The Seven Hunters fanart project

[rhombus]

Hello everyone!  As some of you may know already, I am considering preparing a PDF version of my story, 'The Seven Hunters', sometime after it is finally finished.  The PDF version will include fanart to go with some of the scenes (along with the fixing of several typos and grammatical errors ).  It will be free to download, of course, as it would be illegal to charge for a fan-derived work.  My tentative release date for the PDF is sometime in February.

With that in mind, I was wondering if any of you artists out there would be interested in making some illustrations for the upcoming PDF release?  The included artwork would, of course, give credit to the artists and include any contact details that you wish to be included, and even those illustrations that don't make the final cut for the story itself will be included as an addendum at the end of the PDF.  I figure that it would be a good way to illustrate the setting of the story, while at the same time showing off some of the amazing artistic talent that we have on display in the GOF.

You by no means are obliged to have read the story in order to participate (although I would certainly encourage you to read my story, but then again as the author I am a bit biased ).  If any of you are interested, then please let me know in this topic.  I will post some scenes (along with brief descriptions) shortly which will show some of the illustrations that would be greatly appreciated for the story.

I would like to thank in advance anyone who wants to participate.  I would also like to thank all of you who have read and commented on my story, regardless of your participation in this project.  Your feedback and support has given me the self-confidence and motivation to pursue writing as a hobby and for that I will be forever grateful.

[Ducky123]

Count me in! This is a great idea!

[rhombus]

Thanks, Ducky.   I look forward to your participation.

[rhombus]

Here are some of the scenes that I think would be interesting to have illustrated for the story.  I have included the chapter and a brief description for each one.  As soon as anyone wants to make an illustration for a particular scene, just let me know by PM and then I will add your name in GREEN under the scene, but that does not mean that others cannot work on the same scene or, for that matter, on a scene that is not listed here.  I will simply do that to indicate which scenes are currently being worked on.

Additionally, I completely realize that even if this project were to have an unexpectedly high level of participation, that there are far too many scenes here (there is a total of over 30 at the moment) for even a very small fraction of them to be covered.  I am simply listing some of the scenes that I think would be the most promising in order to give everyone some ideas.

Spoiler warning for those of you who haven't read the story yet!

~~~~~

From Act 1:

Chapter 1: Littlefoot's dream

He began to walk through the mysterious desert that surrounded him. With each step, his feet cracked the parched ground. The scorching hot ground threatened to burn his feet and the sensation was nearly unbearable. Littlefoot observed that it reminded him of how the ground acted when they were fleeing the Great Valley after the swarming leaf gobblers had ate all of the tree stars. He had hoped that he and his friends would be spared going through something like that again. Apparently he was not so lucky....

Chapter 2: Chomper's distress

But it was an accident... Chomper thought to himself. First, his attempt at playing a joke earlier had backfired. Now, his attempt at playing a game had lead to accusations of misconduct. At this point he was even beginning to question his own motivations. Am I losing control over myself?

"Chomper, Cera is just mad about the scratch." Littlefoot spoke reassuringly, "It was just an accident, don't feel too bad."

At this point in time, Ruby began to walk through the forest. She was entirely unaware of what had just transpired.

"Chomper, it is time to eat! The time to eat it is! We can start playing again later." Ruby called.

Chomper began to leave the forest in order to search for food. A glum, downtrodden expression rested upon his face.

He passed Ruby without a word, leaving a very confused fast runner and a concerned longneck in his wake.

Chapter 3:  The Stone of Cold Fire falls

"It's going to hit us!" Chomper yelled in terror.

The gang looked on in horror as the blue orb seemed to get closer and closer. The leaf-eaters huddled to the ground and closed their eyes in fear of the inevitable, whereas Chomper looked on in shock. That was when the massive rock made impact.

Light.

An impossibly bright light was all that Chomper could see for several moments. Its luminescent white hue permeated the entire valley in its unearthly glow. It was as if the bright circle had decided to take residence in the valley. He had to cover his eyes in order to avoid being blinded by the display.

Then the blast wave hit.

A gigantic blast of wind and fury hit the gang. It was unlike anything that they had ever heard or experienced. The ground roared with the ferocity of a thousand sharpteeth, which was immediately followed by an earthshake. The gang was jostled about violently. The echoes of the blast, falling trees, and shaking terrain filled the valley. The screams of panic from the other residents could not be heard over the ongoing cataclysm.

Then, as suddenly as the crash had come, it ended.

Chapter 4:  The gang surrounds the stone

"That must be Stone of Cold Fire!" Petrie exclaimed.

The others were thinking the same thing at that moment.

What lay before them was a crater that seemed as large and as deep as an adult threehorn. The ground still felt warm to the touch and the walls of the crater were blackened. In the center of the crater lay a large rock which was about the size of a small tree. The rock was nearly a perfect sphere with the bluest blue coloration that the gang had ever seen. Its azure hue made everything around it appear to be blue. It illuminated the entire scene in luminescence, despite the fact that the bright circle had just set in the twilight sky.

Chapter 6: The transformation

His mind reeled at what it had just processed.

His clawed forelimbs?

Littlefoot then sat upon his haunches and looked upon his two forelimbs. An alien body part greeted his gaze. Before he had gone to sleep that night, all four of his limbs had the same stocky build of his sauropod heritage. Now, however, the curved claws of a theropod dinosaur greeted his eyes. Each of his forelimbs was now of a slender build with distinct reddish-brown feathers emanating from their sides. Just like Ruby, some part of Littlefoot's mind noted that was somehow not yet stupefied by the night's revelations. Each of the forelimbs terminated with a freely movable paw with three distinct digits and an equal number of razor sharp claws.

