The Seven Hunters

[CeraTheRed]

This is really getting interesting. It's great that you're giving insight to Sharptooth society and giving a deeper look into how they work, but at the same time, showing all the gang's reaction to being hunters now.

[rhombus]

This is really getting interesting. It's great that you're giving insight to Sharptooth society and giving a deeper look into how they work, but at the same time, showing all the gang's reaction to being hunters now.

Thanks for the feedback.   The interactions withing sharptooth society and the cultural trends that develop from that will be a major focus of the second Act of the story (chapters 18-37ish) as the pack begins to settle into their new forms. The next chapter should be posted in the next day or two.  

[CeraTheRed]

This is really getting interesting. It's great that you're giving insight to Sharptooth society and giving a deeper look into how they work, but at the same time, showing all the gang's reaction to being hunters now.

Thanks for the feedback.   The interactions withing sharptooth society and the cultural trends that develop from that will be a major focus of the second Act of the story (chapters 18-37ish) as the pack begins to settle into their new forms. The next chapter should be posted in the next day or two.  

I look forward to it. It's really nice to see a story that focuses on the deeper side of Sharptooth behavior, rather than them just being mindless killing machines.

[rhombus]

 Chapter 16   A danger diverted

“It is dangerous to exist in the world. To exist is to be threatened. We must live with threats.” ― Adam Levin, The Instructions

Spike awoke early the next morning.  This would have been an extraordinary occurrence back when he was a stegosaurus, as he would often sleep until midmorning during his Great Valley days, but he found that it was becoming a more regular phenomenon now that he was a sharptooth.  Since his transformation he had only slept in during the previous day, back when he was ravaged by hunger and sought the refuge of sleep.  With the events of the previous night, however, that was no longer a problem.

Upon opening his eyes he noticed that the sun was just beginning its ascent at the horizon and that much of the land was still under the cloak of darkness.  Notwithstanding their late night hunt, he had woken up at the break of dawn.

Urgh! The former spiketail thought to himself.  Why can't I sleep like I did before?

Knowing that yearning for the past would get him nowhere, he decided to get up and face the new day.  He groggily blinked his eyes a few times before finally placing weight upon his hind limbs and rising to his full height.

"Looks like I am the only one up."  The fast biter muttered quietly, not wanting to wake the others.  He was almost envious of them at this point.  He had gone from the easy-going member of the group to a whirling ball of energy since the transformation.  Although he knew it was simply a trait of his new kind, one which he shared with the others, it still irked him that his mind wouldn't rest during his waking hours.  He supposed that it was something that he would simply have to get used to.

Taking a deep stretch, Spike yawned before taking a look upon their handiwork from the night before.

Rhett's body, or what remained of it, resided some distance away from the sleeping gang.  In their ravenous hunger, they had nearly stripped his body of its flesh.  Only portions of the abdomen and upper torso still retained remnants of meat, whereas the remainder was nearly bare except for blood-stained bones.  It would have been a terrifying sight to any leaf-eater, but it did not immediately evoke any emotions in the green fast biter.  Absentmindedly, he lamented how little food remained and debated how much to leave for the others.  That was when the implications of his thoughts became apparent to him.

What are you doing, Spike? He asked himself rhetorically.  This was your friend!  

Upon reflecting upon their situation for a while, he decided that he would eat a small portion of what remained.  Ducky and the others will probably need to eat more than I do.  He affirmed to himself.  He had eaten far more than the others had the night before.

Walking slowly to his destination, he observed the corpse for a few moments.  Just hours before this had been a living dinosaur, capable of thought, love, and everything else that entailed.  He had been their friend, albeit a distant one, and they had all done their part to end his life.  Despite the necessity of what they had done, Spike was still feeling remorse for his part in the hunt.  Would it be like this every time that they killed?  As it was, he felt conflicting drives to apologize to the longneck skeleton in front of him and also to devour what remained.  It was an unsettling combination of motivations.

"It's sad, isn't it?"

Spike turned around suddenly to see Ruby behind him.  He was surprised to see that she had awakened without his knowledge.  The fact that she could do that spoke volumes about her stealthiness.

Spike simply nodded.  What more was there to say?  Ruby continued to speak, however.

"I had to steal an egg once when I was younger."  Ruby admitted, as if she was confiding a dark secret.  Spike looked upon her with a surprised expression, but tilted his head as if to beckon her to continue.  Ruby noted his willingness to listen and continued her story.

"We couldn't find any food at our old home.  My mommy and daddy would feed me with whatever they could catch, but would go hungry.  They were very hungry because they would feed me their catch."  She continued.  "I got tired of seeing them hungry... And I was getting hungry too."

Ruby then had a faraway look in her eyes, as if seeing a memory that upset her dearly.

"I was tired of the hunger, so I went looking for food.  I was too young, but I went anyway."  She affirmed.  Fast runners were not usually expected to fish or catch snapping shells on their own until about their fifth star day, but she disobeyed out of concern for her parents.  "A threehorn was away from the nest... and I took her egg."  She then shook her head at the memory.  "She almost got me!  But my daddy distracted her and I got away!"  She looked down in sadness.  "He hurt his leg running away.  But if he wouldn't have run away then he would have been hurt worse."

Spike was quite moved by her story, but didn't know what to say.  If any of the adults had known about her exploits then she would certainly have been banished from the Great Valley.  But more so than that observation, several other questions opened up in the fast biter's mind.  How hard of a life had Ruby lived while in the Mysterious Beyond?  How many horrific stories had she been forced to keep to herself?  He truly felt for her at this point.  He could see some of his guilt and confusion being represented in her story.

"You did the right thing."  

Spike had spoken without even thinking about it.  In the instant he said it, however, he realized that he was indeed correct.  When faced with a survival situation, anything goes.  He certainly could not blame her for doing whatever she thought would save her family.  Sometimes horrific problems required horrific solutions.

Ruby smiled a sad, knowing smile and nodded at Spike.  She then said what was truly on her mind.  "So did you.  We all did the right thing last night."

Spike nodded, but then took a look at the corpse in front of him.  Even if they understood the necessity of their actions that did not mean that other dinosaurs would.  How could you explain the necessity of the kill to a leaf-eater who was potential prey?  How do you explain it to a mother who has just lost a child?  You couldn't and Spike knew it.  He fully realized that he would not have been able to understand such a thing until he became a sharptooth himself.  As it was, he knew that he would have a difficult time getting Ducky accustomed to these changes.  Their transformation cut to the very core of her personality.  She felt lost in this new reality.  Spike resolved to be there for her, but he had no idea if that would be enough.

"Yeah."  He affirmed.  "But... I don't think Ducky sees it that way."

Ruby walked up to Spike's side and placed her forelimb on his back.  With a flourish she then moved her other forelimb in a grand gesture.  "Then we will need to remind her until she understands."

The two looked at the broken body of Rhett for a few moments before they heard the sounds of moving feet.

"You... Never told us about the egg before, Ruby."  It was Littlefoot.  He had heard the entire conversation.

Ruby was surprised and took a few moments to respond.

"No one would have understood, Littlefoot.  I didn't understand until I was hungry.  Unless one has been hungry then they cannot understand."

Littlefoot nodded.  "I know, I know.  I guess... I still don't understand it fully."  He admitted.  "We have to kill now.  It's so horrible, but it feels so..."

"Right?"  Spike finished for him.

"Yeah..."  Littlefoot affirmed.

The three dinosaurs talked and kept one another company for a few moments as the sun rose and the other members of the gang awoke from their slumber.  With their minds full of new knowledge about their rose-colored companion, and their bellies full of longneck, they then resumed their journey to Hanging Rock.

There was one problem, however.

They had to find their way back to the river first!

......

In a nearby field, two large fast biters were roaming through the underbrush, looking for their next meal.  They had caught the scent of the gang several hours before, but had since lost the trail.  Notwithstanding their efforts, they made no attempt at stealth as it would be useless to try to hide in this terrain.  Even if they were making the attempt, however, the banter between the two would have warned off any prey.

"Two days and no food!  At least we had food when we were with Red Claw."

The complaint was leveled by a large green fast biter.  He had dark green stripes on his back and a pale underbelly.  Despite his fierce appearance, he almost had a discontented manner about him.  This was obviously due to his unresolved hunger.

"Oh, quit your belly aching, Thud!"

The retort was given by Screech, a grayish-blue fast biter with dark grey stripes on his back.  He was obviously annoyed with both the situation and his brother's antics.  However, there was something else on his mind as well...

"I will quit my belly aching when my belly stops aching."  Thud muttered sarcastically.

Screech decided to respond to Thud's complaint with a pointed reminder.  "Just in case you don't remember, it was your idea to leave Red Claw.  We could still be having food courtesy of the nut job if we didn't bail on him."

Thus couldn't argue with this logic, but rather again reiterated his point.  "You agreed with me.  Remember?  He is mad.  His plans will get us all killed!"

"True."  Screech replied.  "But if we don't find food soon, we will be as good as dead anyway.  So quit your complaining and help me find some leaf-eaters, won't you?"

The two remained silent for some time, with each of them being involved in the fruitless search for meat.  Their willful eviction from Red Claw's territory meant that they were now searching for new hunting grounds.  Hunting grounds that were well away from Red Claw.  Both of them knew that Red Claw would stop at nothing to eliminate his wayward henchmen.  He was nothing if not vindictive.  That was why they had departed in the night and traveled for as long as possible.  They had escaped Red Claw's reach for the moment, but now the critical matter of food was becoming a pressing matter.

"We could have eaten Chomper and his insufferable friends if it wasn't for your slowness."  Screech continued.  He then looked at Thud with an exasperated expression.  "Was that intentional?"  Thud didn't reply, so Screech continued.  "I don't understand your reluctance to kill the wannabe leaf-eater.  Why do you want to protect Chomper?"

This was a discussion that they had several times in the previous two days, but each time Thud couldn't get his brother to understand.  Thud felt that he owed it to the little biter, whereas Screech disagreed with Thud's sentiments.

"As I told you, when I was trapped under boulders after that earthshake, he helped get them off of me.  I could have eaten him if I wanted and he knew that, but yet he helped me anyway."  It had happened several seasons ago when the gang had gotten trapped outside of the Great Valley.  Thud, Screech, and Red Claw had all given chase to the seven friends only to be disrupted by the earthshake.  Although Thud had never told anyone, after he had escaped from the fallen rocks he kept knowledge about where the children were hiding to himself.  With that one action he had quite possibly saved their lives, but nonetheless he still felt that he owed the little biter something.

"Yes, and you already paid your honor debt."  Screech was quickly tiring of this conversation.  He almost wished that Thud would complain about the lack of food again.  It was less tiresome than the nonsense he was currently talking about.

"I refuse to hunt him."

Screech stopped in his tracks at Thud's show of defiance.  Screech had always been the dominant one, the pack leader, until Red Claw showed up on the scene.  To have Thud show such defiance was a risky move.  He would not tolerate a move on his leadership, not even from his brother.  He would need to clarify his intentions.

"Are you challenging me?"  The question was not worded harshly, but it didn't need to be.  Its mere utterance indicated its severity.

After a pause, Thud decided to respond carefully.

"...no."  

Screech relaxed slightly at that affirmation.  Internally, however, he was greatly relieved.  He had no desire to fight his brother.  They had gone through so much together.  He would hate to risk injuring him or worse...

"But please don't force me to do this!"  Thud pleaded.  This was most unlike him.  Thud was just as ruthless and brash as Screech was, so this sudden break in his demeanor did not escape unnoticed.  Thud was not acting like himself, and Screech thought he knew why.

"Chomper reminds you of your son, doesn't he?"

At Thud's sudden pained expression, Screech knew that he was right in his suspicions.  Thud's son, despite being an Utahraptor, was as innocent and naive as Chomper was.  Or at least he was.  He had only taken on a sterner exterior after... that incident.

"You will need to seek him out one day, brother."  Screech shook his head.  "Surely he would forgive you.  After all, you are his father."

Thud shook his head sadly.  "No.  He would never forgive me for attacking his pack.  He thinks of them as his family now."  Thud was no longer maintaining eye contact with Screech.  His brother had never seen Thud so upset.  "If I wouldn't have joined with Red Claw, if I would have disobeyed his order..."  Screech wouldn't let him finish.

"I joined Red Claw just the same as you, because we needed food.  And you know full well that Red Claw would have killed us both if we resisted his orders in the canyon."  Screech continued.  "Brother, we didn't have a choice."

Thud didn't respond, but instead looked up at the sky.  His mind was obviously in a very dark place as he revisited sad memories.  He had lost a son.  Not because of his son's death or disappearance, but because of Thud's own stupid decisions.  If he would have only swallowed his pride and not requested to join with the cruelest, most-powerful sharptooth in the Mysterious Beyond, then he would still have what was left of his family.  But his beloved mate had died when he wasn't strong enough to deter a rampaging herd of domeheads.  From that day on, he vowed that he would never be weak again and that he would join with a pack that would make him among the strongest.  But in the process he had lost himself and everything that he truly loved.  Only now was he beginning to understand the magnitude of his mistake.

Screech looked at him sadly.  They couldn't afford to not eat a dinosaur because of his brother's sentiments, never mind how heartfelt or understandable they were.  However, there was something that he could do...

"We can spare Chomper if we encounter him again."

Thud's expression picked up noticeably on this news.

