Do I even need to remind you of that damn clubtail?”
Rinkus’ face was twisted into an ugly expression. Actually, it was ugly before he had started, but now it was even worse.
“I can’t believe you,” he muttered. “I joined you willingly out of the sheer hatred I have for these stupid people and you just-”
“It’s not about revenge,” Ulciscor interrupted. “It’s about putting the world right.”
Scowling, Rinkus spread his wings and took flight.
“You’ll regret this Ulciscor!” he growled as he flew away over the mountains and out of sight.
“Of that,” Ulciscor murmured to himself. “I have no intention.”
*
Pagetona’s eyes shimmered with a sadistic delight as she surveyed Chomper, kneeling before her, his arms spread out as they were held to tightly by Romov and Fang, their respective feet pinning down his shoulders, securing him tightly.
“Looks like you got the short straw,” she hissed. “I shall be the one to end your insignificant life. Any last words?”
“Oh yeah,” Chomper growled in reply, lifting his head up to face her, venom in his eyes. “When the time finally comes for you to die, take the time you have left to consider what a pointless thing your life has been. Consider how you, unlike me, have nothing to die for.”
It was clear such a statement had got right under Pagetona’s pure white skin. She bristled angrily, a soft snarl emitting between her gritted teeth.
“To die for?” she snapped. “What a sentimentally worthless phrase, befitting with your worthless life. And worthless words can’t save you now!”
“That’s funny,” Chomper replied, still as coolly as ever. “That’s all I’ve heard from you.”
By now, Pagetona’s eye had developed a twitch. Wisely refraining from saying anything more, she took a few steps back and slowly raised her leg.
In a sudden flurry of movement she spun her way forward, lashing her leg out…
Chomper swallowed and closed his eyes. So this was it…
But the blow never came, and all Chomper heard was a crunch and a shriek of pain from Pagetona herself. Opening his eyes, he saw what had happened, and felt an intense rush of warmth filling his heart and hope and flowing through the rest of his body.
In a single act that avoided personal injury, a small individual had got between Chomper and Pagetona, chomping down fiercely on the latter’s foot, preventing her from sinking her claws into Chomper and herself. And Chomper recognised the lilac feathers and determined little green eyes immediately.
“Nycha!” he cried in delight. Nycha winked at him and promptly twisted her neck, sending Pagetona, who was already off-balance, sliding straight into Fang, forcing him to let go of Chomper’s arm. Better prepared, Chomper then immediately wriggled free from Romov’s grip also and ran towards Nycha. The two greeted each other with a one-armed hug as they ran for cover – the rest of the fastbiters weren’t too happy with what had just taken place.
“There’s got to be an easier way out!” Chomper panted.
They had just reached the mouth of the cave, the rest of the fastbiters almost catching up with them, when they were both suddenly grabbed…
“What…?” Nycha gasped.
Four familiar young sharpteeth had grabbed the two of them, and had pulled them to the side, where the six of them all began to roll haphazardly down the slope, gathering snow as they went, the fastbiters reluctant to follow them.
They eventually reached the bottom of the slope, collapsing in a heap, slightly worse for wear, blinking bemusedly.
Then they all burst out laughing.
The six of them were just sitting there, almost in hysterics, laughing about what had just happened. All burden at that point seemed to vanish, Chomper felt. Nycha’s self-loathing and anger had gone, they had escaped from the hands of the tetrarchy, and the pack had come to rescue them. Everything seemed fine…right?
Saureen immediately seized Chomper and pulled him into a tight hug, with Lini doing the same, before moving on and giving Nycha the same treatment – as did Saureen.
“Good to see you,” Seizon grinned, jovially greeting Chomper with a fierce handshake. “How’re things?” It was as though Chomper had just gone out on a day trip.
“Great actually,” Chomper replied. “Nycha’s really turned a corner…”
He beamed back at her. “That was some dramatic entrance Nycha,” he chuckled. Nycha laughed.
“Thanks!” she beamed back.
“Yeah…Pyron would have been proud at what you’ve achieved,” Chomper added tenderly.
Nycha nodded, still smiling proudly, a faraway look in her eyes. For the first time, the entire group was getting along. Being held together, just the way Pyron had desired.
“Oh brother,” she thought dreamily, Pyron’s grinning, orange feathered head appearing in her consciousness.
“How far you’ve plucked this group from the depths!”Al sniffed the air briefly.
“I hate to break this up,” he said. “But I think our chuckle may be short-lived.”
He predicted correctly, for at that moment, Mei, the mahogany red tetrarchy member leapt down from a small peak in front of them.
“Too right!” she snarled. “You lot have got a lot to answer for!”
“You think?” Lini snarled back. “You have no power to wield over us!”
She was angry, a fact that rendered Chomper quite non-plussed. Lini was never angry – she always took her bubbly attitude and applied it to everything under the sun. Now however, all of that bubble was gone, her sapphire eyes taking on a new attitude, as icy as the wind that criss-crossed around her, and her shocking red scales may well have been from a smoking mountain.