Littlefoot was dumbstruck with this development and he looked down in confusion. This only worsened his confusion, however, as he noticed his large sickle claws on his powerful hind limbs.

"I'm... I'm a fast biter! How? Why?" The newly formed fast biter questioned the night. He was quite overwhelmed with the transformation that he had just undergone, and he had no idea what to do next. He had become his greatest fear in the span of one night. Nothing in his short life could have prepared him for what he now was experiencing.

Chapter 8: Confrontation

Chomper advanced in a stalking motion. The nictitating membranes of his eyes glowed red in the darkness of the cave. His teeth were bared and his forelimbs were primed to strike. Nothing remained in the demeanor of the purple sharptooth to indicate his normal friendliness; all that his outward expression showed was a hunter about to make a kill. It would have been a frightening sight to any dinosaur, but it was especially unnerving for Ruby.

"Ch... Chomper? It is me. It's Ruby." Ruby muttered in fear.

Chomper stopped in his tracks and hesitated for a moment, obvious confusion on his face. She almost sounds like Ruby. He observed. But then he scoffed and went back to his harsh demeanor from before.

"Ruby is not a fast biter." Chomper said matter-of-factly. "And if you don't tell me where she is then I will make sure that you pay the price." He finished as he stared at her with a murderous glare.

Ruby was panicked at this point and began to retreat until she made contact with the wall behind her.

"There is no escape." Chomper said tonelessly. "WHERE IS RUBY?!" He then roared without warning.

Chapter 9: The chase

"Me think you be right!" Petrie exclaimed from above. "Your daddy is here!"

Cera turned to see what Petrie was staring at and let out a string of unintelligible words before finally saying something understandable.

"Oh crap!"

Littlefoot, who was in the front of the group, looked at the scene behind them. The adults had joined in a massive group, with Mr. Threehorn and his grandparents making up the front row. Behind them, Littlefoot could see enumerable domeheads, swimmers, and the insufferable spiketails from earlier. The group had apparently just regained sight of the gang. They were now charging full speed at them, with the look in Mr. Threehorns face conveying imminent destruction.

"Quickly! Into the entrance!" Littlefoot called.

Chapter 13: Eating a small ground fuzzy

At Littlefoot's request Chomper took the two sides of the small mammal into his jaws and dropped them in front of the duo. The severed head and torso of the mammal was in Littlefoot's corner, while the lower half rolled near Petrie. The sight of such gore made a confusing mixture of emotions rise up in Littlefoot. He felt a pang of horror in what he was about to eat. Not only did he participate in the killing of these innocent creatures, but now he was going to devour them like a sharptooth. Because I am a sharptooth. The former longneck admitted morosely. The entire scene made secondary thoughts rise up in the brown fast biter. The most notable of these questioned what his mother would have thought if she had seen this. He shook his head and tried to clear his mind, he had no choice at this point. Therefore, he licked his lips and prepared to take the first bite.

With some trepidation he put his snout to the rodent and inhaled deeply. The smell that greeted his nostrils was an amazing combination of sweetness and musk. This conveyed an irresistible desire within Littlefoot. Every part of his mind seemed to cry out at that same moment. Food! Shaken by this sudden response, Littlefoot licked his lips again and noticed that moisture was dripping from his mouth. He was salivating heavily. Am I really that hungry? With his body and instincts both commanding him to eat the disgusting looking clump of flesh, he decided to put aside his doubts and take a bite.

It tasted... Good.

Very good.

This horrified some part of him that actually hoped that it would taste awful. After all, they had just killed other living things! Surely such a foul act did not deserve a tasty meal. But yet some part of him enjoyed every aspect of his small meal. He enjoyed the metallic tasted of blood which permeated across his tongue and gushed towards his throat. He enjoyed the texture of cracking bone as he crushed the body of the small mammal with his sharp teeth. He enjoyed the savory taste of the delicate meat which was now surging down his throat. Emotionally speaking it was one of the best meals that Littlefoot could remember, but it left him unsatisfied. He was still hungry. He wanted more. But he could control that impulse for now. He hoped.

Chapter 14: The assault

Chomper could feel the rush of air as Ali ran past him. That meant that the male was a mere fleeting moment away. Now was the time to strike.

Shluk!

"Ahhhh!!!!" Rhett screamed in agony as Chomper's clawed paws sliced through his right hind limb. Chomper's claws ripped through muscle and sinew as the leg was ripped from knee to calf. Bright red blood spewed from the wound and splattered upon Chomper's prone body. He had put everything into his attack and it had paid off. The longneck may not have been mortally wounded, but he was certainly crippled at this point.

"Rhett!!!" Ali screamed.

"Run, Ali!!! Just run!!!" He screamed through the unbearable pain.

Chapter 15: The naming ritual

"Well when my mommy and daddy renamed me, they said that the leader of the hunt did the naming." Chomper thought for a moment. "In my case it was my parents that were the 'leaders', but I think with fast biters it is different..." He paused for a moment. "I guess that I could do the naming. After all, you all named me!" He reminded them.

At the unsure shrugs of some of the gang and the reluctant nods of a few others, Chomper gestured with his small forelimbs. "Okay everyone! Get in a circle."

As the gang began to form a semicircle around Chomper, each was taking the renaming with varying degrees of acceptance.