"However... his companions will not be so lucky."  Screech continued.  "They insulted us, brother!  I do not take kindly to that!  We will spare Chomper, but not his fast biter friends."

Realizing that his brother's offer was not actually an offer, but rather an order, Thud nodded his approval at Screech's suggestion.  He could pay his debt to Chomper once more and, for one day at least, put aside some of the guilt he felt at his failings as a father.

"Good.  Now let's find those runts!  I am starving!"

......

"Are you sure we are going the right way?"  Ducky asked the rose-colored fast biter.

Ruby sighed.  The gang had gone way off track with their excursion to hunt the longnecks.  However, they should still be relatively close to Hanging Rock.  If only she could find the river again...

"I am sure that we will find the river if we go this way."  Ruby replied.  "Then we simply follow the river until we get to Hanging Rock."

"Yeah, unless the river dried up then we should run into it."  That statement was from Cera.  Ruby was slightly surprised by her magnanimous response.  It seemed that having some meat in her stomach had greatly improved her mood.  It was another reminder of how much each of them had changed.

The gang continued to follow Ruby as they went through the open field that they found themselves in.  The grass was actually quite tall here, which was a marked change from their travels some days ago.  If they encountered smaller sharpteeth in their current position then they would have some difficulty in seeing them, but larger predators like Screech and Thud would have no hope of sneaking up on them.  Nonetheless, they began to quicken their pace.

"Guys!  Look!"  Petrie suddenly called as he descended from the skies high above.  "Water ahead!"

The gang began to run in the direction that Petrie indicated.  If they had found water then that might mean that the river could be close by.  Petrie's scouting had given them advanced notice of their surroundings once again.  As they ran through the tall grass, they suddenly encountered a clearing in the foliage.  The sight that greeted them surprised them all.

A large lake filled the scene in front of them with a glorious swath of azure blue.  They had not smelled the moisture on account of the wind blowing steadily in the other direction, but now they could all smell it clearly.  It was a glorious sight, as they had not tasted clean water in some days.

"Water!"  Ducky called out in excitement.  She then began to run towards the shore, obviously eager to take a drink.  After a brief pause, the others joined her in the sprint to the lake.

In their excitement over the water they stopped observing the terrain around them.

......

"Well...  Well...  Take a look at that!"  Screech whispered to his companion.

Chomper and his pack of insufferable fast biters were splashing and playing in the massive lake in front of them.  It was a serene sign of innocence.  However, preserving that innocence would not fill their bellies.  Now that they were distracted, it was the best time to strike!  Screech quickly determined a course of action before gesturing to Thud.

"I think that it is time for the belly dragger gambit."  He replied.  As skilled hunters they had memorized many of the more common hunting techniques and tricks.  This would not be a haphazard affair like the previous hunt, nor a blunt force chasing strategy like they used when helping out Red Claw.  No, this would be more strategic undertaking.  The gang wouldn't stand a chance.

The fast biters began to quickly rush through the grass.  They hoped to catch their prey unaware.

......

The pack had drunk their fill on the clean, clear water and had begun to play in the water.  This surprise respite was a throwback of sorts to their old lives.  For the first time since their transformation they had a chance to play games.  This was a small slice of innocence that many of them thought that they had lost during the previous night's hunt.  Normally, during their leaf-eater days, Swimmer and Splasher would be the logical game for a water setting.  But now the gang had settled on a new game.

"Gotcha!"  Cera yelled as she surfaced from the watery depths and tagged Ruby.

"Alright, I am the swimming sharptooth now!  Roar!"  Ruby exclaimed playfully.  The other began to swim away in varying directions, with some sinking in the water temporarily in order to avoid Ruby's "attacks".  Even though they had changed so much, they were still the same playful kids they were before.  But, of course, as sharptooth kids their games took on a different connotation...

Just as play trained leaf-eaters to flee from danger, play trained sharpteeth to be the danger.

Ruby looked around her and noticed a green silhouette appear in the water under her.  Ducky was trying to escape from her by swimming completely under her.  Impressive.  Ruby thought.  But, not impressive enough!  

With a grin on her muzzle, she dived as well.

Ducky then surfaced.

"Where did she go?"  Ducky muttered to herself suddenly.

"I don't see her!  Nope, nope, nope."  Ducky replied to her own question.  It was her idea to swim under the former fast biter as she assumed it was a move that she wouldn't expect.  She was quite surprised at the gang's improvement in the water.  It seemed that fast biters had a bit of the swimming instinct in them.  They were moving around far more naturally than they did as leaf-eaters.

Chomp!

"Ahhh!"  Ducky screamed in surprise as she felt a light bite on her tail.

As Ruby surfaced, she laughed heartedly.  "That was a good try, Ducky!  But not good enough.  If it was good enough then I wouldn't have got you!"

Ducky now laughed as well.  "I thought it was worth a try.  I did, I did!"

The others began to congregate around the duo as a lull developed in the game.

"Well that was fun!"  Littlefoot replied.  "But where is the river?  We need to get going soon."

The others gave fatigued and unhappy sighs, but each knew that their leader was right.  They needed to get to Hanging Rock before the hunger madness struck again.

Ruby smiled.  "I know this lake.  My mommy and I would often get fish here when daddy was off getting plants."  She then began to smile a bit wider.  "That means that we are close to the river and only a few days from Hanging Rock!"

"All right!"  Littlefoot exclaimed in excitement, as the others joined in.  They were back on track after their day-long detour to the longneck herd.  Things were beginning to look up for the newly-formed pack.

"Well, then let's dry off and get going!"  Cera grunted, but not out of exasperation, there was a good-natured bravado to her demeanor.  

"Yeah.  Let's find that river again!"  Chomper exclaimed.

Suddenly a gruff voice came from the bushes.

"Oh, I don't think any of you will be finding the river..."

As the pack looked on in horror, Screech and Thud arose from the tall grass.  They had been too distracted by their own play that they overlooked the possibility of attack.  This was a very bad mistake.  A potentially fatal mistake.

"Well, we will just swim away."  Littlefoot threatened in the hopes that the two predators would decide to go after other prey.  Surely, they were not known for their swimming prowess.

"Only one of you can swim well, as we saw in your game."  Screech taunted.  This filled Littlefoot with much dread.  How long had they been out there watching, listening, and plotting?  It was creepy beyond all measure.

"Which means that the rest of you are on the menu!"  Thud finished, as he began to rush into the water.  Screech then proceeded to enter the water from some distance to his left.  They were being ambushed!

"Guys!  Listen to me!"  It was Ducky.  "I have an idea.  Just swim away from me and then go for the shore."

Littlefoot was taken aback by Ducky's sudden bravado.  What was she doing?  They wouldn't let her face this alone.  It was suicide!  That was when Littlefoot had a horrifying thought.  What if the former swimmer was trying to take a way out of her sharptooth existence?  He wouldn't allow that to happen.

But before he could intercede, Spike began to speak.

"Ducky...  Don't risk..."  But he never got the chance to finish.

"I know what I am doing!  I do, I do!"  The green fast biter affirmed.  "Go!"

At the former swimmer's uncharacteristic admonishment, the others began to do as she said.  They began to head to Ducky's right, while keeping relatively close to the shore.  Ducky, meanwhile, was heading into deeper water.

Ruby was frantic in her swimming efforts as she didn't want to meet her end at the claws of Red Claw's two henchmen.  She wasn't sure what Ducky had planned but she hoped that it worked.  They were out of options at this point.

"Ah!"  

Ruby turned to see the others right behind her in a line as they swam away from their original location.  Thud seemed to be pursuing Ducky, who still had some distance on the larger fast biter, whereas Screech was rapidly approaching Spike.  Oh no!  Ruby thought morosely.  He was always the worst swimmer... Now it seemed that he would meet his end in this lake from her childhood.  It was an outcome she wouldn't have wished on anyone, especially not her dearest friends.  

"Ah!!  Help!"

The others, the two predators included, looked in the direction of the deep water.  Taking advantage of this momentary distraction, Spike gained some distance between himself and his pursuer.  But where did the scream come from?

"Help me... Glug!  Glug!"

It was Ducky!  She appeared to be in some distress in the water.

"Ducky!"  Spike screamed from his location, ignoring the fast biter that had been pursuing him moments before.  His sister was having trouble in the water and there was nothing that he could do.  He could not swim as readily as the others and he knew that he would be unable to dive for Ducky even if he could reach her in time.  With a mournful heart, Spike realized that he was probably witnessing his sister's last moments.  He was beyond despair.

Now seeing a more promising victim, Screech and Thud both ignored the others and advanced on Ducky.  They would eat well tonight.

"Spike!"  Littlefoot called to the fast biter.  "Spike!"  But still he did not respond.

Smack!

"Spike!"  Littlefoot had slapped the green fast biter in order to get his attention.  "Spike, we have to go now!"

"But Ducky!"  He called out in despair.

"We have to go, Spike!  Swim away and let me try something!"

At Littlefoot's reassurance, Spike swam in the direction of the others.  The rest of the pack was now heading towards the shore in order to begin running from the lake.  If they could run away on land then the water-bound fast biters would have no chance in catching the pack.  If only Ducky could join them...

"Hey you feckless coward!  How about you hunt something more your size!"  Littlefoot roared out.  He had rattled them with insults before.  He hoped that he could do so again.  He was still at a loss of how to help Ducky after he got their attention, however.  He would cross that path when he got to it.

Screech made an annoyed grunt, but looked at the brown fast biter with an amused sneer.

"You won't distract us that easily, you pathetic weakling!"  He then began to resume his swim towards Ducky while calling out insults at Littlefoot.  "How do you like this?  Your friend is out here all alone and will soon die at our claws...  How does it feel to know that it is all because of your stupidity?"

"You heartless monster!"  Littlefoot raged.

"Oh, I am heartless am I?  What pitiful sentiment.  We all have to eat and you are simply here."  Screech continued his exposition, dripping each word with scorn and sarcasm.  "I don't appreciate being insulted by worthless ankle-biters as you.  Perhaps seeing the fruits of your pathetic leadership will teach you some humility?  Either way, now that I will enjoy feasting upon your hapless friend!"

Littlefoot roared his rage at the two fast biters, but he knew that there was nothing that he could do.  He would be unable to reach them in time and even if he could somehow perform that feat, he wouldn't be able to drag Ducky out of the water and still survive.  With tears rolling down his face and a pain deep in his heart, he did what he once resolved never to do.

He turned and began to swim away.  

He still had five other members of the pack to care for and he knew that Ducky would have wanted him to protect them.  But he resolved never to forgive himself for his failure.  He vowed that he would remember this day for as long as he lived.

......

As she saw Littlefoot shout insults and then flee, Ducky felt a bit guilty about her actions.  She did not want to cause the others pain, but she had to make this look believable in order to dupe the two predators.  She would be unable to do that if she showed them that her distress was all an act.

"Well... Well..."  Screech muttered to the former swimmer.  "Looks like this is the end of you."

Ducky continued to feign difficulty.  Sinking below the water, while flailing about wildly.  She noticed that Screech and Thud were approaching quite closely.  But they were not yet close enough.

What Ducky then saw as she briefly surfaced again surprised her.  Screech actually looked at her with a softer expression.  It was a look that she had never seen before.

"I am sorry dear.  I will make this quick."

It seems that he does have a heart.  Ducky thought to herself.  I knew he had a good side to him.  But I can't drop the act.

As she continued to flail and struggle, she gasped out a reply.

"You... gasp... don't have to do this!"

Thud then answered as he approached to her left.

"Yes... Yes... We do."  Thud then began.  He had a grim expression on his face, she noted.  These two were not as hard as they looked and acted.  However, that wouldn't save her unless she acted soon.

With a final, deep breath she closed her eyes.

And sank into the depths.

......

"Grab her!"  Screech yelled.

As the two fast biters struggled to grasp the sinking fast biter, they lamented their bad luck.  She only had to stay afloat a few more moments and they could have dragged her back to land.  Now she was falling into the depths of the lake.  Their efforts appeared to have all been for naught.

As the two fast biters roared in anger at their predicament, they did not see the flurry of motion take place some distance away.

......

Gasp!

Ducky surfaced from the depths.  As she regained her breath, she took a look from where she had escaped.

The two fast biters were still struggling to find the former swimmer.  They had lost sight of her as she sank into the lake and had not realized that she was swimming underneath them.  She had made a clean getaway.

Not wanting to botch her chance, she speedily swam towards the shore.  She had to catch up with the others.  They must be so worried.

......

"I can't believe she's gone!"  Cera cried as she was still trying to digest the news.

Petrie was unable to speak as he was bound up in his grief.  Cera uncharacteristically allowed him to hug her leg as he cried for his lost friend.  Ducky was his closest friend in the world and now she was gone.  In his anguished mind, he hoped that she didn't suffer.  That was not how he wanted her to experience her final moments.

Chomper and Ruby were both embracing in their grief.  They had just been playing with the green fast biter moments before and now she was gone.  Ruby reflected that she now must have known what their victims must feel after losing a family member.  Here one moment, gone the next.  The fragility of life was on display for all of them to see.

Chomper meanwhile blamed himself for their recent disaster.  He was the only born and raised sharptooth.  As such, he should have known better than to not have one dinosaur be on watch.  He should have warned them.  He should have done more.