Mei, unfazed, gave a derisive cackle.
“Oh yeah?” she sneered. “And who are you to stop me…?”
She was caught off guard when Lini responded by promptly barrelling into her, ramming her forcefully with her powerful cranium and sending her staggering into the snow.
“You guys concentrate on getting away from here before those other punks get to us,” Lini said to the pack, her eyes still furiously fixed on Mei. “I’m dealing with this bitch. Saureen?”
“Yeah.” Saureen looked riled too. She strode forward to take her place next to Lini. “I’ll deal with her too.”
“We can’t leave any of you here!” Nycha protested, standing her ground.
“We’ll be fine!” Lini insisted. “Besides, you can help find an escape route that avoids all of the other fastbiters, and then come back for us – by which time we’ll be done with this one!”
“Got it,” Seizon nodded. “Good luck.”
As both Lini and Saureen allowed their righteous anger to take over them and leapt upon the snarling Mei, the other four made a hasty skedaddle.
“A girls’ fight, I guess?” Al chuckled, nudging Chomper. “You don’t want to get in their way when they’re riled up.”
“How come I couldn’t stay then…?” Nycha murmured reproachfully.
“Believe me, you’ve been through enough already,” Chomper assured her, smiling a little before taking her hand and squeezing it tightly.
He didn’t know quite why he chose that moment to do such a thing, but for Nycha, this was a zenith. Everything in her life concerning how badly the tetrarchy had treated her and her family was finally coming to a head. She was bound to be windswept by this whole affair, and so any comforting action, no matter how small, would hopefully make her feel slightly calmer. It seemed to do the trick – already the two of them seemed to have a sibling connection.
“Heads up!” Seizon suddenly yelled. The other three saw exactly what he was yelling about and instantly leapt back down the snowy slope as a whole gang of fastbiters descended upon them. Their sliding misplaced a lot of the snow and ice, sending it under the feet of the upright fastbiters and causing their top-heavy statures to slip and tumble at high speeds further down the slope and…
The four young sharpteeth hadn’t had time to find a better location, and, unbeknownst to them, had took their escape route just above a sheer drop about a hundred metres down. Being smaller and already tucked into a relatively safe sliding position, the pack members did not slip over the edge. Other fastbiters however, weren’t quite as lucky. There were terrified screeches and scrapples and the icy rocks as a whole load of them went tumbling over the precipice to their deaths.
As the avalanche slowed, Seizon got unsteadily to his feet, using a nearby rock for support.
“Well…” he gasped. “That was…”
He didn’t get time to say what it was, as suddenly, practically out of nowhere, a turquoise fastbiter had leapt in front of him, delivering a flying kick directly to his face. Fang, it seemed, had evaded getting flung clean over the edge, and was now sending the young bladeback to such a fate…
“SEIZON!!!” his three companions screamed in unison.
Seizon was very lucky – he knew how to position himself in a gripping position as he careered through the air, and clung perilously onto the rocky edge. It was a close thing though – he could feel the ice slipping under his claws, causing deep gouge marks to appear in its shining cold surface as he inched closer and closer to the horrific drop that would certainly spell his doom.
And Fang was going to make sure he was sent that way.
“End of the line little biter!” he cackled, charging towards him with the intent of flicking him off. Al instantly sprang into action, fastening his jaws in a terrific chomp onto Fang’s tail, distracting him long enough for Seizon to hoist himself up and deliver an assault onto Fang’s flank.
Chomper and Nycha both rushed forward to help, but Chomper skidded to a halt when he heard Nycha’s high-pitched scream from behind him. His insides shrank and his eyes widened when he saw Romov, his jaws clasped around Nycha’s tail, dragging her slowly towards-
Chomper didn’t even want to think about it. He hadn’t even conceived a plan in his head as he dashed towards Romov. All he knew is that he didn’t want to see Nycha the way he had seen Pyron, on her back, with the life running out of her almost as quickly as her blood…
Chomper made it to Romov and did the first thing he could think of – shove his claws into his eyes.
Romov let out a great howl, releasing Nycha as he swung his head up, catapulting Chomper onto his back. Recognising an advantage, he promptly bit down onto his back. Hollering and half-blinded by the severe cutting to his eyes, Romov blundered forward, suddenly tripping and beginning to slide predictably to the edge of the peak.
“Chomper!” Nycha grabbed him by his arm and yanked him off the falling body. “You’re such a reckless idiot sometimes!”
“Says you!” Chomper laughed indignantly. The two of them watched incredulously as Romov careered over the edge of the precipice and promptly plunged to his death. One of the tetrarchy was dead – it was almost as though a chain that bound Nycha was broken. He could see it in her eyes – liberation at last!
Then something hard and very sharp caught Chomper on the side of the head, knocking him off his feet and into the snow. Raising his head and blinking blood out of his eyes and spitting it out of his mouth, he saw the ominous white shape of Pagetona standing where he was a few minutes ago, cold fury clear on every line of her face.