Littlefoot did not much mind, as he had been told that "Littlefoot" was actually his father's nickname. Ever since he had been told that, he realized that he too would be expected to take a more appropriate name when he got older. Sometimes he even mused that he might be called Mr. Longneck by some of the residents when he grew older, more responsible, and more boring... But of course that isn't going to happen now. He thought mournfully.

Cera too realized that sometimes adults when by different names when they were older. Her father was a prime example, having been named Topsy by his mother. As he grew older and tried to gain respect he had dropped his old name and demanded to be called Topps. Very few dinosaurs, except Tria, would dare call him Topsy now. However, Cera had always liked her name and had no intention of losing it. Even if it no longer fit her anymore... Nonetheless she would humor Chomper. They would have to have more appropriate names when encountering other sharpteeth anyway. Although she was ignorant of sharptooth society, she was quite sure that the names such as "Ducky" and "Littlefoot" wouldn't exactly make their competitors quake in fear.

Where did that last thought come from? Cera mused.

As the gang settled into their places, Chomper stepped into the middle of the circle. He was not an expert at this. Heck, he was just a child himself. However, he had gone through this ritual before which was more than what his friends had encountered. Despite his youth and inexperience, he would try to do this ritual justice. This was the gang's ceremonial entry into sharptooth life, a most solemn occasion. After this they would truly be one pack.

He began to walk along the inside of the circle and called out their names one by one.

Chapter 17: Cera meets Taunt

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."

[rhombus]

From Act 2:

Chapter 18:  Bron gets the news

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.

Chapter 20: Fast Runner reunion

"The weird sleep story before all of you turned...  What was it like?"  Detras asked softly.  He was almost convinced, as her story had been so truthful in its presentation and emotion, but he had to make sure.

"Well um...  A fast biter was chasing me..."  She then elaborated upon the fearful chase and her narrow escape.  "After I escaped I was in a narrow cave, so I decided to go forward, as forward was the only way to go..."  She then mentioned the six pathways, and the fact that five of them were blocked by boulders.  She did not notice that Detras had taken on a sad, yet contemplative, expression at this point.  His eyes were closed as tears began to fall like raindrops from his face.  "But then Chomper, four fast biters, and a sharptooth flyer... um...  all of them..."  She pointed at the rest of the pack.  "Chased me and I ran...  I eventually came across a dead fast runner and a pool of water where..."

"You saw your reflection as a sharptooth."  Detras finished for her.

Ruby simply nodded.  "Daddy?"  How does he know how my sleep story ended?

He answered her unspoken question.  "I had the same sleep story on the night after the stone fell."  He slowly opened his eyes for the first time since Ruby began recounting her dream.  He then walked slowly towards Ruby with an unreadable expression on his face.  Tears continued to fall down his cheeks.

"Ruby...  It's really you, isn't it?"  He asked in a mixture of awe and sadness.

"Yes, daddy."  She answered softly.

Chapter 21: Bron finds a longneck skeleton

Bron did not see it until a few seconds later and for several moments thereafter he was unable to process what he was seeing.

Before both of them was the skeleton of what had once been a longneck.  Most of the flesh had been stripped of the remains and nothing remained on the corpse to indicate its identity.  The skeleton lay in a prone position with its empty eye sockets staring in Bron's direction.  As if it was asking a final question of him.  Where were you dad?

Bron collapsed to his knees as he screamed in anguish.  Oh no!  It was true all along.  He thought mournfully.  My son is gone!  As he began to openly cry he heard the sound of mournful sobbing from behind him.  Volant had come to a mournful conclusion as well.  If Littlefoot was gone, then Petrie was more likely no more as well.  Bron was too far gone in his grief, however, to pay her much heed.

He slowly moved his head to Rhett's skeletal head, mistaking its true identity for Littlefoot's.  As he nuzzled the remnants of the long-since fallen longneck, he decided to make his peace with his beloved son.  He hadn't been there for him enough in life, but he could repay his debt to his son.  It was the only thing that he could do for him now.

Chapter 23: Ruby's test

"Ruby!"

She looked around frantically before finding the source of the scream.  It was her daddy!  He was struggling at the edge of the crevice in an apparent attempt to resist sliding down into its dark depths.  She hadn't seen him initially on account of the poor light in the bleak cave.

"Daddy!"

With a sudden surge of energy, she grasped his right forelimb right before he lost his grip on the edge.  She could see rocks tumble from his previous hold and they seemed to fall into a deep, unknowable oblivion.  She couldn't allow her father to fall!  She just couldn't!  She had to find some way to get him out of here.

Chapter 25: Ducky kills

With a final gurgling sound and a shuddering gasp the flyer's chest rose no more.  Ducky looked upon the scene in numb shock.  She had just killed another dinosaur, with the tell-tale blood still upon her claws.  A testament to her bloody deed.

Petrie advanced upon the fast biter with slow, uncertain steps.  He was still overwhelmed by the fact that he was still alive after his close call.  Ducky had risked serious injury in tackling the charging flyer.  When it became obvious that the flyer's wounds were not survivable, she had finished her off upon Petrie's prompting.  However, Petrie soon realized, much more than a flyer had died on this evening.  A bit of Ducky's innocence also had been slain on this day.  She could no longer consider herself a leaf-eater, either in heart or deed.  She was now what she had to be.

Chapter 27: A pact in blood

Skytail slowly approached Littlefoot as both packs looked on in amazement.  Littlefoot took on a curious expression, but otherwise did not change his stance or demeanor.

Skytail then bit down on his own paw.

Littlefoot blinked.  Chomper had not told him anything about this!