Spike, however, was having the worst time of it.  It seemed that Littlefoot's gambit had failed.  If only Littlefoot had not intervened... Spike could have sacrificed himself.  He could have let Screech take him and Ducky would still live.  However, despite his thoughts about self-sacrifice, he knew that such thoughts were folly.  Ducky had been struggling in the water and his sacrifice would have done nothing to save her.  She had sacrificed herself in order to save the others.  He resolved that he would never be able to wrap his bind around her actions.  Why, Ducky? He thought through his tears.  There had to be another way...

"Goodbye, Ducky."

Littlefoot looked at Spike with a mournful expression, before closing his eyes in shame.  He knew that they were all here mourning because of his failure.  It was his poor decisions that led them to play without having someone on watch.  It was his arrogance that made him insult his adversaries several days ago.  All of this was his fault.  He would never forgive himself for as long as he lived.

"Spike!"

I must really be losing it.  Littlefoot thought to himself.  I can almost hear her voice.

"Ducky?!"  Several voices cried out, as Littlefoot opened his eyes.

There before him was the green fast biter.  Safe and sound.

The entire pack nearly smothered the poor fast biter in their attempt to embrace her.  The former swimmer had appeared to come back from the dead.  How could this be?

"Ducky!  How?"  Littlefoot sputtered.

Ducky laughed at their response.  But then, upon seeing Spike's tear drenched face, she stopped to place a calming paw on his back.

"I am sorry to make you all sad.  I am, I am!"  She replied.  "But I had to trick them."

"But how did you do that?"  Chomper asked in genuine curiosity.  She must have had a stroke of genius in order to outsmart those two fast biters.  The pack had been in an unwinnable scenario.  How did she pull victory from the jaws of defeat?

Ducky smiled as she began her explanation.  "I knew that I could outsmart them if I was in the water.  I acting like I had trouble and sank when they tried to get me."  She explained to the impressed group.  "I swam back to shore after I got away from them, and now I am here!  Yep, yep, yep!"

"That is amazing, Ducky!"  Chomper remarked, overtly showing sentiments that all of the others shared.  "You are really beginning to think like a sharptooth now!"

Chomper had intended it as a compliment, but it still hit Ducky with mixed emotions.  Her brilliant strategy had saved the rest of the pack, but it also represented her transition into the more strategic mind of a sharptooth.  She wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

Sensing Chomper's miscalculation, Littlefoot decided to intervene in the conversation.

"You did a great job, Ducky!  You helped save us!"  He affirmed.  "But, never scare us like that again.  We all thought that you had..."  He couldn't finish the sentence.  "And it would have been all my fault!"

The others were surprised at Littlefoot's show of regret.

"Your fault?"  Ruby inquired.

"I should have had someone keep watch.  I should have known better."  Littlefoot replied as he shook his head in regret.

Ducky walked over to Littlefoot and placed a paw on his shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault, Littlefoot.  We all should have known better."  She began.  "We all need to learn from our mistake.  We do, we do!"  The two then shared an embrace, to which the remainder of the pack also joined in.  After some time, the pack broke their embrace and Chomper suddenly had a thought.

"Speaking of learning from mistakes, we should get moving!"  He exclaimed.  "Screech and Thud will be after us soon!"

Littlefoot nodded at his affirmation.  They indeed needed to redouble their efforts.

"Chomper's right.  We need to get going."  Littlefoot began.  He then took a look at the pack, his pack, now complete once more with all of its members.  He would do everything possible to ensure their safety and well-being.  "Let's head to the river and follow it to Hanging Rock."

The pack then quickly picked up their pace as they advanced away from the lake.  They were well away from the lake by the time the two predators again found their scent.

Much like in their previous encounter, the pack had won this round.

[Ducky123]

Sorry, I'm a little late

You have explained Littlefoot's inner turmoil pretty well. I reckon he will never forgive himself for killing Rhett... Now think about it... what if he caught Ali instead? I reckon he would break into pieces upon that realisation

Chomper draws a very good comparison, being hatched by leafeaters was hard already so BEING hatched as a leafeater must be horrible indeed.
I'm happy that Chomper does feel sorry about Chomper, also

I'm actually feeling Littlefoot's pain here... He has killed an innocent kid - one of his own kind and age! - and he just can't forgive himself for that... I couldn't either... Also, you described the scene that Chomper got to see pretty detailed It was really a good decision to raise the rating as some 12 years olds (they're on ff.net quite often) might find this too... graphic.

Chomper's words to comfort Littlefoot are particularly well chosen. I reckon you chose them very carefully

I'm actually surprised that nobody objects eating a dinosaur anymore. The hunger madness must be horrible... again very graphic which means it is good.

Not only Littlefoot but also Ali is suffering under the death of Rhett, as are all members of the herd and particularly Rhett's mother...
Now if Ali knew who was responsible...

Ruby's thoughts are very likely to be thought by Ruby Being rather mature and having experienced quite a lot of things in the Mysterious Beyond...

I'm also very happy that the others are adapting to their Sharptooth lives...

Cera is showing concern about the level of pain Rhett had to endure before he was killed... not exactly very threehorn-ish

Okay, so by introducing the "pack names" you really surprised with yet another really good idea The Gang's reactions are pretty funny at first and really nice to read...

The names themselves are chosen very well. While they may sound very simple (even more simple than "Spike" ), they indeed display the personality respectively skills of each pack member.

"Then should you still have that name? You are not the same dinosaur are you?" Chomper replied.

Nice observation that Chomper made here He trully has matured since the Tv-Series. Given his new responsibility - introducing his friends into the life of Sharpteeth - he's really doing well at that, yep, yep, yep.

This little view into the Gang's thoughts again before they will be given a new name is very well done. The reader awaits to hear Chomper announcing their new names yet you prolong the scene, building up the reader's anticipation

All in all a very enjoyable read Despite the rather dark and depressed atmosphere, you never fail to add some humour every now and then

My review regarding chapter 16 will follow very soon

[rhombus]

Thank you for the thorough review.  

Nice observation that Chomper made here He trully has matured since the Tv-Series. Given his new responsibility - introducing his friends into the life of Sharpteeth - he's really doing well at that, yep, yep, yep.

That was one of the things that I wanted to modify from the TV series.  As this story takes place six seasons after his initial arrival to the valley, it gives me some leeway on showing him as a bit more mature than he is depicted in the series.  Likewise, even thought he is rather childlike on some matters (losing his tooth in the TV series, for example) I imagine that he would be much more mature on matters relating to death and the harsh realities of life due to his sharptooth upbringing.  

My review regarding chapter 16 will follow very soon

I look forward to it.    In that chapter I wanted to highlight that although the pack has had a change in their perspective (for example, Ducky's strategic thinking in the water), they are still the same gang we know and love (as demonstrated by the playing in the water scene).  Considering that Ducky is one of the main protagonists in that chapter, I am especially curious to hear your thoughts on her actions.  

[vonboy]

Let's see, for Chapter 15:

So longnecks have tender tails? Hope Chomper liked it, then.

Not revealing it was Rhett till after the meal seemed kinda mean, but I guess it was necessary. I guess Littlefoot and Chomper felt it good for them to have a slight bit of innocence during the meal, not thinking it was someone they actually knew.

Giving the Gang new names really does show how they've all changed. Hearing that bit of his father's speech brought me back to Chomper's first kill from a few chapters ago, since it would have happened only moments or hours after that. When I heard about how it's time to throw away childish things and embrace what you are, it just made me think of that. Like his father telling him to stop playing with his food.

and for chapter 16:

Like with that little reminder from Chomper's past, hearing some more about that event in Ruby's past was interesting. She's come out into the open, like Chomper had earlier.

As an aside to that, I really love how you're re-visiting past events and bringing more light to them. It really makes it feel like you're building up to something great.

So Red Claw's minions have left him? I know several other writers have tried this idea before, but it'll still be interesting to see where this goes. Will they eventually wanna team up with the Gang to take down their old master? I hope Screech get's to see his son again someday.

I was kinda expecting Littlefoot to think something along the lines of Ducky just sacrificed herself for the rest of us, just like... Rhett did for Ali. I don't now, that was just running through my head during that part. I'm sorry, I just can't get that chapter out of my head.

Looking forward to the next chapter! In the mean time, I'm gonna work on my own writing on my two days off.

[rhombus]

Thank you for the feedback.  

Not revealing it was Rhett till after the meal seemed kinda mean, but I guess it was necessary. I guess Littlefoot and Chomper felt it good for them to have a slight bit of innocence during the meal, not thinking it was someone they actually knew.

In the case of Littlefoot, he was too lost in his hunger to worry about such things.  Chomper, on the other hand, still had his wits about him but decided that it would not be beneficial to tell them.  This was probably the right call on his part, as the others were close to their breaking points as it was even without the torment of debating whether to eat your friend or not.

Giving the Gang new names really does show how they've all changed. Hearing that bit of his father's speech brought me back to Chomper's first kill from a few chapters ago, since it would have happened only moments or hours after that. When I heard about how it's time to throw away childish things and embrace what you are, it just made me think of that. Like his father telling him to stop playing with his food.

Very good observation. I wanted to draw some parallels there between the flashback in the earlier chapter.

Like with that little reminder from Chomper's past, hearing some more about that event in Ruby's past was interesting. She's come out into the open, like Chomper had earlier.

As an aside to that, I really love how you're re-visiting past events and bringing more light to them. It really makes it feel like you're building up to something great.

Oh yes, there will be a few minor plot points that will be building into more significant plot points over the course of this story.  I just hope that I don't make it too difficult for people to follow.  The final story is planned out as being 73 chapters or so in length, so I will need to reiterate certain plot points so that people don't forget about them.

So Red Claw's minions have left him? I know several other writers have tried this idea before, but it'll still be interesting to see where this goes. Will they eventually wanna team up with the Gang to take down their old master? I hope Screech get's to see his son again someday.

Cue one of those plot points that I was mentioning.    Needless to say, that particular development may have major repercussions later on.

Looking forward to the next chapter! In the mean time, I'm gonna work on my own writing on my two days off.

Thanks, I should have the next chapter posted sometime this weekend.  I look forward to seeing the next installment of your story.  (I noticed that Vandon Welles posted two new reviews to your story on fanfiction.net before you removed them, it is a shame that Chomper can't eat him   .)

[Ducky123]

Considering that Ducky is one of the main protagonists in that chapter, I am especially curious to hear your thoughts on her actions. in-yes.gif

I'm on it!

Oh the irony Spike can't sleep in anymore, aww. Ruby and Spike are both rather smart and thoughtful at the same time so an interesting conversation was inevitable. Well, we, of course, already know about Ruby's egg-stealing when she was very hungry but neither Spike nor Littlefoot, nor the others were aware of that. Their reactions are very reasonable

So Screech and Thud have abandoned their boss? Very interesting I think you got their personalities pretty well and those hints at Thud's past mistakes scream after more information that you will probably provide us sooner or later
Another thing that has to be mentioned here is Thud's relationship with Chomper. This "Chomper saving Thud" scene is described in many fics so I take it it must have been shown in one of the few TV-episodes I have yet to watch The conversation between the two fastbiter siblings flows really nice.

So here comes the part of the review you shall be very interested in, rhombus
The playing scene was a nice interruption from the rather depressing and violent atmossphere in the last few chapters. Ducky is still THE swimmer in the gang despite the change in species she went through. She proves that by outmaneuvering both Ruby and the two henchmen of Redclaw a little later Well, I must say that Ducky's sudden bravery surprised me. I knew you wouldn't kill her - not from the synopsis but from my reader's instinct. Now the matter of suicide would have been reasonable and you DID hint at that but eventually you revealed Ducky's true intentions. The whole scene is really well written except for one thing (which might be my personal preference of course): The Gang's mourning about Ducky's apparant demise would have been a whole lot more powerful if the reader didn't know that Ducky would make it at that point

All in all: Another enjoyable read, yep, yep, yep

[rhombus]

Thanks for the feedback.  

Oh the irony  Spike can't sleep in anymore, aww. Ruby and Spike are both rather smart and thoughtful at the same time so an interesting conversation was inevitable. Well, we, of course, already know about Ruby's egg-stealing when she was very hungry but neither Spike nor Littlefoot, nor the others were aware of that. Their reactions are very reasonable

I'm glad that you feel that way.  I was unsure when I first wrote the scene if their reactions to Ruby's revelation were overstated or not, but eventually I decided that they probably were about right.  The gang had just eaten another dinosaur so it would be unreasonable to be too judgmental on Ruby's consumption of an egg.  Especially now that they have experienced an "eat or die" situation of their own.

Another thing that has to be mentioned here is Thud's relationship with Chomper. This "Chomper saving Thud" scene is described in many fics so I take it it must have been shown in one of the few TV-episodes I have yet to watch  The conversation between the two fastbiter siblings flows really nice.

Thanks.  The episode in question is "Episode 9: Escape from the Mysterious Beyond".

The playing scene was a nice interruption from the rather depressing and violent atmossphere in the last few chapters. Ducky is still THE swimmer in the gang despite the change in species she went through. She proves that by outmaneuvering both Ruby and the two henchmen of Redclaw a little later  Well, I must say that Ducky's sudden bravery surprised me. I knew you wouldn't kill her - not from the synopsis but from my reader's instinct. Now the matter of suicide would have been reasonable and you DID hint at that but eventually you revealed Ducky's true intentions. The whole scene is really well written except for one thing (which might be my personal preference of course): The Gang's mourning about Ducky's apparant demise would have been a whole lot more powerful if the reader didn't know that Ducky would make it at that point

Yeah, I figured that scene would be a nice change of pace.  With regards to her sudden bravery, I wanted to show some of the mental changes that her and the gang have gone through.  In Ducky's case, her mind was beginning to think more tactically than it did as a swimmer.  She knew that: 1) the enemy would go for the weakest target, 2) that the others were poor swimmers, especially in their new forms, 3) and that she was the better swimmer.  With those pieces of information, she could deduce that she could prevent the gang's destruction by leading the fast biters off course.  A bit out of character for the old Ducky, but a bit more believable for her new self.