“You pathetic brats…” she hissed. “How dare you undermine my authority? I am the newest member of the tetrarchy, and this is what I get as I begin my leadership?? You’ll never get away with this one…”
“We already have,” Nycha snarled back, a new reckless temper rising in her. “Face it Pagetona – you’re a dead-end failure, along with the rest of the tetrarchy and you’re never going to control us, or hurt any of us again.” She leapt at her, claws and jaws aimed for her throat. Pagetona let out a deathly screech, back-flipping onto a rock that formed pretty much a stepping stone for a higher-peak.
“Let’s settle this in a true fashion then,” she growled. “Come and get me if you’re-aaaRRRGHH!!!”
Chomper had caught up with her, and was biting fiercely into her tail.
“Challenge accepted…” Nycha hissed under her breath, dashing and leaping after her mortal foe.
*
The two sets of jaws latched onto each other and the ferocious wrestle between Lini and Mei commenced. Lini was attempting to grip her foe in her claws, leaving lethal looking scrapes where her claws had dug in. Mei, for the time being, seemed unfazed, and continued to claw at Lini is exactly the same way.
Saureen was attempting to help out as much she could, and was trying to deliver a hefty bite to Mei’s flank. This was easier said than done, as Mei kept on shuffling her feet as she pushed with all her might against Lini. But this wasn’t to say she hadn’t noticed it.
“Stupid little twigarm,” she thought reproachfully to herself.
“I’ll make her suffer for this…”She quickly unlatched her jaws from Lini’s head, causing a surprised Lini to stagger forwards slightly. Taking advantage of her being caught off guard, she slammed her chin on top of Lini’s head, and then reversed the situation by head-butting her chin, sending her staggering backwards, finally falling to the ground when Mei swatted her with her tail.
Then she turned her attention to Saureen.
Seeing this shift in attention, Saureen quickly made an attempt to defend herself more affectively, promptly biting hard into Mei’s wrist. This was rather unwise however – even though Mei gave a howl of pain, Saureen was in an extremely vulnerable position, and Mei simply took her other clawed hand and struck it hard across Saureen’s head.
Saureen gave a strangled gasp as dots of snow around her were stained red with her blood. Dazed, she slipped over backwards and attempting to crawl out of the way as Mei advanced upon her, licking her chops with vile excitement.
Lini had gotten to her feet by this point, and made another attempt to charge the fastbiter. She was unsuccessful – Mei had raised a leg to block the slashclaw’s advances, and Lini winced as the infamous sickle-claw cut into her shoulder, wet blood beginning to run down her arm. With a simple kick, Lini was once again knocked aside by this fastbiter leader.
“And now for you…” Mei hissed, sadistic malice glowing in her eyes and drool dripping off her maws. Saureen made to get up, but a stomp down on her chest rendered her pinned to the ground.
“It’s not as if I haven’t tasted twoclaw before,” Mei continued, growing more delighted as Saureen’s eyes continued to widen. “But maybe it’ll taste nicer fresh – whilst you’re still alive! Maybe I’ll start with your intestines!”
She raised her claw.
Lini suddenly had a horrific dÈj‡ vu, coupled with a flashback…
The blood ran in a thin torrent onto the rocky ground. The flies buzzing around the horrifying open wound did a lot to stem the feeble moaning of the Sharptooth, still alive, lying on the ground with his guts hanging out…
“You get first pick,” the elder said.
Not caring or even noticing the fellow sharptooth’s distress, Lini licked her lips ravenously and bent down…NO! That was not going to happen, not on her watch!
Before Mei could sink her claws into Saureen, the eerie cold mountain air was split in two by a savage, blood-curdling, deafening roar, which echoed precariously around, coming back and haunting all listeners many times after.
This was the roar of the slashclaw, of the Giganotosaurus, one of the mightiest Sharptooth races in history, and such a roar struck fear into all those who listened. Mei even paused in her leering to stare in shock at Lini, ever the sweet and innocent, now bellowing this unimaginable auditory horror show. The look in her eyes told her everything she needed to know. She had crossed an unimaginable line, and was about to pay the price.
“Saureen, get out of here!” Lini yelled, thundering towards her foe, prepared for blood…
*
It was an isolated spot, so far removed from the rest of the goings-on around the Valley, that to an outsider, it seemed there was nothing wrong with Valley at all – it was just as peaceful as it should be.
Two elderly longnecks were dozing upon the mossy ground, savouring the fact that Ulciscor was too busy dealing with the threat of a possible rebellion to be closely scrutinizing them.
Aster opened his eyes, and gazed briefly around at the area before sighing and nuzzling his wife closely. Arianna opened her eyes too, allowing the affection as she lay there, wondering…
“What do you think the others are doing?” she asked quietly.
“You mean in terms of what Ulciscor’s all tied up with?” he replied. “No idea – but I hope it’s something that will remove him from these premises…”
“This is our own son we’re talking about,” Arianna reminded him. “But I agree with you completely.” She sighed. “How on earth did it come to this?” she asked. “Did we do something horribly wrong?”