As blood began to trickle from Skytail's paw, he explained.  "I have never made alliances, Seeker.  Alliances mean obligations.  Obligations mean risk."  He then shook his head.  "If I agree to this then it is to the death.  I would expect the same loyalty from you as I expect from my pack... and in turn you can expect the same from us..."

Littlefoot nodded.  "Of course!"

Skytail continued.  "If we do this then we make a vow.  We swear in blood."

Littlefoot paled slightly as Chomper looked on.  Chomper had never gotten to tell him about exactly how alliances were made.  As it was, Chomper was not quite sure how fast biters entered into such arrangements.  But now they knew.  Littlefoot knew that he had to act fast or else it would be seen as a sign of incompetence or weakness.

So he bit down on his own paw.

Chapter 30: Chronos fires on the pack

With slow, purposeful steps, Chronos walked out from behind the boulder.  His paw was gripped around what appeared to be a small, smooth stone.  This was not any mere stone, however, as stones lacked the ability to level hills or incinerate forests.  This was their only weapon.  He had never used one in the line of duty and now he was about to use it on unarmed children...

He twisted his arm in a jerk-like fashion.

Reactor Active

There was no going back now, he realized.  As the rock stated its status, the children began to stir from their sleep.

Beep! Beep!

The weapon was now armed, as the two beeps confirmed.  All that he had to do was fire and it would all be over...  To his trepidation and horror, however, the children began to rise from their slumber.  The brown fast biter, who he would have to deduce was Littlefoot, rose and looked straight at him.  His eyes seemed to stare deep into his soul.  The eyes communicated a conflicting set of emotions. 

Loss.  Hope.  Recognition.

Chapter 34: Spear attack

The rainbowfaces moved side-by-side with their arms reared back, spears in hand, ready to throw at any threat.  The effects of adrenaline could be felt in each of them as their minds were racing with the possibility of combat or retreat.  It was an unpleasant experience to the two dinosaurs who thought of themselves as being more advanced than their counterparts on this planet.  In the heat of the moment, they were subject to the same passions and fears that affected 'real' rainbowfaces.  It was humbling in a way.

The rustling continued and got louder as whatever was up there was trying to find a way down through the thick cover.  Chronos began to breathe heavily as the unknown threat still refused to show itself.  Feeling protective of Logos, he moved slightly in front of her, but on the opposite side of the spear-holding hand, not wanting to be in the way of an attack from his companion.  That was when something fell from the canopy.

"Ahh!!!"  Screamed Petrie as he misjudged the strength of the branch he was on and it gave way.  The fact that vines had tangled around his wings made any maneuvering by the flyer very difficult.

Not clearly seeing what was under the tangle of vines, the two rainbowfaces threw their spears at the intruder and then backed away suddenly in order to grab more spears and continue the assault.

Petrie saw the sharpened sticks flying towards him and immediately took evasive action.  He clutched his wings to his chest, which caused him to fall at a faster rate.  This was barely enough to evade the two spears, as they sailed past and became impaled in the foliage behind where the flyer had been moments before.  Finally extending his wings again, Petrie was able to half-glide, half-fall to the ground below.

"Why you attack Petrie?!"  The flyer protested at the two dinosaurs, understandably being upset at being fought against when he was simply checking on their wellbeing.

Chapter 36: Ruby's namesake

Ruby looked at Littlefoot, before again looking at the jewel in her hand.  "My parents gave this to me."  She answered simply.  "They gave it to Petrie and he gave it to me.  Petrie gave it to me after they gave it to Petrie."  She then looked deeply into it as if she were trying to find something hidden within its crimson depths.  "This is the rock they named me after."

Littlefoot stared at the stone for a few moments.  It was most certainly a unique stone from Littlefoot's perspective, as he had never seen one before in his life.  "So... it's called a Ruby?"  He deduced based upon Ruby's words.

Ruby nodded.  "Yeah... The sharpteeth call it a blood stone."  She seemed to go deep into thought.  "My mommy named me after this stone because she found it when looking for nest building materials before my egg was laid...  She took it as an omen."  She sighed.  "My daddy said that he didn't believe in such things, although my mommy always did..."

Littlefoot was curious now.  "An omen of what?"

Chapter 37: Skytail's last stand

Skytail looked at the plants around them, as they were plants that he recognized from his childhood, and began to absentmindedly clean his sickle claws against them.  To everyone else around him it simply looked like a nervous gesture, but Skytail was formulating a plan.  A plan that might just save his friends.

Skytail then looked at his three remaining packmates.  Vigilant looked to be on her last legs.  He doubted that she would survive a swim, but that would be her best option for survival.  She certainly wouldn't survive a fight with the pack which surrounded them.  Breeze looked at Skytail with sad eyes.  She had been his friend and companion for as long as he could remember.  She knew that they would be parting now.  Their chances for survival were remote.  Taunt also looked at his leader with compassionate eyes.  Skytail had no doubt that if he ordered Taunt to sacrifice himself for the pack that he would do so willingly.  Their pack was how the natural order was supposed to be, not Calin and Red Claw's perversion of the system.  The pack came first even if that meant the end of the individual. 

Even if that meant the end of the individual.

Skytail took a long look at the orange sap that was accumulating on his sickle claws and then took a deep breath.  He knew what he had to do.  With a slow turn towards his companions, he whispered as firmly as he possibly could.

"When I charge, jump into the water and let it carry you.  I will jump in after you."  He hated lying, but he knew that she would understand in time.

Breeze protested softly, as tears began to appear at the corners of her eyes.  "Skytail..."