With regards to letting the reader know about what happened to Ducky first, that was intentional.  I figured that after the foregoing chapters that my readers will have gone through enough of an emotional roller coaster, so I tampered down the drama in this chapter.  In the next chapter (the last chapter of Act 1) and in the second Act, the story is going to change in tone somewhat.  Now that the gang has accepted (more or less) their new forms, they must now adapt to their new lives.  There will still be drama, of course, but it will be from different sources in the next several chapters.  

Thanks for the feedback once again.   I am having some writer's block on the current chapter that I am writing, but as soon as that is resolved I should have the next chapter posted.  I hope to have it posted by Monday.

[rhombus]

Fanfiction link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9990125/18/The-Seven-Hunters

 Chapter 17   The seven hunters

“His old life lay behind in the mists, dark adventure lay in front.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

After their excitement from earlier in the day, the remainder of the pack's journey to the river was rather uneventful.  After running towards and eventually finding the river, they had continued their journey until nightfall.  Taking great care to use the water in the river in order to hide their scent trail, they then took refuge in some shallow depressions in the floodplain.  For the first time in many days, each member of the gang had a peaceful and restful sleep.

The next morning the pack awoke to a bright new day.  However, a familiar problem soon presented itself once more.

Growl...

"My belly is talking!  It is, it is!"  Ducky affirmed.

Littlefoot sighed at this.  He was beginning to feel the effects of hunger as well, although they were nearly not as pronounced as they were during the hunger madness.  

"I guess that that means that we need to hunt again."  He affirmed in a stoic manner.  He did not like the possibility any more than the others, but they had to do whatever it took to prevent their hunger from turning critical.

Cera sighed as well at Littlefoot's affirmation.  "Yeah..."  She reluctantly agreed with the budding consensus in the group.

Ducky looked morose at this news.  She was still feeling guilt-ridden over their hunt two days ago.  In fact, they all were in their own way.  Would she now have to kill yet again?  Was there no end to the cycle of killing?

Spike picked up on her disquiet and decided to speak.  "Are there even any dinosaurs around here?  I mean, we haven't seen or smelled anyone else since when encountered Screech and Thud."

Chomper nodded.  "That is true.  We haven't seen anybody!"

Ruby decided to interject into the conversation.  "Perhaps we don't have to hunt anyone today?  Maybe we can hunt something else?"

Littlefoot looked perplexed at the other fast biter's suggestion.  "What do you mean, Ruby?"

Ruby then gestured with her forelimbs.  "Look around us, guys!"  She then spun in a circle for effect.  "There is grass everywhere!  Everywhere there is grass!  Where there is grass there is food for ground fuzzies, and where there are ground fuzzies..."

"There is food!"  Littlefoot finished for her.  Yes, that would be a fine idea.  They could hunt for ground fuzzies in the grassy river basin that they now found themselves.  They might even be able to find enough to hold off their hunger until after they found Ruby's parents.  It was certainly their best option at this point.

"Alright, guys!  Let's go find some ground fuzzies!"  Littlefoot affirmed to the others.

Their second hunt for ground fuzzies had begun.

......

"Alright guys, remember how we did this last time?"

After finding a suitable patch of ground, Littlefoot decided to make sure that the pack was ready for the upcoming hunt.  They had only hunted ground fuzzies once before, and even then with only limited success.  He had to make sure that everyone knew their role.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Let's get this started already!"  Cera called out in her impatience.  She was more than ready to get this hunt started.  The appeal of getting meat without all of the guilt that came with hunting another dinosaur appealed to her greatly.  It also helped that she now had a taste for meat...  She intentionally decided not to focus on that fact, however.

"Me ready!"  Petrie called.  Although me not sure what good I do! Petrie thought to himself.  His wings were ineffective at catching ground fuzzies as far as he could tell.  If a ground fuzzy ran out of a hole that he was guarding then he would have to catch it in his sharp beak.  He was not skilled in catching things with his beak, which obviously wasn't a skill that he would have learned as a leaf-eater, so he hoped that the others had great success.  If it was up to him then he believed that they would surely starve.

"I am ready!  Yep, yep, yep!"  Ducky called from some distance away.  She still found what they were doing to be distasteful, but not as distasteful as actually killing another dinosaur.  Her days as a sharptooth had taught her to be selective in her battles and there was no use in fighting her hunger.  It would be futile for her to fight a battle that she couldn't win.

Spike grunted his readiness.  He was glad to see that Ducky was accepting the necessity of hunting, even if it was only for small prey.  He realized that they all would probably have to adapt to hunting other dinosaurs on a regular basis if they couldn't find a way to change back, but he hoped that Ducky would have enough time for her to adapt to this reality.  She had already been pushed to her breaking point by this cruel change of fate and he didn't want to see her pushed beyond that.

"Okay, good!"  Littlefoot affirmed.  "Let's find some ground fuzzy holes!"

The pack then scattered in order to find the burrows of the illusive small mammals.  In cases where resources were scarce, such as their first hunt, they would form large warrens of interconnected burrows which would open into a few entrances.  This allowed many relatives in order to share limited resources and limit their competition to other populations.  However, the ground fuzzies were rather versatile creatures and could adapt to changing conditions, and this general pattern did not hold up in more promising environments such as this one.

"Here is one!"  Littlefoot heard Ruby yell from quite some distance away.

Littlefoot wasn't having much luck in finding burrows in his current locations. Perhaps I should move over to where Ruby is?  There is nothing over here.  The brown fast biter thought to himself.

"Got one!"  Spike yelled from well over in the other direction.

Littlefoot turned his head.  Spike was nearly two full-grown longneck lengths away from Littlefoot.  There is no way that is from the same group of ground fuzzies!  He deduced.

"Here!"

Littlefoot turned his head again to see that Ducky was nearly equidistant from the other two burrows.  What was going on here?

"I think that I know what is going on."  Chomper exclaimed suddenly.

Well thank goodness!  I sure don't!  Littlefoot thought to himself.

"What is that, Chomper?"  He inquired.

"The ground fuzzies are in different holes!"  Chomper began.

"Yeah, tell us something that we don't know."  Cera spoke sarcastically.

Chomper gave her a pointed look, but continued.  "Sometimes they live like that.  It means that there will only be one hole per ground fuzzy."  He shrugged for a moment.  "I guess that we need to split up."

Littlefoot considered this for a moment.  Chomper did have a point, but could they hunt effectively alone?  In their previous two hunts, they had hunted as a group.  This was not a viable option now, as they would never catch enough food if all seven of them hunted one ground fuzzy at a time.  Yes, separate hunts was the best option available right now.

Littlefoot nodded.  "You're right, Chomper."  He then turned towards the others who had gathered around Littlefoot during this discussion.  "We need to split up.  Two per group, I guess."  He thought for a moment, before continuing.  "Yes. Two per group.  One to dig and one to catch."

Everyone seemed to agree to this, but suddenly Ruby had an observation.

"But there are seven of us!"  It was not just an observation; it was also an implied question.  How do you split up seven dinosaurs into groups of two?

Everyone seemed to think for a moment.  Oddly, Petrie seemed to have the most contemplative expression of them all.

"Well I guess that we can have one group of three.  Unless someone wants to hunt alone?"  Littlefoot offered.

"Me will hunt alone."

Everyone turned to the little flyer.  No one would have expected Petrie to volunteer to hunt alone.  Perhaps Chomper or Ruby, as they had some experience, but not Petrie.  Petrie seemed to recognize the incredulity on their faces and explained himself.

"Me want to try something.  If it doesn't work, then me go in group."

Littlefoot considered this for a moment, before sighing.

"Um... Alright.  Has everyone else picked their groups?"

Nods and affirmative grunts were uttered as Cera and Chomper gathered in one area, with Ducky and Spike in another.  Not surprising.  Littlefoot concluded.  Cera wants to catch the most and she has the best chance if she partners with Chomper.  He suppressed the urge to make a sardonic smile at her antics.  In some ways her pride from her threehorn days hadn't lessened at all.  It had just changed as she had changed.  He halfway expected her to go on a rant about how fast biters are the best and brightest of the dinosaurs.  He turned his focus on Ducky and Spike.  Not a surprise there.  That just left Ruby.

"All ready, Ruby?"  He asked the fast biter.

"I am ready."  She affirmed with a smile.

"All right!  Good luck everyone!"  Littlefoot remarked at the group.  It was up to each group now.

As Petrie flew off and the three groups scattered to various sides of the river bed each was left with an unanswered question.  

Can we make this work?

......

Scrape...  Scrape...

I have found you! Ruby thought to herself.  It had taken them nearly half an hour to find a ground fuzzy burrow and it took her nearly as long to track down the ground fuzzy itself.  Now it was time to get to work.

Ruby rose slowly, being careful not to make a sound as she turned to look in Littlefoot's direction.  With a slight grin on her muzzle she raised her clawed forelimb and raised one claw.  The meaning was clear to Littlefoot.  There was one ground fuzzy and he should get ready.  Littlefoot nodded his understanding.

Seeing that her friend had got the message, Ruby went to work.  She tore into the ground with terrible ferocity.  Even if she failed to catch the fuzzball herself, she could scare it in Littlefoot's direction.  It shouldn't take long now. She deduced.  The ground is quite soft here.

Almost as soon as she had that thought, the ground gave way under her claws.

Squeal!  Crack!

The ground fuzzy was silenced by Ruby's powerful jaws almost as soon as it gave the alarm call.  It had waited far too long to attempt an escape and now it was food for the meat eaters.  The glorious taste of flesh and blood greeted her mouth after the killing strike, but she was able to retain control.  Being careful not to eat more than her fair share, she only consumed the upper half of the small mammal and left the remainder.  Even though he did not have to work for this hunt, Littlefoot deserved his share.  After all, she might not get so lucky in her next attempt.

With a flourish, she waved at Littlefoot.  As he rose and began to jog to her location, she thought about their current situation.  The hunt had gone well, but had taken far too long.  The pack would still be quite hungry if the only caught ground fuzzies as their current rate.  She hoped that the others were having better luck...

......

"Get over here you fuzzball!"

The hunt had started out well enough.  Chomper had found the first burrow and Cera did the digging.  The first attempt ended in success as Cera caught a ground fuzzy in the act of trying to escape from her digging claws and Chomper caught a ground fuzzy when it attempted to rush out of the burrow.  They had their first meal after less than ten minutes of work.

The second attempt was far more problematic, however.  

They had decided to switch roles.  Cera would take over at watching the burrow entrance for fleeing ground fuzzies, whereas Chomper would do the digging.  But before they could even begin the hunt, they had to find a new burrow.  After wandering for well over an hour they found a burrow and thought that the second round of dinner would soon start.  However, after quite some time they realized that the burrow was long abandoned.  Once Chomper figured this out and told Cera she was thrown into a violent rage for several moments.  Chomper then began to feel sorry for whatever ground fuzzy they caught next.  It was obvious that Cera would not show it any mercy.

Not that we would show them mercy anyway.  He admitted to himself.

This finally brought them to the third, and current, hunt.  After quite some time they finally found another burrow that had fresh seeds and droppings by its entrance.  Chomper noted that this was a clear sign of recent habitation.  Urged on by this finding, the two hunters then set about pursuing their prey.  Shortly thereafter Chomper heard the tell-tale sounds of scraping claws.  He had found the ground fuzzies!  As the ground broke under his claws, he noticed the sounds of the ground fuzzies trail off towards Cera.  It was all up to her now.

"Go get them, Cera!"  He enthusiastically yelled.

Cera got into a pouncing position and readied to make the kill

Squeal!  Swipe!  Thud!

Cera had skewered the ground fuzzy on her claws and then slammed the mammal on the ground with tremendous force.  The ground fuzzy was dead.  Another success!

Taking a moment to admire her victory, she barely noticed when another ground fuzzy peak its head out of the burrow and sprint into the open. Oh no you don't! She thought to herself.

This is what brought us to our current scene.

Cera was madly chasing the ground fuzzy that had escaped her grasp.  Even though the hunt was already partially acceptable, she wouldn't let her own actions prevent the pack from having complete victory.  Neither her old threehorn mentality, nor her new fast biter instincts, would permit her to fail.

Chomper looked at the scene before him with some amusement.  He had seen Cera kill one ground fuzzy and then proceed to chase the other one madly.  I would have simply let it go.  He admitted to himself.  Once they are in the open they are too fast to catch.  It is like trying to catch a fast runner. He immediately felt a bit guilty after thinking that last thought, considering that they were seeking out Ruby's parents at this point.  Nonetheless, his point was quite correct.  The time to catch a fast mammal was when it was trapped in a tunnel of its own creation, not when it had a full range of motion.

Cera was not aware of this fault in her strategy and continued to chase the mammal through the hip-high grass.  If she wasn't within a muzzle-length of the prey she surely would have lost its trail, but she was dedicated to her task and did not let up.  She was slowly, but surely, catching up to the small rodent.  She only needed a bit more time...