“No,” Aster assured her. “It must have been his own doing…somehow…”
*
They were not the only ones with Ulciscor on their minds.
Bron surveyed the Rocky Heathland, vaguely noticing his biological and adopted sons and all their friends engaging in some exciting activity, and Old One conversing with Zyro about a new-comer. But he wasn’t overly focusing on them – he was too busy thinking whether or not with-holding information on his brother-in-law was going to do the group any harm. Like his parents-in-law, he was thinking – how did it come to this?
*
The story begins many years ago, in the Mysterious Beyond, where longneck herds all passed each in mutual harmony and informed others of great and varied places and events. Such story-speakers were revered amongst the rest of them, and all of them lived in expectation for a time when a story-speaker would nominate another to take their place.
One such story-speaker, whom we know as Aster, had just delivered a great and tantalizing story at the Speaker Oasis – a place where longnecks far and wide flocked to hear the great stories told. Taking a break from speaking for now, Aster returned to a small lake to reunite with his wife, Arianna.
“I tell you dear,” he said to her, smiling broadly. “Many of that crowd have the makings of story-speakers. One lad, name of Saro, in particular!”
“It seems the future is bright then,” Arianna agreed. “But seriously – get a drink or your throat will dry up from all that speaking!”
A young grey longneck who was sitting, bobbing along slightly, in the centre of the lake, was gazing at his parents with interest.
“A story-speaker, huh?” Ulciscor murmured to himself, leaning back in the water and allowing him to float around on his back. “I could definitely be one of them! Dad tells me all of those fantastic stories anyway – I could recite most of them…”
“Still…” he thought.
“Telling stories is all very well and good, but what about actually being in them? That would be novel wouldn’t it? Maybe in years to come, all these story-speakers will be speaking stories of the adventures of the great Ulciscor…”Ulciscor was just thinking about how best to become a longneck legend, when he noticed a quivering form on the bank that he had just floated past. Smiling, he righted himself in the water to look at his little sister.
“Come on Saura!” he coaxed. “The water’s lovely!”
Saura frowned in a way that clearly showed she thought the exact opposite.
“It looks…well, rather…” she murmured.
“What?” Ulciscor asked, sighing with an impatient air. “Big? Wet? Watery? I hate to break it to you sis, but those are general and repetitive features of water. Now are you coming in or not?”
Saura took a deep breath before diving straight in on top of her brother.
“I didn’t mean on top of me!!!” Ulciscor whined. Saura just laughed and lay back in the water.
“Be careful what you wish for!” she teased.
“Yeah whatever!” Ulciscor laughed. “Just be careful – you ain’t a swimmer!”
“Hmm…” Saura agreed, suddenly thinking. “How come there aren’t any swimmers here? This water should be perfect for them!”
Ulciscor stared at her as if she were insane.
“Well, this place is for longnecks!” he said. “We never do anything with other kinds…”
“Why not?”
“Well…” Ulciscor shrugged. “Because we’re different. It’s always been that way.”
Saura frowned, but Ulciscor just laughed.
“I don’t see what the problem is. You never get great stories out of any other herds…which reminds me, I want story-speakers to tell stories of me in the future!”
Saura gave him a puzzled look.
“Do you even think that’s possible?”
“Why not?” Ulciscor asked eagerly. “Other longnecks have done it! In fact, I’m going to go in search of an adventure right now!”
“What? Are you crazy???” Saura demanded.
“Oh, where’s your sense of adventure?” Ulciscor teased. “Well, if you’re going to stay here scaredy-egg, I’ll be back later!”
Without a backwards glance at his sister, Ulciscor got out of the lake and trotted off towards some mangrove trees nearby, deciding to be daring and exploring what he deemed as uncharted territory. And technically it was – unfortunately for him, following a few tangles in vines and walking around in circles, he found himself lost in dense undergrowth. But he didn’t overly mind.
“This is the sort of thing such legendary longnecks would have to put up with,” he told himself. “Like the Lone Dinosaur – hmm…maybe I could be the second Lone Dinosaur? Ulciscor the Sharptooth Slayer?”
Yes…that had a nice ring to it. Ulciscor grinned to himself. He could imagine charging through terrified longneck herds to restore calm and hunting down all the villainous sharpteeth that scared them so…oh yes, that would be a way of getting him into the Great Longneck Stories!
His daydreaming was cut off abruptly by a rustle in the nearby bushes. Gasping, he readied his tail for action.
“My first Sharptooth!” he whispered excitedly to himself. He couldn’t help but feel a little worried about the prospect of a Sharptooth, but still, he had to start his career somehow…
The interesting thing about whatever was stalking him however was that he could hardly hear any footsteps. In fact, if it wasn’t for the rustling, he probably wouldn’t even have noticed it.
“I’m no Sharptooth!” protested a voice to his left. Ulciscor quickly turned on the spot as a spindly brown longneck about his own age emerged from the undergrowth.
“I guessed you weren’t,” Ulciscor lied, lowering his tail. “I mean…I didn’t even hear you coming…what’s up with your legs?” he gestured.