Skytail shook his head and whispered back.  "Just do it please.  And remember our stories..."

"Some final words being exchanged?  Or perhaps you are preparing for battle?"  Calin mocked.  "Oh this should be interesting!  I can't wait!"

Skytail slowly turned towards Calin and returned his smile.  This gesture caused Calin to frown somewhat as he was obviously trying to read his adversary.  He was smart enough to know that an enemy with nothing left is the most dangerous enemy of them all.  Such an enemy would hold nothing back.  Calin kept his position, however, as he was loathe showing any weakness or doubt.  Finally Skytail decided to answer his adversary's taunts.

Chapter 37: Cera kills

Cera looked back at the three small threehorns, who were still huddling and crying together.  She knew what she could used to distract the threehorn, but she was unsure if she would ever forgive herself.

Ruby looked back at Cera.  "What are you doing?!  We have to help!"

Cera yelled back.  "We are helping!  Now do what I do..."

With unsure paws and a growing feeling of nausea, Cera approached the small threehorn in the middle and bit down on her hind leg.

"Ahhhh!!! Da... da... Ahhhh!!!"  The small child cried, as her two siblings screamed in terror.

Cera carefully ripped down the sibling's leg in order to cause maximum suffering.  She had to make her screams and cries as loud as possible.  She tried to ignore the sweetness of the blood in her mouth, the screams echoing in her ears, the mournful cries of the traumatized siblings, or the quivering of the child she was now ripping apart.  A symphony of sensations that made her simultaneously hungry and disgusted.  Excited and disturbed.  The important thing now was to distract the father and give them a chance of victory.

She could hate herself when it was all over.

Through her own mental anguish and the deafening screams of the child she was hurting, she could barely tell when the others joined her in slowly disemboweling the other children.

[rhombus]

From Act 3:

Chapter 38: Ruby meets Calin

Ruby dove back from her catch when she heard the scream of a male voice.  This wasn't Cera!  This was someone else!  With extreme trepidation, she took several steps back and took on a defensive posture.  The stranger that she had pounced on did the same.  As both fast biters circle one another, Ruby screeched a series of three warbles.  This was a clear sign to her packmates that an intruder had been found.  They would be running to her position shortly.  After performing her duty in the matter, Ruby decided to break the awkward silence between herself and the mysterious stranger.

"Who are you, stranger?  Why are you in our territory?"  The response was blunt and unkind, but such was the appropriate response to competitors who dared enter their territory.  Was the stranger hostile or simply lost?  She could take no chances here.  It would be better to be harsh and powerful as opposed to being soft and kind.  Weakness could get you killed far more quickly than rudeness.

The tan fast biter smiled slightly and gave Ruby a cordial wave, which caused her to tilt her head at the mysterious stranger in confusion.

"The name's Calin."

Chapter 40: Spike is reunited with Tippy

As Chomper nodded and retreated back to where the others were, Spike advanced towards the offering.  The spiketail was laying face down on the ground with its back towards the pack.  However, Spike noticed something disturbing familiar about the scent of this spiketail.  Something that he couldn't immediately identify.

Shaking his head at this momentary distraction, he proceeded to grip the spiketail's tail in his mouth and pull the body towards the rest of the pack.  As he proceeded on his task, Cera and Ruby approached from the side in order to help Spike's efforts.

That was when an audible gasp caused everyone to stop what they were doing.

Spike let go of his quarry and looked in the direction of the sudden outburst.  It was Cera.  She looked wide-eyed at something near the front of the spiketail.  Tilting his head in an inquisitive fashion, he walked in Cera's direction.

"What is it, Cera?"  He asked as he walked to her position.

Cera seemed to trip over her words for a few moments, before responding intelligibly.  "Spike... I don't know how to tell you this..."

Spike didn't wait for Cera to spit out the words and instead looked at where the terrified fast biter's eyes were fixed.  Spike looked at the face of the dead spiketail in front of him and froze.  He knew this spiketail.  He would recognize that face anywhere.

It was Tippy.

Chapter 41: Bron confronts Chomper, Ruby, and Littlefoot

"Don't lie to me you worthless dung pile!  I heard the stories from the valley!  I saw Littlefoot's bones by the forest!"  Bron stomped the ground in rage, which caused all of the dinosaurs in the vicinity to vibrate with the ground.  Littlefoot began to stir from his position and joined his friends in looking up at the massive sauropod.  Distantly, Chomper could also hear much more muffled footsteps in the background.  Doc was approaching.  They were fast running out of time.

"Do you have anything to say, sharptooth?!"  Bron roared at Chomper.  His tail was cocked in preparation to strike.  Bron was entirely fixated on the purple sharptooth.  Even if they were to scatter, Chomper knew who Bron would aim towards.

Chomper closed his eyes for a moment, before taking a deep breath.  He quickly gestured with his two small arms, telling his two companions to run in opposite directions of him.  He knew that he would be unable to avoid Bron's strike, but he would make sure that his friends were alright.  Bron's single-minded fixation on him gave both Ruby and Littlefoot a chance.  With tears beginning to well up in his closed eyes, he made one final request of his friends.

"If this goes badly, tell mommy and daddy I was brave."

Both Ruby and Littlefoot looked horrified at Chomper's sudden resolve and Littlefoot began to protest.  "Path..."

That was when Chomper opened his eyes. 