The small mammal knew that its time was up as it began to tire.  As it felt the air of the predator's breath collide with its back, it panic became too great to suppress.  Now blinded by fear and not even having the miniscule intellect of its species to call upon, the rodent's actions were entirely overridden by its instincts.  Accordingly, it gave the instinctual call to warn others of its kind of imminent danger.

Squeal!

Hearing the death scream of the small rodent made something within Cera feel triumphant.  Now I've got you!  She told herself as she prepared to bite down on her prey.  Unfortunately for her, she did not realize that sometimes prey could do amazing things when they had nothing left to lose.

Crack!

"Ahhh!"  Cera screamed.  She had been successful in her drive to kill the small mammal as her bite had snapped its small neck.  However, the small mammal had struck out at the last moment and bit down upon the lower lip of Cera's muzzle.  As a result, she was left with a bleeding wound on her mouth to go along with her dead quarry.  The ground fuzzy had gotten posthumous revenge.

"That damn fuzzball!"  Cera raged as she stomped upon the dead mammal.  Her anger boiled over as the small rodent had prevented her from obtaining a clean victory.  Why couldn't the damn fuzzy die like good food should?  She thought to herself.  In her anger she was not aware of the hypocrisy of her thoughts.  Would she have simply stopped running and die back when she was a leaf-eater?  No.  Her experience as a sharptooth had begun to change her perspective from that of her leaf-eater days.  In her current state it was almost as if she had never been a leaf-eater to begin with.

"What's wrong, Cera?  ...Oh!"  Chomper interjected as he discovered her injury.  It seemed that the small rodent had exacted painful revenge upon its killer.

"The damn thing bit me!"  She yelled in her anger.

Chomper remained calm as he had suffered such an injury before.  Obviously the prey doesn't always go calmly into the realm of death.  He had been bitten a by ground slider (lizard) before and the injury had hurt greatly.  He had learned first-hand from his mother how to react to such an injury and he now realized, with some regret, that he would have to impart that knowledge to Cera.  The injury was not the main problem, but infection was.

"You need to get to the water, Cera!"  Chomper replied.

"I am fine!  I will get over it."  Cera retorted as she tried to put on a strong front despite her injury.  The injury hurt, but the damage to her pride was much greater.  If you had told her several days ago that she would measure her self-worth on the basis of her skills as a hunter she would have looked upon you with either horror or confusion.  Now however, it meant as much to her fast biter self as ramming skills mattered to her when she was a threehorn.  The injury was a great embarrassment to her.

"Cera, you need to clean the bite."  As Cera glared at Chomper, he held his ground.  "Otherwise you could get sick!  Their teeth carry sickness!"

Cera continued to glare for a few moments, but then relented.  She was acting petulant and she knew it.  If she were to get an infection then it would benefit no one.  She needed to clean the injury as Chomper requested.  Perhaps she could regain her composure afterwards.

"Alright.  I will be back!"  She then began to rush towards the river.

Chomper was relieved that she was accepting the reality of the situation without much fuss.  She was nowhere near as cantankerous as she was during the hunger madness.  He decided that he should give her an excuse to take her time.

"I can hunt a few on my own.  Take your time!"  Chomper replied.

Cera gave a weak hmph, but her heart wasn't into it.  With an injured mouth, and an even more injured ego, the young fast biter walked back to the river.

Neither of them saw the pair of eyes that was watching them from a nearby hill...

......

"Oh!  What was me thinking!"

Petrie was beginning to question his decision to hunt alone.  The decision had come suddenly to him and he had spoken without giving it much thought.  This was a curious change from how his instincts normally channeled his thoughts in a logical fashion.  What had changed?  Both his sudden decision and his current predicament filled the young flyer with confusion.

"Me will go hungry!"

Petrie had been having dreams for the previous two nights, ever since their first true hunt.  In those dreams he had been soaring fearlessly far up in the sky.  Not even the sky puffies caused him any distress.  He was the master of the skies.  The sudden bringer of death.  The dream always ended the same way.  He would see very slight movement in the ground below and he would suddenly fold up his wings and go into a high-speed dive, with his claws extended.  He would get closer and closer to the hapless prey until finally...

He would wake up.

Petrie was confused by these dreams.  If he attempted such a hunt, would he catch his prey or would he miss and crash into the ground, surely killing him?  The type of hunting that seemed to be recommended to him by his dreams filled him with dread.  He had no experience with flying in such a manner and any miscalculation on his part would mean certain death.  If he found a ground fuzzy should he even take the chance?  Furthermore, if he did take such a chance, should he rely on instinct or his thoughts?  He certainly wouldn't have enough time or practice to reconcile the two before any hunt.  He had to learn this alone.

Putting aside his thoughts for a moment, the flyer took stock of his surroundings.

He was high above the floodplain where the pack was hunting their early afternoon meals.  His majestic perspective of the area extended for miles in each direction.  The transformation had taken his leaf-eater diet, but it had not taken the glorious gift of flight from the flyer.  From his vantage point, he could clearly see Littlefoot and Ruby preparing for another hunt.  The brown fast biter was searching the ground with his ears towards the surface.  Trying to find ground fuzzies.  Petrie deduced.  Ruby on the other hand was watching Littlefoot closely with her claws held firmly on the ground.  And Ruby find hole.  They doing well.  Petrie concluded.

Looking some distance away, he could see Ducky and Spike each trying to search for ground fuzzy burrows.  The ground fuzzies were not quite as common as the pack had originally hoped.  Or maybe they too spread out.  Petrie deduced.  Either way, the pack would still be hungry at their current rate of success.  Petrie did not like the probable consequences of that.  Petrie highly suspected that Ruby's parents would not approve of hungry fast biters suddenly stopping by uninvited.

Finally he took a look at the river itself and saw that Cera was cleaning her muzzle.  This perplexed Petrie.  Is Cera already full? Taking a look over, he could see that Chomper was hunting alone.  No, she not full, otherwise Chomper would also be full.  Cera was bigger than Chomper and thus if the hunt was successful enough to satisfy her, then it would also be enough to satisfy Chomper.  He decided to put that situation out of his mind.  He figured if it was something important then he would hear about it eventually.

Putting the rest of the pack out of his attention for a moment, he decided to examine the area in more detail.  Grass extended for around a mile from the river, which had apparently overflowed recently.  That would explain the lack of ground fuzzies, they had just recently relocated after the flood waters had receded.  This was an unfortunate stroke of misfortune for the pack.  Looking around further, he could see several hills some distance away to the south of the river.  Unfortunately, the tall grass prevented him from getting a good look at any ground fuzzies that were in that area.  It be good place to stage ambush.  Some part of Petrie's mind deduced.  But no dinosaurs here to kill.  He thought morosely.

Suddenly his glum thoughts were interrupted by sudden movement in the grass below.  

Is that ground fuzzy?

Several hundred feet below him, the grass began to shift in the opposite direction of the wind.  Any other creature would have missed the miniscule sign, even a fast biter who was very close at hand, but not a sharptooth flyer like Petrie.  He lacked the superior smell of his friends, but he did have an excellent sense of visions and right now that was showing him one thing.

Me find dinner!

Hovering briefly in the sky, he considered his options.  He could try to guide his flight and catch the small ground fuzzy as had been implied in his dream, or else he could attempt to let his instincts take control.  Thinking hard, he decided finally to let both play their role.  Just because one had good instincts, that didn't mean that they would work on their own.  He always had the instinct to fly, for example, but look how long it took him to actually get around to doing it.  Yes.  He resolved.  Me fly down and listen to instincts along the way!

With grim resolve, Petrie folded his wings to his body and aimed at the ground with his head.  He had to be aerodynamic and build up as much speed as possible.  He couldn't let the food get away!  The only warning it should have is the burning pain of his claws impaling its back.  As he did this maneuver, he began to fall like a boulder.  The grass and his friends seemed to get much larger very quickly as he built up speed.  Steady...  Steady...  He encouraged himself as he was filled with an odd mixture of fear and excited anticipation.  He had to make this count!  He couldn't back out now.

He now couldn't hear anything over the roar of the air against his body.  It sounded like the roar of an earthshake or a rock fall, but this was all of his doing.  He was almost there.  He could now see the whites of the small mammal's eyes even though Petrie was still over a hundred feet in the air.  The prey was unaware of its coming demise.  Get claws ready!  Petrie obeyed the instinctual drive without question.  It just felt right.  It was time to prepare for the kill.

At about two seconds from impact, Petrie could see the small mammal look up at its killer.  It had seen him, but it was far too late.  His reflexes as a flyer were far superior to anything mammalian evolution had provided.  He would strike the vermin dead before he had time to react.  Finally, knowing that this was the time, Petrie felt an undeniable urge to extend his wings and strike out.  He obeyed without question.

Shluk!

The ground fuzzy didn't even have a chance to cry out as Petrie impaled it upon his mighty talons.  With a flurry of movement, Petrie barely averted the ground and took off slowly with his dead cargo in tow.  He had done it!  He had successfully hunted alone.  Noting the size of his catch in comparison to himself, Petrie concluded he could easily feed himself in this terrain without the need to eat dinosaurs.  He could still help his land-bound friends, but he was no longer entirely dependent upon them.  Felling exuberant in his success, he gave a triumphant call.

Caw!

......

Cera heard the loud call as Petrie slowly rose into the air.  For reasons she could not quite determine, she knew it was a victory call.

"Gee, good for you."  She muttered to herself.  Although she had cleaned her wound and the bleeding had long since stopped, she was still embarrassed over her own mishap and didn't want to hear anyone else revel in their glory.  It was in this depressed state that she was interrupted by an unwelcome guest.

"Hmm...  Seems like someone is having a bad day."

Cera turned at the sudden exclamation and was surprised by what she saw.

In front of her was an orange fast biter with black stripes.  His crest and limbs all lacked feathers, as that was a trait of his particular subspecies.  One of Screech's and Thud's kind. Some part of Cera's mind deduced.  He appeared to be about her age, probably a bit older, and he had a noticeable scar on his leg from a previous injury.  His demeanor gave no hint of hostility or malice, but nonetheless Cera was very cautious.  This was a real born and raised fast biter that had tracked her down.  What were his intentions?  Did he simply want to drink from the river, or did he want to start trouble?  She did not know the finer points of fast biter etiquette so she had to be careful here.

"What if I am?"  She spoke defiantly.  To put it mildly, Cera was not the best diplomat.

The male fast biter laughed heartedly at Cera's brashness.  She obviously was not one for pointless pleasantries.  He actually found that trait somewhat endearing.

"Oh... Nothing!"  He smirked as he answered in a nonchalant fashion.  "It was just kind of obvious, you know.  It is never good luck to be bitten by prey like that, especially something as small as a ground fuzzy."

"Why, you!"  Cera sputtered.  Was this fast biter trying to start a fight?  She had half a mind to alert her pack to the fact that they had company, but that would show weakness.  For reasons unknown to Cera, she knew that she had to hold her own in this conversation.

"If you think you can do any better than show me!"

The fast biter's grin grew even larger.  This one certainly is full of himself, isn't he?  Cera thought, not aware of the irony of her making that observation.

"Well, I could...  but as you see there aren't many ground fuzzies over here."  He shrugged in fake disinterest.  "As you saw, for every bite of them you took, they took a bite out of you."

Cera was livid.  "Why you!"

"Now... Now..."  He began, being careful not to push the cantankerous fast biter too much.  "Is that any way to behave to someone who is trying to help you?"

"Help me!"  Cera responded angrily.  "All you have done is insult me since we began talking!  Now go away."  She then turned her back to the annoying fast biter.  Apparently fast biter society was devoid of manners, she thought to herself.  Imagine that!  Dinosaurs who kill for a living aren't particularly nice.  Who knew?  She thought sarcastically.

"Go away?"  He then turned away in faux defeat.  "Very well.  I guess I will have to keep all of the food to myself."

Cera turned around again.  She had taken the bait.  "Food?"

The fast biter turned with the grin still firmly planted on his face.  "Oh!  Are you interested?"

Cera glared at the fast biter.  She resolved to play along and follow this insufferable sharptooth to whatever food he had found and then alert the pack.  They needed the food.  If he was not as benevolent as he looked, Cera believed that she could take him on.  "Just take me to the food will ya?  I am not talking to you for the company!"

The fast biter laughed at that.  A genuine laugh of amusement.  

"I was trying to get a rise out of ya, you know?  Most sharpteeth would have charged at me before now."  He admitted.  "You must have amazing patience."

Cera stared at the fast biter as he uttered those words.  No one had ever complimented her on her patience before, as it wasn't exactly a threehorn virtue.  Perhaps she was expected to be more forceful and quick to violence in sharptooth society?  Much as she hated to admit it, she was not prone to actually lashing out violently.  The last time she had done that before the ground fuzzy was back when she was firmly in the hunger madness.  She apparently had much to learn.

"The name is Taunt.  What is yours?"  He asked courteously.  It was the first non-teasing remark he had made to the former threehorn.

"Cera."  She answered concisely.  "Now about that food..."

......

"Hey, guys!  Has anyone seen Cera?"  