“What about them?” the other longneck was clearly confused about what to make of this brash, confident individual.
“They’re so…little!!” Ulciscor claimed. He grinned wryly. “I guess I’ll just call you…Littlefoot!”
The other longneck laughed.
“That’s not my name! My name’s Bron!”
“I’m Ulciscor,” Ulciscor replied, nodding politely. “And…well…it doesn’t hurt to have a nickname…right Littlefoot?”
Bron laughed again.
“Great!” he said. “So…I’m just the little-legged longneck to you?”
“Maybe…” Ulciscor grinned. “But there’s nothing wrong with having little legs…good for stealth I think! It certainly worked on me.”
“What would I need stealth for?” Bron asked curiously.
“Sneaking up on sharpteeth,” Ulciscor replied. “One day, I’m determined to become the icon of the Great Longneck Stories by becoming a known Sharptooth slayer!”
“Sounds interesting,” Bron agreed. “But why do we need to sneak up on them?”
“Sharpteeth are cowards,” Ulciscor replied, his face curling. “They’d never dare attack a herd this size…especially one of longnecks. By the way…”
He turned back to Bron.
“Is your family from around here?”
“No,” Bron shook his head. “We just migrated here to hear the Great Speakers – Frazer, Diplocia, Aster…”
“That’s my dad!” Ulciscor crowed.
“No way, really??” Bron seemed awed.
“Oh yeah!” Ulciscor grinned. “Come on – I’ll introduce to my folks. Once I can work my way out of here, of course…and my little sister! She decided to be a scaredy-egg and not come out here, but I’m sure she’ll take to you – Littlefoot!”
The two of them laughed once more and sprinted off.
*
Saura had indeed taken to him, Bron reflected, his eyes now fixed on the result – his own son. How he wished she were still alive. He could use her comfort right now…they all could.
It was amazing how, since then, everything had escalated. Bron didn’t know what he should tell Littlefoot – that the murderous despot who was now terrorizing the Great Valley was the one who had chosen his name, as innocent sounding as it was? And how Ulciscor’s influence had been the reason for Bron’s absence during his birth? How would he feel then?
It was a tricky decision, and Bron didn’t feel as though he could talk to anybody about it. They wouldn’t understand…except perhaps…
Bron’s eyes shifted down to a lone spiketail. Opal may have little memory of her past, but perhaps her disconnection with everyone else made her the best listener – the best impartial judge to hear Bron’s story.
Bron took note of that, before heading towards Zyro to see what he had to say about this newcomer.
*
“Dammit!” a young Nycha cursed to herself as the fish she was attempting to hunt escaped her grasp yet again.
“Problem?” her brother laughed as she probed around in the small stream.
“No!” she lied. “Well…possibly…”
Pyron grinned at her.
“I’ll tell you what – I’ll stand at one end, and chase the fish up towards you, yeah?”
“How will that work?” Nycha asked, puzzled.
“Oh, it will,” Pyron assured. “Now – get ready!”
The result was simple – Pyron chased the fish upstream into Nycha’s waiting claws.
“Great…” she murmured, flopping the dead fish onto the bank.
“You see,” Pyron said, walking over to her. “Teamwork always comes with the best results. That’s what we are as a pack, right? A team.”
Nycha nodded. “I guess so…”
“When mum and dad go out hunting,” Pyron continued. “They work as a team. They communicate to each other – that’s what’s important. If there was no communication, teamwork would be useless.”
“Good thing we worked as a team then!” Nycha grinned, earning a beam back from her brother as the siblings shared a tender hug.Nycha wasn’t going to forget Pyron’s brotherly teachings in a hurry. As she and Chomper continued to try and land bites on a whirling and stomping Pagetona, she realised that all she needed was a decent form of communication. And they had one…
Last night, sleeping in the freezing cold hadn’t been easy, and so Chomper came up with a good initiative to pass the time.
“I’m going to teach you,” Chomper said earnestly. “To speak flattooth.”
Nycha looked at him sceptically.
“What – you mean to squeak and grunt?” she asked.
Failing to hide a smile, Chomper continued.
“It is actually more sophisticated than it sounds. I guess being hatched by leaf-eaters makes it easier for me to learn the language, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to teach you.”
“How do you distinguish the grunts into actual words then?” Nycha asked.
“I think it’s generally to do with the pitch,” Chomper replied. “How high or low the grunt is can determine what sort of word class it’s in.”
Nycha still looked a little confused.
“I’ll start with something simple,” Chomper continued hastily. “I’ll teach you to say your name. Listen very carefully – Nycha.”
Nycha nodded and then attempted herself.
“Wow…” Chomper muttered. “That was pretty fluent! Nice one!”Admittedly, she was still rusty even now, but a few simple words in a language Pagetona couldn’t distinguish should be enough to give her the upper hand.