An odd, serene expression was set in those eyes.  It was as if they contained wariness beyond Chomper's years.  Whereas Bron's eyes only communicated rage and determination, Chomper's conveyed an odd mix of determination and regret.  A determination to save his friends even if he couldn't save himself and regret that he would never be able to say those words that he needed to say.  Although he knew that his friends knew them anyway.  With a sad expression, he spoke what he thought would be his last words.

"You're making a terrible mistake."  Without pausing he hissed in sharptooth.  "Now, guys!"

Chapter 43: Bron learns the truth

Shorty stared at the scene before him in mute horror.  He had decided to follow Bron in order to see what his father figure was doing when he suddenly left the herd.  He was surprised to see the sharpteeth make a deal with the massive longneck, but nothing could prepare him for the revelations that came next.

Littlefoot's a sharptooth... A sharptooth... A sharptooth...

The thoughts bounced around in the little longneck's head, but they didn't seem to really sink in.  How could he accept such an impossible thing?  His brother had been killed... or so he had believed... and now he was a sharptooth.  Despite his amazement at the situation, he couldn't bring himself to speak or make his presence known.  His mouth refused to vocalize and his feet refused to move.  He was forced by his own body to watch the scene before him.

"But how...  This sort of thing just doesn't happen!"

Shorty could see Littlefoot look down for a moment, before answering.

"We... uh... We made a wish on the stone...  We wished to be strong enough to defeat Red Claw."  Shorty could see Littlefoot look almost apologetic, as Bron's expression darkened.  Littlefoot quickly continued.  "I guess that it took us literally."

Bron's reaction was almost immediate.

"So... All of this happened... BECAUSE OF A STUPID WISH!"

Chapter 44: Bron and Littlefoot reconcile

Littlefoot then broke from the formation that he and the others had made and began to approach his father.  He stepped forward with uncertain steps towards an uncertain resolution, but wasn't that what they had been doing this entire time?  They were simply hapless kids who had been forced into an astonishing situation and had no choice but to accept their new circumstances.  Likewise, his father now had been forced into accepting the fact that his very own son had been converted into the thing he most hated, a sharptooth.  His father screwed up in his initial meeting with his changed son.  But didn't Littlefoot and his friends screw up for most of their initial week as sharpteeth?  Had they not resisted their new natures until they were forced to accept the inevitable?  Yes, Littlefoot decided, he would be willing to forgive his father.  But getting Bron to forgive himself would be a far harder proposition.

Unaware of the mental resolution in Littlefoot's head, Bron continued.  "I'm sorry, son.  I don't know what to do."

Littlefoot stopped and look at his father with an unreadable expression.  Calmly, he gestured for the longneck to get near him, which Bron very slowly did.  As the massive longneck lowered his head towards Littlefoot, the fast biter said two little sentences.

"I don't know either, dad.  But let's figure it out together."

As father and son then nuzzled tearfully, the others looked on.  None of them had dry eyes at the emotional display that they now were witnessing.  It was a sight that most of them never thought that they would see.  Visible relief could be seen on all of their faces as they took in the sight.  Their uncertainties about the future remained, but there was now at least one thing that they could be certain about.

Bron would be part of it.

Chapter 46: Enemy fastbiters drown in the mud

But it was too late.

The two most adventurous members of his troop bounded through the tall grass at the same exact moment.  Their massive velocity carrying them forward into the unknown beyond the thick foliage.  That was when he could hear the horrifying sound of splashing mud in the unseen depths and the panicked screams.

"Mud!"

"Damn It!"

"Help...  Me..."

Calin rushed to the front as his horrified companions stood behind.  As he parted the grass he could see the fate that had befallen his packmates.  One of them had fallen head first into the mud and only his tail and hind quarters could be seen.  The sounds of gurgling and the rising bubbles of air indicated that he was drowning in the brown prison of mud.  The other was desperately gasping for air and trashing in the thick mud, but it was obvious that he was slowly sinking into the depths.  They were both several fast biter lengths into the mud pool due to their momentum when they charged forward.  As such, neither he nor his companions could advance into the mud to retrieve them in time.  If they attempted that feat, they would only end up as victims of the mud pool themselves.

[...]

There was something quite different about seeing your own kind die.

Ducky had seen it all.  The insults that Littlefoot had so craftily shouted at their adversaries.  The resulting charge of the enraged fast biters towards the mud pool.  The massive splashes as the dinosaurs fell into the thick, suffocating muck.  But the sounds of death were something else entirely.

"Please... I don't want to die... please."

"Ardu... I am sorry... I am so sorry... It wasn't worth it..."

"Why..."

They had made a point about being quick on most of their kills when they hunted.  As a result, the true loneliness and sadness of the act of dying seemed distant to her.  Even when she had dealt the killing blow onto the mother flyer, the distraught mother had seemed to take on a calm recognition in the end that it was all over.  But these poor souls did not have that luxury.  They were being forced into suffering a slow death from which there was no escape.  In their final moments, with their other packmates being unable to inflict anything upon them, they were bearing their final mournful thoughts and regrets into the open.

And it was horrifying.

Chapter 47: Littlefoot is severely injured

A terrible blow struck Littlefoot's skull as his body suddenly buckled under the force of a massive weight pressing down upon his back.  Somehow he maintained consciousness although everything that happened next seemed to occur in a daze.  In a response that seemed to come from his instincts, he placed more weight on the back of his hind limbs and reared back in an attempt to buck his opponent.  He tried to ignore the pain from his head injury and from Calin's massive hind claws on his back as he clumsily rolled over to his side.  This finally succeeded in sending the tan fast biter off of his exposed back, but it also exposed his neck and underbelly to his opponent. 