The purple little biter was quite worried.  He had offered her some time to wash her injury while he hunted, but after he didn't see her for quite some time he decided to investigate.  There was no sign of her!  Her smell led to the river, but there it was joined by another fast biter's scent that he couldn't recognize.  He couldn't tell if the other fast biter had been their recently or earlier that day as a symphony of smells greeted him at the river's edge.  Nonetheless, he was concerned.

"No, Chomper.  I haven't seen her.  Nope nope, nope!"  Ducky affirmed.  "Have you, Spike?"  

A grunt in the negative greeted Chomper's ears.  They hadn't seen her either!  He had to go get the others.  They had to make sure that Cera was alright.

......

"Where are we going exactly?"  Cera asked her new acquaintance.  "And what food did you actually find?"

He paused for a moment.  "We are going a ways up the river.  You will see the food after we reach the crest of the hill."

Cera began to rush up the hill.  "Then what are we waiting for?  My friends and I are quite hungry."

A smile returned to his muzzle once more.  "Oh, so those other ankle biters are part of your pack, eh?"  He asked in a teasing voice.

Cera took on a teasing look of her own.  "Well, they are certainly better company than you!"

For the second time that day, Taunt laughed in genuine amusement at this fast biter.  She certainly has some bravado.  He thought to himself.  "Alright!  Let's go."

The two fast biters ran up the hill as fast as their mighty legs would carry them.  Cera took an early lead only to be surprised when the male ran in front of her without apparently even trying.  I will not permit him to show me up!  She resolved.  She picked up her pace and ran beside him.  He looked at her with a boastful smile.

"Oh!  I was wondering where you were.  I thought that you said we were running up the hill."

Cera growled and put all of her strength into charging up the hill as full speed.  The two fast biters were side by side when Cera caught site of what was over the crest of the hill.

"Whoa!"

The bloated corpse of a threehorn was clearly in view.  It had obviously been dead for quite some time as nearly half of the body had been picked clean, leaving only those portions that were difficult to reach.  The reminder of the flesh had begun the slow process of decomposition as the flesh had been exposed to the elements for days.  The stench was almost overwhelming, but for some reason that did not deter Cera's appetite.  She was a sharptooth now, after all, and carrion was a mainstay of the diet.

"Yeah...  My pack took this down the other day."  Taunt remarked as if it wasn't an accomplishment worth mentioning.

Cera looked at him for a moment.  His pack must be very strong to take down a full-grown threehorn.  She thought to herself.  Why did I follow him like I did?  If his pack wants to get rid of me they certainly can now... and no one would know. Her expression actually took on a slight overtone of fear.  The change was almost imperceptible, but the change in her scent was detected by Taunt immediately.  

Good, she's afraid.  He thought to himself.  We need to get these ankle biters out of our territory.  As Taunt's leader had known for quite some time, a show of strength was sometimes as effective as a feigned or actual attack.  The victory without a battle was better than the battle without a victory.  He would show this pack a small kindness by giving them food and hope that they took the hint and departed right after.  That was the plan anyway.

"That is impressive..."  She remarked, still stunned by the sight.  "Do you... get ones this big often?"

Taunt nodded.  "Yeah, there are always large leaf-eaters going through our territory."  He added the emphasis as discretely as possible, but it was still there for all to hear.

Cera swallowed.  "Ah, that's nice."  She paused for a moment, wanting to choose her next words carefully.  "My pack was on its way to Hanging Rock."

Taunt took on a noticeably relieved expression.  He actually rather liked this girl's spirited attitude and he would have hated to engage her pack in a battle for territory.  Luckily, it seemed that force would not be necessary.

"Cera!  Where are you?"  Littlefoot's voice echoed through the floodplain.

Taunt turned in his tracks.  Damn!  The rest of her pack is coming!  What if they are not as reasonable? He knew full well that a pack leader would not look kindly on another pack member being intimidated like this.  If he was outnumbered then they could overwhelm him and use him as a bargaining tool with his pack.  That was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.  With Cera distracted, he took his chance and ran away.

"Over here!"  Cera called.  "I am with another..."  She stopped as she saw that the other fast biter had departed.  She could see his retreating form fleeing down the hill below.  I guess he wasn't as fearless as he acted. She noted.

"Cera?  What are you doing?"  Chomper began as he walked up the crest of the hill.  We were worried... Wow!"  He had seen the sight that had stopped Cera in her tracks mere moments before.

Cera smiled.  If that insufferable male wasn't going to stick around then why should she let him share in the credit?  "Looks like I found dinner!"

The gang reunited joyfully with Cera as they began to partake of a surprise respite to their hunger.

......

Meanwhile, nearly a mile away from the pack, Taunt was addressing his leader.  The pack leader was not much older than Taunt, his entire pack being made up of other juveniles.  His greenish-blue coloration set him apart from his orange subordinate.

"...and then I told her that we killed the threehorn."  Taunt had just finished his report.

The leader smiled.  "Ah, nice.  They will think of us being mightier than we actually are."  The threehorn had actually died of sickness several days before, but the rival pack didn't need to be told that.  He nodded in appreciation of Taunt's resourceful thinking.  "I take it that dissuaded them from staying?"

"Yeah, she insists that they are simply walking through.  Their destination is Hanging Rock, apparently."

The leader laughed.  "Hanging Rock?  Well, I guess it is a good thing we gave them some food then!"  He continued to chuckle as Taunt joined in the merriment.  "I hope they don't expect to find any peace there, with Red Claw and all."

Taunt stopped laughing as his cheerfulness was ended in an instant.  Red Claw and his henchmen was a sore subject for the orange fast biter.  He then spoke "Or my father."

The leader paused at his subordinate's statement.  "You have to let it go, Taunt.  You can't blame yourself for Thud's mistakes.  You are not your father."

Taunt didn't reply.

The leader sighed.  "We should head back to the rest of the pack.  They will be relieved that the invaders are not staying."  He then looked back in the direction where Littlefoot's pack resided.  "We could have evicted them easy enough, but it is always nice to avoid such pleasantries."

Their mission completed, the two fast biters went off to be with the remainder of their pack.

......

"So...  His name was Taunt?"

After a large meal of carrion, the pack had rested for a bit before trekking off towards Hanging Rock.  Cera decided that she had better tell the others about her situation.  One could never know when a rival pack could become a threat.  Littlefoot was asking Cera a lot of questions about their new adversaries.  He hoped that the information could come in handy later.

"Yeah.  He was a jerk!"  Cera replied.

Everyone laughed at that.  Cera's remarks on Taunt were extremely negative, but yet she kept on bringing every question back to him.  It was obvious that he had struck a nerve in the yellow fast biter.

Littlefoot smirked but couldn't restrain himself from making one snarky comment.

"Why Cera, I think that he's made quite an impression on you!"

Cera stood wide mouthed at Littlefoot's comment at her expense.  The others descended in boisterous laughter.

"Don't you start, Littlefoot!"  Cera retorted.  "...Or I will make an impression on you!"  She said that as she stomped an impression of her foot on the ground.  The words themselves were a threat, but their delivery clearly indicated that they were not to be taken that way.  The yellow fast biter had provided the pack with food and redeemed herself, in her mind, from her embarrassment earlier in the day.  In her happier mood, her comments had little sting to them.

The joking and laughter continued for several moments until everyone settled down.  They then left the territory of the rival pack and continued towards their destination.

......

Several hours later, as the bright circle began to set behind the horizon, the pack went over another hill that seemed to rise out of the expansive grassland like a whale surfacing in the ocean.  That was when they saw it.

"Hanging Rock!"  Ruby exclaimed.  "We are almost there!"

Looking in the direction of their destination, they were surprised to see that it was now clearly visible.  Hanging Rock jutted out of the rockface in the distance.  They were still a day away from reaching their goal, but it was finally in sight.  In their harsh journey of death and despair they had survived against all of the odds.  They had no doubts that they would finally be successful.

As the pack embraced one another in joy.  Each took stock of the situation in their own way.  

For Littlefoot this was a vindication of sorts.  Despite his flaws as a leader, and he now recognized that he had several, he had successfully led them this far.  He knew that with further support from his friends that he could get them through whatever hardships lay ahead.  He didn't know what his mother would have thought about this situation, but he hoped that she would have been proud.

For Cera this was a moment to reflect.  She had changed so much during their week-long journey that she could barely recognize herself.  She realized that the only thing that held her together was the support and, at times, forceful prodding of her friends.  Regardless of what she was now, she resolved to stand with them until the end.  They were together as leaf-eaters, they would remain together as sharpteeth.

For Spike this was a moment to acknowledge what he had lost, while also rejoicing in what he had retained.  He had lost his appreciation of green food, he had lost his easy-going nature, and he had lost his privilege of being a kind soul.  Now he was a killer who had to eat meat in order to survive.  But at least he still had Ducky and his friends.  He figured that as long as he had them, he wouldn't sink into despair.

For Ruby this was a moment of truth.  In a mere day, she would face her parents as a changed dinosaur.  As a dinosaur who had lost the luxury of being able to eat both plant and meat.  Now she only hungered for flesh...  She had no idea how her parents would react, or her siblings for that matter.  Even if they reacted positively, they probably wouldn't be able to offer much help.

She took a look at her friends.  Even if they were beyond help now, at least they still had one another.  They had survived being chased by the Great Valley's adults in their catastrophic escape from the valley.  They had survived being chased by the most terrible predators in the Mysterious Beyond.  They had survived hunger and the horror of killing a leaf-eater in the hunt.  They had survived much and Ruby knew that they could survive much more as long as they stuck together.  Never mind how broken they were individually, she knew that if they stayed together they would never fall apart.

They have no idea what the next day may bring, but they knew that they would face it together.  They were one gang... One pack.  And nothing would ever separate them.

END OF ACT 1


And thus after 100,000 words and 17 chapters, the first act of the story has finally come to an end.  The next chapter, the first of the second Act, should be posted later on this week.  In the meantime, I look forward to your comments and reviews.  

[Cruncher96]

This has to be one of the best fanfic stories I have ever read. By the way if you want some ideas for any members of the pack then by all means take some of the characters from my fanfic story Attack of the Pack. Although its definitely up to you though

[rhombus]

Thank you for the kind words.    I already have some ideas for the members of Taunt's pack, but thanks for the offer.

[CeraTheRed]

Wow. Just. Wow. That was just AMAZING! I'm looking forward to the next act.

[Ducky123]

So ground fuzzies are on the menu again? Great

I really like the hunting scene. You changed the teams a little, and that made the combinations more interesting... Well, Littlefoot & Ruby aren't that successful, Cera & Chomper are better. Cera... your idea here is great. Cera is hurt in the inside and that makes the scene with Thuds son more interesting
Petrie's hunt was really well written too.
First of all, Taunt is a funny name. I'm very excited about his future role since subplots are always nice, yep, yep, yep. Thud's son..

And thus after 100,000 words and 17 chapters, the first act of the story has finally come to an end.

This is scary, your story is far younger than mine but already at a higher word count :blink:

Noticed a few little mistakes:

"Your right, Chomper."

This should read "You're right, Chomper."

All ready, Ruby?" He asked the fast biter.

I'm assuming you meant "Are you ready, Ruby?" here

The ground fuzzy was silenced by Ruby's powerful jaws almost as soon as it gave the alarm claw

Again, I'm assuming you meant "call" instead of "claw" here.

As a result, she was left with a bleeding would on her mouth to go along with her dead quarry.

Little typo here... "Wound" not "would"

The transformation had taken his leaf-eater diet, but it had taken the glorious gift of flight from the flyer.

If that was true... poor Petrie It should read "...but it hadn't (had not) ..."

Cera growled and put all of her strength into charging up the hill as full speed

"...At full speed"

I enjoyed this installment, as always

[rhombus]

I am glad that both of you enjoyed this installment.   The pace and focus of the next act is going to be somewhat different (at least in the mid to later chapters of the act) as the pack will have adapted somewhat to the realities of their situation.

Thanks for the corrections, Ducky.   I seem to have made more errors in this chapter than in many of my previous offerings.  I have made the corrections to my post with the exception of this one:

All ready, Ruby?" He asked the fast biter.

"All ready" is used in this context as an idiom meaning that one is completely ready.  Thus, Littlefoot is asking here if Ruby is completely ready.

I should have the next chapter posted sometime tomorrow.  

[rhombus]

Fanfiction link:  https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9990125/19/The-Seven-Hunters

ACT 2: A NEW LIFE

Chapter 18   Somber valley

“It's so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.”
― John Steinbeck, The Winter of Our Discontent

Two days before the events of Chapter 17:

Ah, there is the Great Valley.  I can't wait to see my son again.

With the coming of the wet season, it was again time for Bron to return his herd to the Great Valley.  They would not stay, of course, having assumed the migratory lifestyle of most of longneck kind, but it was nice respite from the toil of travelling.  Most importantly from Bron's perspective, this would give him a chance to see his son again.  Having been believed lost for so long along with his beloved mate, Bron cherished any time that he could spend with Littlefoot.  Shorty would cherish the time spent with his adopted brother as well, although he would never admit it.

Bron then took the opportunity to take a look at Shorty, who was walking with several other juveniles in the herd.  Bron had offered to carry Shorty along this leg of the journey, but the green longneck had declined.  It seemed that he was trying to act tough and self-sufficient lately and Bron knew why.  