“Chomper – the legs!” Nycha called to him in flattooth. Chomper understood – if they took both out at the same time…
The two of them surged forward in unison to grip one of Pagetona’s legs in their jaws. They then pulled, unbalancing the fastbiter and sending her crashing to the snowy ground.
Their victory was short-lived however. Pagetona rolled over on top of Chomper, flattening him against the snow, and then righting herself and placing her foot on his head.
“One false move Nycha…” she hissed. “And I’ll gouge out his brains!”
Nycha swallowed and didn’t move any closer.
“I bet you think you’re so big, don’t you?” Pagetona growled. “But in reality, Nycha, you’re a pathetic little girl who’ll amount to nothing…”
These words stung into Nycha deeper than a voracious insect. But surely…this was all they ever thought of her?
“Don’t listen to her Nycha!” Chomper gave a muffled yell. But he yelled it in flattooth – something that Pagetona didn’t understand and so Nycha could consider it without her reaction…who was she going to trust? A murderous back-stabbing fastbiter, or a true friend and guardian?
Chomper, twisting his jaws around, bit Pagetona’s foot, relieving the pressure from his head and allowing him to leap to his feet and avoid her claws.
“You alright?” Nycha asked him, relief flooding her entire being.
“Yeah,” Chomper replied. “But it’s going to be difficult taking her out…”
“I know…” As they leapt aside to avoid Pagetona once more, Nycha found herself looking up to the highest peak of the mountain, with a slippery slope of snow and ice, one that could easily provide momentum…
“Chomper!” Nycha shouted, once more in flattooth. “Leave this to me!”
*
Fang couldn’t believe it. He had served as a member of the tetrarchy for years, rolling out hunting strategies and battle plans…and for what?
By the looks of things, to get savagely beaten up by a pair of juveniles.
No more allies were coming to help him, and Al was making use of that by, with help from Seizon, flinging everything at him from pieces of tree to rocks – all with resourceful uses of whatever they could find.
In a desperate attempt to assert his authority once more, Fang lashed out at Seizon, kicking him squarely in the chest and sending him careering back into the snow. Though this distraction was all Al needed.
“Think you can make examples of us?” he growled. Before Fang could defend himself, an entire tree fell on top of him.
“You’ll never understand what true strength is!”
“That’s right…” Seizon murmured joyfully as Fang staggered to his feet. Pelting towards him at full throttle, the young bladeback gave a death-defying leap and caught the fastbiter in the chest with both his legs.
Many happy returns.
Fang toppled over, and, thanks to Al being curled into a ball behind him, went toppling all the way over the peak, screaming in rage as he plummeted, before his life ended with a bone-rattling crash.
Seizon and Al stood there for a moment, watching the tiny dot on the ground below that was once their enemy. Then Seizon gave a great whoop.
“YES!! We smashed him!”
“Good one!” Al grinned enthusiastically, as the high-fived, bro-fisted and all sorts of other such celebratory gestures.
“Well,” Al continued, his brow wrinkled in thought. “I guess now we’ve taken out this one, we should concentrate on where everyone else is…”
“Oh yeah!” Seizon suddenly realised, sprinting off in the first direction he could think of. “We’ve got to find them all…especially Chomper, he’s needed for the revolution.”
“Please Seizon,” Al thought wearily, as he went after him.
“Don’t let Xal’s views colour your own.” *
Slash, gouge, swipe…
Attack after attack was hammered onto Mei by Lini. The tetrarchy member was almost running backwards in an attempt to avoid getting her throat cut by this furious Sharptooth. Lini was oblivious to the blows landing on her as well – all she wanted to do was to take this one out of the picture.
Saureen couldn’t believe it – she just stood there, watching this relentless barrage take place, her eyes wide open, mouth agape. When had Lini become like this??
A swipe of Lini’s tail was enough to catapult Mei backwards, landing with a great thud in the snow. She was exhausted, panting heavily, bleeding cuts all over her scales.
“Please…” she whispered hoarsely. “No more…”
“Lini…?” Saureen began tentatively, but Lini didn’t listen. She strode straight over to where Mei was lying. After glaring at her in a cold fury for a few seconds, she took the fastbiter’s neck in her mouth.
“Lini!”
Crack.
The crack wasn’t loud, and yet it echoed through the frosty air, chilling Saureen to the bone as the sound rolled up the mountains and down again. Satisfied that the neck was broken, Lini dumped the now lifeless head of Mei back onto the snow, before turning and walking back to Saureen.
Saureen was at a loss for words as Lini sat down next to her. For a few moments, her expression was lifeless, but then the tears, which were built up very quickly in her sapphire eyes, began to flow.
“Saureen…” she whispered. “Nobody who needs others pain to make themselves happy…should be kept alive…you should understand…”
But Saureen didn’t, and could only pat Lini awkwardly on the back as her sobs continued to echo through the chilly mists, just as the sound of a breaking neck had previously done.
*
As a child, Chomper had always been afraid of heights. He couldn’t remember why, but it may have something to do with some egg-stealers…
The highest peak on White Mountain was ridiculously high, and yet here he was, fighting for his life.