Shluck!

Littlefoot step backwards away from his adversary, who was now lying upon his haunches.  Calin's eyes seemed to go wide for a moment before taking on a satisfied grin.  Without a word, he then turned his back on the brown fast biter and ran from the log.

Everything seemed to have stopped as far as Littlefoot was concerned.  The sounds of battle from behind him had died down, the two fast biters that he and Cera had been fighting had retreated, and now only the pain from his head and neck seemed to break the stillness of his perceptions.  With unsteady claws he grasped his neck with firmness and then pulled them away.

Blood.  His own blood.

With an almost delirious expression, he noted the drops of blood that seemed to be falling onto the log below.  The brown hue of the tree was now taking on a crimson appearance as his lifeblood slowly fell in unsteady drops.

So this is how it ends...

He turned slowly to look at his companion whom he had saved mere moments before. 

Cera was looking at him with an expression of stunned horror.  It was as if a possibility that she had never considered was finally coming to pass.  Her mouth was open in an expression of shock.  As if any words that she had prepared to say had been sucked away by this turn of events.  He could also see Ducky and Spike returning from their end of the log.  They all had numerous scratches and abrasions but they seemed unharmed, some part of his mind processed.  Only their wide eyes and shaking forelimbs indicated that anything was amiss.  The rest of his friends were alright... Only he would be facing the end.

Knowing that these could very well be his final moments, Littlefoot gave an apologetic smile to the ones that he loved.  He was sorry that he wouldn't be there when they were reunited with their parents.  That he wouldn't be there when Chomper inevitably took command of the pack.  That he wouldn't have a chance to say goodbye to his absent friends.

At least they are safe...

Finally feeling too delirious to stand anymore, Littlefoot stumbled to his knees.  He could see the brown log filling his field of vision as he slowly slumped to its surface.  For some reason the ground seemed especially welcoming at the moment.

Before he lost consciousness, he thought that he heard someone calling his name...

Chapter 49: Petrie tricks Sierra and Rinkus

"In a hurry are we?"

Petrie cringed at the comment from Rinkus.  Now knowing that escape wasn't an option, Petrie decided to go into a glide and land on the rocky cliffs below.  It seemed that the only way to get out of this situation would be to talk his way out.  After carefully landing on the cliff, he noticed that the other two also landed nearby.  Sierra landed with a much less controlled thud, while Rinkus landed much more gracefully.  Petrie decided to answer the pink flyer.

"Yes.  Going to Red Coast."  Petrie spoke in sharptooth, oddly surprised that these two would also know sharptooth.  However, he soon realized that since they were fish-eaters that they would undoubtedly know the sharptooth language as well.  Considering his options for a moment, he realized that he would have to be careful and not say 'me' in place of 'I' lest they may suspect his origins.  If Petrie knew anything about Sierra and Rinkus, it was that they seemed to care about no one but themselves.  So if he were to remind him of Pterano in any way... He shuddered.  They might rip him to shreds just for the unpleasant memory.

"The Red Coasts?!  Ha!"  Sierra commented.  "You're a bit small to be looking at tail, aren't ya?"

As Rinkus barely suppressed a chuckle and Sierra laughed in amusement, Petrie's mind was in overdrive.  Why would me look at tail what does that...  Then he remembered a talk that his mother gave him and the other siblings about where babies came from.  When one of the older kids mentioned looking at tail, he had asked his mother what that meant and she responded with a basic discussion on the topic.  So that was what all of the flyers were up to.  Ohhhhhh...  Petrie not interested in that!  But Petrie was not a dull flyer and he knew that he had to come up with a reason for his journey.  A reason that did not mention Pterano or hint at Petrie's identity.  Maybe me better off acting like bad flyer?  Better that than weak...  His mind made up, he responded to Sierra's comment.

"Looking for food, not tail."  Petrie muttered, being careful to avoid the use of 'me'.  He was of the same kind as Sierra, but he was unsure how vicious they actually were.  Would they openly attack other flyers when they weren't starving?  Did they regularly hunt eggs and youngling flyers?  What if they were of their same kind?  Did they practice cannibalism?  He considered Sierra's personality and decided that it would be better to appear too vicious as opposed to not vicious enough.  With that in mind, he said his next words in a cold monotone.

"Babies food.  Are they not?"

The laughter stopped as Rinkus backed away slightly and looked at the flyer with a disbelieving expression.  The words from Petrie obviously unnerved him.  It was as if Petrie had crossed a line that even Rinkus would not consider.  Despite this reaction, Petrie kept his eyes unblinking and his face in a stern expression.  He was not letting his mannerisms give anything away.  In that moment he was grateful for his new instincts.  Here he was letting them run uncontrolled.

The reaction from Sierra, however, was not quite what he had expected.

"Heh...  I think that I like this one."  He chuckled slightly.  "You think that Red Claw would find this one useful?"

Chapter 50: Spike and Breeze share a moment

Breeze was silent for several moments as she leaned against the green fast biter.  For his part, Spike was silent as well.  His existence as a mute leaf-eater having taught him the value of silence.  After a few moments, however, Breeze spoke again.

"Thank you, Finder."  She sighed mournfully.  "I just need some time to sort out things."

Spike nodded.  "If you need any help you know where I am."

Breeze broke away then.  She rose to her feet and tried to stand alone for a few minutes.  Spike did not budge, but rather stayed put in a show of continued support and concern.  After a few moments, Breeze regained her composure and addressed the green fast biter once more.

"Taunt means well... but he would have overwhelmed me with concern.  How did you..."  She trailed off.  Not sure of her question.