Slightly shifting his focus, Bron noted the female longneck that was following the group of juveniles.  She was the child of a newcomer to the herd and she was of the same kind as Shorty.  Bron smiled at the scene.  Shorty's antics reminded him of how he had behaved when he was his age.  There were several females that had caught his interest back then, even though he was far too young to appreciate the instincts at work.  His "tough guy" attitude had gotten him into his fair share of disputes with others of his age and it wasn't until he grew a bit older, and he supposed a little wiser, that he had mellowed.  

Of course, Violet had a lot to do with that.

Littlefoot's mother, Violet, captured his attention ever since he first laid eyes upon her.  He supposed that he was lucky to meet her after he had matured a bit.  Not only would his younger self's attitude had dissuaded her, but she probably would have been tempted to put him in his place.  As he had found out during an attack by fast biters, she could hold her own in a fight.  He thought after seeing that scene that his father must have been right when he said: "It is the quiet ones that you have to watch."  Well, Bron certainly had been watching before, but he definitely watched thereafter.  

His mood shifted into dark territory as he reflected upon his long-lost mate.  Those memories were both joyful and mournful.  The joy came from the fact that his time with her was the happiest in his life.  Every day was a new adventure and although they were both in the Time of Great Growing during their courtship, her playful behavior and kindness seemed to bring out the inner child in him.  That part of him which was suppressed so long ago in order to be tough for the others was pushed aside by her infectious enthusiasm.  He didn't have to put up a tough facade in front of her as she would see right through it.  It was from her that he learned that strength came from within and that one could be kind and strong.

He looked at Shorty again.  He was still strutting along in a walking pattern that would be better-suited to a longneck several years older than him.  Yes, Shorty still had much to learn.  However Bron had no doubts that if Shorty kept his determination and coupled it with his new-found friendships that he would discover these lessons one day.  Shorty had a hard life and he had built up a tough exterior in order to survive the harsh realities of the world.  It was only in the last two years that he had begun to loosen up and form friendships again.  First with his adopted brother Littlefoot, and then with other children in the herd.  Bron hoped that this personal growth would continue.

Shorty seemed to detect that Bron was staring at him, and turned his head to look at his adopted father.

Shorty sighed, before raising his head in an assertive fashion.

"I am fine, Bron.  I can take care of myself."

Bron chuckled.  He noted that his laughter made Shorty cringe a little.  He supposed that his response did not fit into Shorty's "tough guy" persona that he was trying to establish.

"Of course, Shorty.  Of course."  Bron responded.  Trying to keep his amusement out of his voice, but failing miserably.  Shorty began to sulk at Bron's tone.  So much for the tough guy act. Bron thought in amusement.

Bron turned his attention to his right and focused upon the blue longneck that was walking slightly behind him.  This was his recently-appointed deputy, Stomp.  He was a large stocky longneck, who had a rather gentle manner about him.  He was the perfect deputy for such a diverse herd as the one that Bron led and, Bron thought seriously for a moment, he would be a fine successor should anything happen to him.  In fact, he had led the herd during Bron's brief excursions into the valley without his herd.  Bron had always returned after these excursions in order to resume his leadership, but he found that Stomp was becoming more and more competent as the seasons rolled by.

Perhaps he will be good enough to take over soon. Bron thought to himself.  Then I could give Littlefoot the proper attention that he needs.  His grandparents shouldn't have to raise him alone.  After all, he is my son.

...And Violet's. Some small voice in his head added.  If he didn't have the lives of dozens of longnecks depending on him then he would have left the herd with new leadership long ago.  He owed it to his fallen mate to ensure that his son had a safe and nurturing childhood.  It was true that Littlefoot was in the safe and diverse Great Valley, but he still felt his paternal drives demanding that he do more.  He wasn't there when they needed him during the journey to the valley.  He didn't want to fail to be there as he child grew into an adult longneck.  He didn't want to add to his already long litany of regrets.

"Okay, Stomp, we are almost there.  Would you mind watching the rear of the herd for me?"  Bron inquired to his young deputy.

"Sure thing, Bron!"  Came the eager reply.

As the herd began to approach the valley, Bron could not foresee the terrible news that he would soon hear.

......

In the Great Valley the onset of spring had brought with it the blooming of flowers and the bringing forth of new life.  The trees and bushes of the valley, which had been somewhat sparse during the transition from the cold time, were now green with new foliage.  The winds were fresh with the new smells of rejuvenated life.  Everywhere new adults were courting and would undoubtedly become parents in the coming months.  It was a scene of happiness and new hope.

However, the joyous mood was not felt by everyone.

In a clearing between the majestic trees and plentiful ferns stood two elderly longnecks.  Their demeanor was one that conveyed lingering grief.  The type of grief that hurt like a festering wound, never completely healed and never forgotten.  Their heads were drawn down as they ate in silence.  None of the other residents daring to interrupt them.

"I can't believe that he is gone."  The soft voice of grandma longneck called out.  Though tears no longer fell like sky water from her shimmering eyes, it was obvious that the grief still remained.

Grandpa Longneck sighed at this.  His face stared at the ground below as if he lacked the strength to raise it to its full height.  He had no words of comfort to give to his mate.  His heart was broken.  Nothing could bring Littlefoot back.  The last living legacy of their daughter was lost forever.  They had all died and gone to the Great Beyond, leaving them behind.  It wasn't right.  A parent isn't supposed to outlive their children, or their grandchildren for that matter.  The only thing that they had left was each other.  He reflected that if it wasn't for his mate then he probably would have died from despair.  He knew that she probably would have done the same.  They were all that they had left now.

"Neither can I."  He said sadly.  "He would be running off now...  about this time...  to play with his friends."  He muttered.  "They always were so happy in the spring."

Grandma nodded.  "They were happy all of the time."

"True."  He added softly.  "I guess... at least they are together now, aren't they?"  He nearly broke emotionally.  "At least he didn't have to go to the Great Beyond alone.  He has his friends."

"But that damn sharptooth still lives..."  Grandma longneck growled.

He stopped.  Grandma was a forgiving soul, but Chomper's betrayal had awakened deep anger in the longneck.  She could have accepted Littlefoot's death if it was due to misadventure or sickness, or even at the claws of any other sharptooth, but to have him be killed by one of his own friends...  It was unbearable.  She, Topps, and Volant actually argued in favor of pursuing the sharptooth during one of the valley's meetings.  He had argued against this, as nothing could bring his beloved Littlefoot back, but she would not forgive.  Even though he disagreed with the idea, he agreed to follow her if such a plan was organized.  He would not let her fight alone.  If the valley sought vengeance, then he would assist them with that endeavor.  

However, in the end the trail ran cold.  Volant was the last to see the sharpteeth flee from the valley and no further scouting runs could find a trace of them.  They were long gone, fleeing like the worthless cowards all sharpteeth were.  Only then did Volant and his mate put aside the thought of vengeance.  With the diversion of revenge out of her mind, she was forced to deal with her own grief.  The two longnecks were still in the process of recovering, but they knew that they would never be whole again.

"Don't think about him..."  He couldn't even speak the hated biter's name.  "He will meet a more horrible sharptooth than himself one day..."  He asserted.

As the two longnecks tried to deal with the memories of what they had lost, two adult threehorns and a small infant were preparing to have their midmorning meal.  They had settled into a small clearing, with the female gathering some loose treestars for her young daughter.  The peaceful family setting was perverted, however, by a distinct air of melancholy.  There was a family member missing from the feast.  A family member who would never return.

"Eat up now, Tricia."  Tria called down to the little threehorn.  "You want to grow up big and strong just like..."  She stopped herself before she could continue further.  In times like this when all was at peace, she could almost imagine Cera still being here.  Her cute arrogance...   Her brash demeanor...  Her caring nature that she always tried to hide...  and always failed miserably.  Yes, Cera was a good role model for her younger daughter, but now she was gone.  Only Tricia remained.

Tricia noticed Tria's sad expression and deduced what was wrong.  She still did not understand what had happened to Cera.  When would she be back?  She missed her dearly.

"Wen cew Cewa ba bak?"  She asked in her babyish speech.

Tria nearly broke down at this and even Topps had to close his eyes to avoid overtly shedding tears.  Tricia was too young to understand the true magnitude of death.  It was a tough lesson to learn at any age, but especially hard for the young infant.  She looked up to Cera and loved her dearly...  and now she was gone forever.

Tria looked down at Tricia, with tears in her eyes.  "Cera...  Won't be back, Tricia."  She answered softly.  "She can't help it...  but she's gone."  She then broke down, as she couldn't take any more.

Both Tria and Tricia then began to cry as the two nuzzled.  Topps joined the duo in order to comfort his grieving mate.  He could slay sharpteeth with his powerful horns and he could intimidate the most powerful dinosaurs, but he could not fight against death.  Death was the great equalizer.  When it took his daughter he was powerless to fight back.  The only thing that he could do now is provide comfort for what remained of his family.  Chomper's betrayal had humbled him and crushed his family.  He would never forgive.

After some moments, the trio finally calmed down and began to slowly eat their meal.  They had not enjoyed a happy meal since their daughter was lost a week prior.  Each assumed that it would be months still before they could regain some since of normalcy.  Before they could wake up in the morning and not imagine for a moment that Cera was still here.

That was when they heard a commotion from some of the other threehorns.

Topps politely excused himself from Tria and urged her to continue her meal.  He then walked up to the rapidly talking threehorns to see that one of the entrance defenders was walking towards him.  This was a worrying development.

Ever since Chomper's betrayal, the Great Valley had begun to maintain watchers at each of the main entrances in case the sharpteeth returned.  It was true that the valley had been attacked before, but never by an enemy which knew most of their entrances and defenses.  Worse yet, these juvenile sharpteeth were quite small and could conceivable sneak in.  Topps would die before allowing them to threaten Tricia or any of the other younglings.  If that meant turning the valley into a less inviting and more defended place then so be it.  After the terror that Chomper unleashed, the vote of the valley on the matter was nearly unanimous.

"What is it, Derkin?"  Topps asked.

"Longnecks, sir!  A migrating herd."  The subordinate answered.

Topps sighed loudly.  "More longnecks!  That is all that we need!"  He looked away for a moment.  "If they are just passing through then let them in, otherwise tell them to get lost!"

"Yes, sir!"  The subordinate answered, before pausing.  "Um... Sir!  There is something else."  The subordinate quickly added.

"What?"  Topps responded.  He was not in the mood for pleasantries.  His already limited patience was nearly non-existent after the loss of his daughter.  Everyone knew not to bore him with details.

"This herd...  is led by that longneck's father, sir."  He responded.

Topps sighed.  He was going to have to tell another father the terrible news that his beloved child would never return.  His demeanor quickly softened.  Longneck or not, he deserved to be told in the most compassionate and caring way possible.  Littlefoot had a tendency to annoy him, but he couldn't deny his bravery and close friendship with Cera.  He owed it to the fallen longneck to treat his father with as much respect as possible.  He resolved to do so.

"That longneck, Derkin, was Littlefoot."  Topps piercing stare seemed to bore a hole into Derkin's soul.  The threehorn noticeably paled at the elder threehorn's stern rebuke.  "Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike, Ruby, Petrie... and Cera...  I haven't forgotten any of them."  He continued.  "And neither should any of you!"  He then looked at the crowd of other threehorns who had congregated at the scene.  "Because we failed they are dead.  We must never forget that.  We must never fail again."  He looked down with a steely expression.

"Dismissed."

The other threehorns quickly dispersed.  They knew when it was best to simply let Topps be.

With a heavy heart, Topps began to walk towards the advancing longneck herd.  For the second time in a week, he was to be the bearer of bad news.

......

Bron's herd proceeded to enter through one of the main entrances into the valley.  Bron was at the front of the herd, as his position as herd leader would demand.  He was quite surprised to be greeted by a group of domeheads at the entrance.  They were positioned in a line formation, obviously trying to block any longnecks from entering.  This was a very unusual situation, to say the least.  The Great Valley was usually a very inviting place.  What could have changed this situation?  Bron decided to greet the domeheads.

"Greetings.  May we enter?"  Bron asked in a cautious, yet friendly, manner.  He had no idea what was going on, so caution was the best strategy at this point.  A large domehead turned to face Bron and gave a simple, one word reply.

"No."

Well, he is certainly a happy fellow, isn't he? Bron thought sardonically.  I wonder how these domeheads think that they can actually keep us out if we wanted to break in?  Bron sighed.  Now was not the time to take a page from the playbook of his younger self.  A far more diplomatic path was advisable.

"Why is that?"  Bron asked stoically.  The friendliness was purged from his voice.  That subtle change was not lost on the domehead guards.

"We are protecting the valley from sharpteeth."  The domehead answered.

Bron laughed at this, which noticeably annoyed the domeheads.  "Well, the last time that I checked I was a longneck and I have never heard of a longneck sharptooth.  So, I think that you can safely let us in." As he said those words he began to walk towards the entrance.

"Stop!"  The leader of the domehead group shouted.  "You have to wait for clearance."

Bron sighed.  He saw that Shorty was also agitated at the insufferable domeheads as well.  He was scraping the ground with his forelimbs and giving them an expression of extreme impatience.  You and me both, Shorty, you and me both.  Bron decided that he would give the domeheads a piece of his mind, but that was when they were interrupted.

"Let them in!"

Bron turned to look at the source of the intrusion.  It was Topps!  I never figured that I would be happy to see that face.  He thought sardonically.  He decided to ask the threehorn about what was going on.  If the valley had taken on a more paranoid footing then he figured that it must be Topps doing.