Chomper wasn’t entirely sure what Nycha had planned as he leapt to avoid a blow from Pagetona. Skidding as he landed, he went to launch another attack. Pagetona was distracted by Nycha’s biting to her tail, but she nevertheless performed a well-aimed swing of her claws, catching Chomper in the face and knocking him back again. Unfazed, Chomper landed 3-point and went straight for her again, Nycha releasing Pagetona’s tail and dashing off, murmuring to him in flattooth,
“Don’t worry – it’ll be over soon!”
Chomper bit into Pagetona’s wrist, kicking out with his legs to prevent her from slashing at him with the other hand. He could taste her blood in his mouth, and was so carried away by what he was doing that he failed to realise that she should easily return the favour.
And she did, giving a great screech, as she chomped down onto his shoulder. Chomper grunted in pain as Pagetona’s teeth sunk deeper and deeper into him.
But then she released him.
Chomper looked up just in time to see a stone, as thrown by Nycha, strike his oppressor hard in the mouth, forcing her to let go of Chomper and knocking one of her teeth out. Chomper watched incredulously as said tooth went sailing over the edge of the icy peak. Pagetona, spitting blood onto the white ground, glared at Nycha, who was standing upon a mound of snow.
“Honestly, Nycha, what is it with you?” she snapped. “After we had disposed of this idiot we were going to allow you into our pack. And yet what do you do? Resist! Why???”
“Because of perspective,” Nycha growled. “I should have been done with the tetrarchy the day I was born. Not because of what you’ve done, but because of who you are. You’re never happy unless everyone around you is upset or scared. And you’re the worst of the lot, because I knew you when you were ordinary…but you decided to become as heartless and cruel as they are…” she swallowed.
“This ends today…right now.”
Nycha then promptly leaned forward.
This was all she needed to do as a whole cascade of snow slid from under her feet and carried her forward, straight into Pagetona. This tumble of ice and dinosaur sent them both careering to the peak, sliding across the icy jut at the edge…
“Nycha!” Chomper quickly jerked forward to pluck the young fastbiter from this mass, pulling her to safety to stand upon the ice as Pagetona, screaming curses at them both was carried effortlessly over the edge before falling to her death hundreds of metres below.
For a moment, neither Chomper nor Nycha moved or spoke. They just stood there, panting as they held each other close. Going over what had just happened.
“Nycha…!” Chomper gasped. “You’re so reckless!”
Nycha gave him a bemused look.
“Says you,” she replied.
They both chuckled to themselves.
“That’s it Nycha,” Chomper mused, gazing over the edge. “They’re gone – they’re not going to harm you again. It’s over.”
Nycha beamed. It was certainly a tender moment they were now sharing, but then…
“Chomper!”
Seizon had finally caught up with them, and seeing Xal’s ëambassador’ standing so close to edge of the peak, panicked, and grabbed him to pull him away.
The trouble was the force of Chomper being pulled away unbalanced both him and Nycha, as he was holding her at the time. As Chomper was dragged by Seizon, Nycha slipped and slid precariously towards the edge, her claws making insignificant marks on the ice. She reached the very edge and managed to cling onto it with her fingers. Chomper and Seizon both immediately made to reach out for her, but before their hands could reach out to grab her…
Crack…
The narrow edge of ice she was holding onto snapped.
Chomper felt his stomach shrink as Nycha began to fall backwards in a graceful arc. No…it could not have happened…not again…
Even as she felt the wind rush past her, Nycha remembered her language lessons.
“Chomper!” she called in flattooth. “Not your fault!”
And it was true, she reflected. Too many spend too much time playing the blame game. Often, it is nobody’s fault.
“My dear brothers,” she thought as she continued to plummet, the wind whistling in her ears.
“You have taught me so much in the albeit short time I’ve got to spend with you both. Pyron, Chomper – you were right about me. You showed me beyond all reasonable doubt that I should never aspire to be what I’m not. I am not a bloodthirsty killer of fellows – I am your loved and significant sister. Sometimes, the hardest things to see are those that are right in front of you. A pack that loved me for who I am, not who they wanted me to be. It was a hard lesson, but I’m so glad I finally got to see it in the end. Just because I can’t do what some want me to do, doesn’t make me any less an amazing person, just as important as anyone else – I’m glad I got to see my true family. Goodbye all, especially to you Chomper. And Pyron…I’ll be seeing you soon…”That thought in mind, she gave a sad smile and closed her eyes, a single tear trickling out of her closed eyelids and rising into the air to mingle with the snowfall.
Then she hit the ground.
*
The pack had carried her away from White Mountain. They knew she wouldn’t have wanted to be buried there, where memories of the now extinct tetrarchy lingered. Chomper had insisted she should be buried next to her brother, as she would have wanted that, but such would have been impractical. Instead, they took her back to where they had all slept the night before last, where there were many flowers, extravagant and brightly coloured, surrounded by towering rocky pillars.
Chomper gazed unblinkingly at the mound of freshly dug soil under which Nycha’s body lay, his mind still numb.
“Chomper…?”
He looked to see Saureen, tentatively standing next to him, a bouquet of flowers in her hand. With a slight pang to his heart, Chomper noticed that the petals were a distinct shade of lilac.
“P-put them on her grave,” Saureen said quietly. “I…think she would have liked them.”
Chomper nodded, taking them from her. “Yeah, I think she would have done…although…”
Without saying another word, he picked a few nearby orange flowers to go with the lilac ones and placed the whole bunch down onto Nycha’s grave.
“This way…” he said, his voice suddenly sounding strangely as though he had a bad head cold. “It is like they’re together…”
He couldn’t help it anymore. At that moment he burst into floods of tears, dropping to his knees next to her. He couldn’t stop – and he just kept on crying as Seizon, swallowing hard, suggested they all say a few words.
Chomper barely heard everyone else say their words – they all went vaguely along the same lines. He just wanted to get to his. Wiping his eyes, he eyed the flowers’ petals intently.
“Nycha…” he said. “You were unfairly taken from us and will be sorely missed. Sometimes the cruelty of nature can be irregular, taking those we love from us away, and yet…”
He stood up, something more in his eyes than pure shock and grief.
“Sometimes…there can be reason and fault behind it.”
The other four were silent. What had he just said?
Chomper slowly turned on the spot. His eyes, despite still showing the shadows of their sorrow were now worryingly dark and angry, and were determinately fixed on Seizon.
“What?” Seizon was beginning to feel uncomfortable. “Come on Chomper – what are you on about?”
“Does Xal really mean that much to you?” Chomper asked. Al already could see where this was going, and so he decided not to say anything, lest it prove even more inflammatory than it was already. This time was bound to come anyway…he gestured for Lini to come over to him. She had been in a strangely quiet mood even before they had found out about Nycha’s death, but he didn’t want to read too much into that now.
“What’s this got to do with him?” Seizon snapped, starting to grow just as agitated. “Stop blaming him for-”
“Oh, but I’m not blaming him,” Chomper said in a voice of forced calm. He took a few steps towards Seizon.
“Chomper…” Saureen murmured warningly.
Chomper ignored her.
“I’m blaming you, Seizon,” he spoke very clearly.
“Me?” Seizon growled through gritted teeth, his eyes just as focused, the amber locking onto the red. “What the hell have I done?”
“You grabbed me aside back on White Mountain,” Chomper said. “Despite the fact that me and Nycha were completely fine, in no danger. You were too worried about losing out on your big hit with Xal, and so you let Nycha fall to her death!”
“No I didn’t!” Seizon yelled, his hands balling into fists. “Don’t be ridiculous Chomper!”
“And back at the Cave Network,” Chomper continued, unafraid by Seizon’s advances. “You wanted to stick around to, what, gain territory? Your single-minded fixation with your stepfather cost Pyron his life too! When’s it going to end? How long are we going to go on, losing more and more members of our pack, just because of one thing you feel you have to do?”
“You know nothing!” Seizon hissed. “You have no idea how dedicated I am to this pack!”
“Oh yeah?” Chomper let out an angry laugh. “You just care about Xal more, right?!”
Seizon didn’t reply.
“Enough to let your comrades die??”
“I didn’t!” Seizon snarled. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you!”
“Not intentionally, for sure,” Chomper agreed, still glaring at Seizon. The other three were watching this confrontation wordlessly. “But it’s your carelessness and your Xal-worshipping which are constantly landing us into trouble. And it’s that that has recently taken two innocent lives from us.” He glanced back at the flowers on Nycha’s grave.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Seizon muttered. “I’ll ensure it doesn’t happen again…”
“But Seizon…” Saureen murmured timidly. “That’s more or less what you said before we headed for White Mountain…”
“Stay out of this Saureen!” Seizon shot at her, but Chomper was appalled.
“Is that so?” he growled. “Sounds about right…you just can’t control your priorities Seizon. And we can’t have that in this pack. If it’s going to continue, and I’m sure it will, then I suggest new leadership is needed.”
Seizon gave a guttural growl as he forced himself to remain self-controlled. That statement burned…
“Oh yeah…?” he muttered. “Like who? You?”
“I didn’t cross my mind actually,” Chomper replied honestly. “But now I think about it…yeah, why not?”
Seizon’s face curled into a deep-set snarl. Challenging Seizon’s authority was a very dangerous thing to do…
~0~
R.I.P Nycha.
Yes, I'm a cruel person. Yes, I'm an evil writer. And yes, I did have Nycha's death planned pretty much from the beginning! But it is no pointless act of violence - this a pivotal moment, when Chomper decides he's had enough of Seizon leading them...Seizon, his mind still on Xal, does not like!
And how about Ulciscor's story eh? I hope you noticed that Ulciscor practically fed some of the more famous lines to certain respective characters...and what has he got to do with Littlefoot's birth? Only time will tell...as with this dark little secret Lini seems to be harbouring beneath her innocent exterior...
Please review, and thanks for reading!!!