"Thank you."  Bron responded, before looking at the dispersing domeheads.  "May I ask what all that was about?"

Topps seemed to look away from Bron all too eagerly as he too looked at the domehead defenders.  "New security."  He paused for a moment.  "We can't be too careful with sharpteeth."

Bron looked at the threehorn, who seemed to be intentionally not looking in his direction.  Then he noticed his horn.  He has a broken horn!  When did that happen?  He decided not to broach the subject yet, as threehorns were very prideful, but he began to wonder if the security situation and Topps's injury were related.  "Well, sharpteeth were never much of a problem before."

Topps sighed.  "Yeah..."  He sounded utterly defeated, Bron noted.  "Things change."  He then noticed a distinct slump in the threehorns posture as he looked down at the ground.  Was this the same proud threehorn that he knew from his previous trips to the valley?  What had happened?

Topps then faced Bron and the look that he gave the longneck filled him with dread.  Topps had the vacant look of a dinosaur who had suffered from a terrible loss.  It was a look that he had seen before.  He remembered that same look when he looked at his reflection after he learned that his mate had died.  It was a look that he hoped that he would never see again.

"Topps... What happened?"  Bron asked in genuine concern.

"Bron...  Would you come with me for a moment?"  Topps answered softly.

Something fell in Bron's stomach.  Obviously something terrible had happened.  He looked in the eyes of the threehorn that seemed to plead that he simply agree with the request.  Bron swallowed.  This was not good.

"Stomp?"  Bron bellowed softly.

"...Sir?"  Stomp answered uncertainly.  He was unnerved by recent events as well.

"Lead the herd into the valley and watch Shorty..."  Bron began.

"But Bron!"  Shorty protested.

"Not now, Shorty."  Bron answered softly.  "I need to get to the bottom of this.  Run along now."

Shorty looked ready to protest, but acquiesced and went with the rest of the herd.

Bron looked at the threehorn who began to walk in the other direction.  He followed the seemingly mournful threehorn in order to find out what was going on.  Where were they going?

After a few moments of walking, the threehorn stopped at the top of a large hill and sat down.  His head was bowed in an exhausted demeanor.  Bron's patience ran out and he demanded to have answers.

"Topps, what the hell is going on?"  Bron demanded.

Topps sighed and looked at the scene below him.  "Bron."  He paused for a moment.  "There was a sharptooth attack about a week ago..."

Oh no!  Please no!  Anyone but him!  Bron's thoughts raced.  He suspected that he knew where this was going, but he was uncertain.

"Is Littlefoot...?"  Bron began, but he couldn't finish the thought.  If he had been harmed then he would never forgive himself.

Topps slowly turned to look at Bron and in the instant he could see his face, he knew the answer even before Topps spoke.

"I'm so sorry, Bron.  Littlefoot is gone."

That was when Bron screamed.

......

After Bron had heard the terrible news, he walked back to his herd in a daze.  His beloved son was dead.  What was he going to do now?  What was he going to tell Shorty?  

Shorty...

He knew that this news would crush him, but he knew that he owed it to his adopted son to tell him the truth.  He wouldn't place that heavy responsibility upon Littlefoot's grandparents.  Littlefoot had encouraged Bron to formally adopt Shorty and he knew that his lost son loved him like a brother.  Despite the gaping hole in his heart, Bron resolved that he would continue to be a father to Shorty.  He had failed to protect his son, but he would not make the same mistake for his adopted son.  He was done running away from what was important.

"Shorty?"

A small green longneck ran off from two of the other juvenile longnecks in the herd.  Apparently his deputy had sequestered the entire herd away from the rest of the valley's residents until their leader returned.  A prudent decision. He thought morosely.  Shorty was apparently playing with friends while waiting on his father to return.

"Yeah?"  Shorty asked suddenly.

Bron looked at Shorty with a sad expression.  How was he going to break the news to Littlefoot's beloved brother?  Even though Shorty often put on a "tough guy" act, Bron knew that deep inside that he was an innocent and deeply hurt child.  He had experienced the pain of losing his parents and helping other small longnecks find a new home.  It was only when Shorty was befriended by Littlefoot and then he was adopted by Bron, that Shorty finally began to heal and act like a normal kid again.  Now, Bron was about to deliver news that would hurt Shorty again.  Bron resolved that he would be there to help Shorty pick up the pieces.  It is what Littlefoot would have wanted.  He owed it to his fallen son.

"Bron?"  Shorty asked with some concern.  He had never seen his adopted father with that expression on his face.

Bron paused.  He had become distracted with his own doubts and grief.  He swallowed.  Now it was time to tell Shorty the truth...

"Shorty, my son...  We need to talk..."

......

Volant was flying high over the valley as part of her "watch" duty.  The valley had instituted aerial scouting ever since Chomper's treachery.  It was hoped that by having regular scouting of potential threats and guards at the most conspicuous entrances, that potential incursions by Chomper and his allies could be avoided.  The sharptooth knew the secret caverns, the hidden canyon, and many other entrances into the valley.  If he were to use that knowledge...  That was why the valley had made its decision.

She had to admit, however, that she regretted the loss of innocence that seemed to permeate the valley.  The Great Valley was supposed to be a bastion of hope and openness to all those in the Mysterious Beyond, but now it was more on edge and restrictive than she had ever seen it.  The defenses that they had brought into being were akin to what one would expect in a threehorn herd, but not in the peaceful valley.  Chomper's attack had taken a lot more than their children.  It had taken the valley's sense of security as well.

As she flew by a clearing in the valley, she saw a sight that filled her with sadness.  Bron and Shorty had joined with Littlefoot's two grandparents in a bittersweet reunion.  The two elderly longnecks have had time to process their loss at least, but Bron and Shorty were still in the depths of their grief.  It was a heartbreaking sight.

Volant sighed.  There was nothing that she could so to bring Petrie back, but she could ensure that no one else met his fate.  She resolved to do what she had been doing for the previous four days and volunteer for watch duty again tomorrow.  It was the least she could do.

......

As the bright circle began to fall in the sky, the four longnecks were still resting in the same clearing.  Each was trying to wrap their heads around the tragedy that had occurred.

"I can't believe that he is gone!"  Shorty cried as he reclined on his side.  He was keeping his head on the ground as if his neck no longer obeyed his commands.  He was utterly unreachable in his grief.

"Neither can I, Shorty, neither can I."  Bron responded sadly while nuzzling his adopted son.  

Bron had left leadership of his herd in the capable command of his deputy for the time being.  Stomp had agreed with few words, knowing that they would neither help nor be welcome.  He simply told his grief-stricken leader to take his time.  The other members of the herd were horrified and saddened by the change in their leader, but were grateful for Stomp stepping up to command.  Bron had chosen well in his successor.  Several of the assembled herd was thinking the same thing at seeing their leader's display.  Would Stomp soon be their new leader?  They questioned if Bron still had the desire to lead at this point.

The grandparents sat beside Bron and Littlefoot's adopted brother.  They couldn't offer much comfort except for their kind words and presence.  They had suffered a horrific loss as well and had not recovered themselves.  They suspected that neither of them truly ever would.

"I wish that I could have said goodbye."  Shorty muttered sadly.

Bron thought for a moment as tears again appeared on his face.  Littlefoot was gone, but perhaps Shorty could get closure of some kind.  Bron looked towards the two grandparents and decided to ask a question that had been on his mind for awhile.

"After you chased... Chomper..."  He nearly spat out the word.  "...and the others, where did you...."  He choked for a moment.  "Dispose of the children's bodies."  It was am morbid question, but it had a basis in logic.  Longnecks, like many other dinosaurs, were visual and tactile creatures.  Sometimes just the ability to see the dead or to feel their bones would be enough to begin the healing process.  To begin to allow the mind to process that their loved ones were gone.  That was what Shorty needed right now.  He needed the chance to say goodbye, even if Littlefoot was no longer here.

Grandpa Longneck was taken aback by this question, but understood it all the same.  He answered cautiously.

"We never did find the bodies..."  He answered sadly.

Bron shot up suddenly.  "You didn't?!"

Grandma Longneck shook her head this time.  "No, we found no trace of the children."

Bron was now on his feet, much to the surprise of the other longnecks.

"Then how do you know that they are dead?"  He asked with an almost manic expression.

Grandpa Longneck sighed.  "Bron, we found no trace of them after the attack.  Neither in the valley nor outside of it."  He paused for a moment.  False hope at this juncture would be more damaging than the lack of it.  He had to get Bron to understand.  "He is gone, Bron.  I'm sorry, I wish it wasn't so."

Bron looked at him with a disbelieving expression.  "I thought Littlefoot was dead before and I gave up any chance that I had to reunite with him or to be a proper father..."

Grandpa Longneck tried to interject.  "Bron..."

Bron shook his head.  "I won't fail him again!"  His eyes were resolute and instantly the grandparents knew that there would be no reasoning with him.  "I will find out what happened.  Even if he turns out to be dead, I owe it to him to find out."

The grandparents stood stoically as Bron finished his words.  They hoped that he wasn't condemning himself to a suicide mission.  The Mysterious Beyond was an unforgiving place.

"Bron, Littlefoot wouldn't want you to risk everything..."  Grandma Longneck began.

Bron answered firmly.  "Without Littlefoot and Shorty I have nothing."  He then looked at the small green longneck that had a sad, yet hopeful expression.  Bron's mood turned noticeably softer then.

"Shorty, I want you to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Longneck."

"But Bron..."  Shorty began, but Bron would hear nothing of it.

"No buts...  I can't lose you too."  Bron shed a tear after he made that statement.  Shorty hung his head in resigned acceptance.  No, he wouldn't put his father through that.  He walked over to where the two elderly longnecks resided.

Grandpa Longneck sighed.  "We can't change your mind, can we?"  At Bron's negative shake of the head, he continued.  "At least wait until the morning, Bron.  You won't find anything in the dark."

Bron seemed to ponder this for a moment before answering.  "Alright, but I must do this...  Even if I find nothing, I have to try.  I owe it to my son."  He nearly broke down as he finished.

"I know, Bron, I know."  Grandpa Longneck responded.  "But remember that you have another son as well."  He said this while looking at Shorty.  "Don't leave him an orphan."

Bron looked at Shorty as well and noted his pleading eyes.  He wasn't putting on the tough guy act now, this was Shorty without any pretense of bravado.  This was the orphan who only recently had gained some measure of happiness in his life.  No, Bron would not deprive him of this happiness.  Littlefoot would not have wanted that.

"I won't.  I will return, I promise."  He said this while nuzzling the small green longneck.

As the four longnecks settled into an uneasy sleep, each focused upon the enormous loss that they had experienced.  Sooner or later, Bron resolved, he would find the answers that he sought.  What happened to Littlefoot?  What happened to the sharpteeth?  Where was that cowardly traitor, Chomper?  Beginning tomorrow he would seek out the answers to those questions.

Well, I suppose that was a bit of a depressing beginning to the second act, but Bron had to find out eventually.  In the next chapter we will rejoin the gang and see how the conclusion of their journey to Hanging Rock turns out.

As always, feedback is appreciated.

[Ducky123]

I was already wondering when you would introduce Bron . According to your original plan, it would've been much earlier if I recall correctly...

Bron's thoughts are, as always, very detailed. He is, obviously, feeling bad for his rare visits so he would like to abandon the herd in favour of his family. Also, you're telling something about his past which is always interesting to see since every author has a slightly different story in store Same goes for names... I don't know how many names Littlefoot's mother has in various fanfictions but Violet is undoubtedly one of the better choices I've seen
And Shorty is going after the girls...

The grown-ups are still deep in despair as it seems... :unsure: The fact that Grandma is actually feeling hatred and wrath and the fact that Tria fails to stay strong in front of her daughter Tricia shows their grief pretty well.
The scene with Topsy and Bron is very powerful despite its relative shortness. Bron does take the horrible news better than I would have assumed. Though I am assuming that Bron is only able to stay tough because he has a (an adopted) son to care for. I bet Bron will have a weak moment later on...

Volant's thoughts are a good addition to the chapter I think since she does point out that the valley and its inhabitants have changed majorly.

And I was assuming correctly... The final scene is a very powerful yet depressing one. Bron does have a point (and I wonder why he is the first one to come up with the idea of possible survival ). Well, Detective Bron is on the case This will be very interesting.

I didn't find any mistakes this time though I kind of read this pretty much in a rush so I might have missed one or two of them. I did enjoy the first chapter of Act 2 and I'm looking forward to reading the next installment, yep, yep, yep!

[rhombus]

Thanks for the review.  

Yeah, I have moved back Bron's appearance somewhat in order to allow for some plot points that will be added later on.  Detective Bron's findings will have a major impact on later events.

With regards to the major changes to the valley, that is also something that I wanted to highlight in some detail.  They have just had a major attack on the valley (or so they think) and the traitor has escaped with his intimate knowledge of the valley.  Under those circumstances, the adults have been forced to sacrifice some of the valley's openness for security.  

I am glad that you enjoyed this installment.   I should have the next chapter posted by Monday or Tuesday.

[CeraTheRed]

And back to the adults. Man, I LOVE how you not only showed all their emotions, but, at the same time, showing what all the chaos from the first act spawned. Also, it's nice you brought Bron in, and showed his emotions. And it's nice to see Shorty's gonna be with Grandma and Grandpa Longeneck, so now they'll have SOMEBODY. I can see act 2 was well waited for.