Spike fortunately understood what she was getting at.

"I was mute as a leaf-eater."  This caught Breeze off-guard.  Her facial expression indicated surprise mixed in with pity.  "I learned the value of silence and when it was best to listen."  Spike answered plainly.  "Sometimes those who speak too much miss what it is truly important."

Breeze now smiled for the first time that day.  "Well thank you, Spike.  I think that I am okay now."  Her next actions, however, caught the former spiketail by surprise.

She licked him on the cheek.

Chapter 52: Reunion

For his part, Taunt was paralyzed by fear.  Was this it?  Was this how it ended?  Had Littlefoot’s grandmother decided that she didn’t want a sharptooth for a grandson?  He could hear some of the others scatter into the underbrush as the other parents began to shout at the grandmother, but yet she continued to advance.

Closer...

Come on, Littlefoot!  Run!  What aren’t you running?!

Closer...

He closed his eyes as he could see the massive sauropod close in on his leader.  This was it...

“Grandma, that tickles!” 

Taunt rose from his position in utter confusion at the nonsensical turn of events.  What?!

The brown fast biter who had challenged Calin and lived to talk about it was now being nuzzled by a massive sauropod and squealing like a lost child.  His only respite was when the elder male grunted something at her and then promptly nuzzled Littlefoot for himself.

Taking a look around, he could see the others coming out of the foliage and being welcomed with equal pandemonium.  What Taunt assumed was Ducky’s mother had just picked her up to nuzzle her and accidently gotten scratched in the process.  This only delayed her a moment, as she picked her up more carefully the next time and promptly resumed where she left off.  Then it was Spike’s turn...

He looked towards the leaf-eater flyer and wondered why she was keeping to herself, but quickly realized his mistake.  Petrie was nearly completely enveloped in her massive wings and was being carried to and fro as she rocked back in forth in utter rapture.  He debated for a moment rescuing the poor flyer before he suffocated in her grasp, but he soon thought the better of it.

Then there was Cera, his good friend.  More than friends.  He corrected in his mind.  Cera was being enthusiastically nuzzled by the female threehorn, while her father kept back.  That was what she was afraid of.  Taunt noted.  They had talked for many hours about her hopes and fears about the upcoming reunion. 

Chapter 53: The valley meeting goes bad

"Let us tell you about the glorious news."  He began.  "Our children are alive... although fate has changed them."  He looked at the assembled adults with a look that communicated both mournfulness for the change and joy at their reunion.  In many ways he was just as conflicted as the children.  "Despite that... they are still the children that we knew and loved... and they have brought us a very important message."

There was murmuring at this news, as the adults were obviously nervous about any message coming from sharpteeth.  However, their confused mutterings was interrupted by an angry interjection by Utu, Ali's mother.

"Those... monsters attacked my herd and killed Ali's best friend!  Why should be trust any of their messages!  I say that we crush the fiends and be done with it!"

The mutterings of the herds now became agitated and uncontrolled.  The claims of the longneck had now caused immediate discord in the ranks of the adults.  Nearly all of them had experienced loss at the claws of sharpteeth, so to hear that the children were capable of such butchery caused a visceral reaction.  Seeing this, Ura tried to appeal for order.

"Now come on, everyone...  These are our children..."

Ali's mother interjected angrily.  "Your children or not, they cannot be trusted!"

Volant angrily shrieked.  "Let them have a chance to say their case!"

"To the dung heap with their case!  They're sharpteeth!"  She retorted back.

The adults were now uncontrollable.  Several of the threehorns were noticeably taking on defensive positions around some of the others and other dinosaurs were becoming obviously belligerent.  Utu was trying to rouse the herds to anger and she was succeeding quite well.  If this kept up then the herds might try to attack the children or even expel the adults in their way...  The situation was becoming dangerous for everyone involved.

[rhombus]

Here are some final notes for potential illustrators.

Chronos is the male rainbowface from the 7th film.

Logos is the female rainbowface from the 7th film.

Detras is Ruby's father from the TV series.

Pearl is Ruby's mother from the TV series.

Dein is Chomper's dad.

Terri is Chomper's mother.

Obviously before the transformation (in chapter 6) our favorite dinosaurs are the same as they always have been, with the exception that they are slightly older by about one year.  However, after their change they take on the following characteristics:

Littlefoot (Seeker):  Utahraptor; Brown color on body; Blood Red on crest and appendage feathers

Cera (Stern Claw):  Utahraptor; Yellow color on body; Orange on crest and appendage feathers

Ducky (Haven):  Utahraptor; Teal color on body; a slightly darker green on crest and appendage feathers

Spike (Finder):  Utahraptor; Darker green on body; a greenish-blue on crest and appendage feathers

Ruby (Ponder):  Utahraptor; Rose color (dark pink) on body; violet on crest and appendage feathers

Petrie (Spotter):  Cearadactylus; he is the same species as Sierra, but with a browner color

Chomper (Path):  T. Rex; Still the same purple sharptooth we all know and love.

All of the members of Skytail's pack are Utahraptors, with no feathers:

Skytail (male) - Bluish-green

Taunt (male) - Orange with black stripes

Breeze (female) - Grey

Vigilant (female) - Light brown

Scarflank (male) - Grayish-blue

[Ducky123]

At the moment I have little to no time to work on anything creative but if I do I'll let you know. If I say I will participate then I'll at least try. Not sure if I can get the hang of drawing carnivores but I'll try one of these days

[DarkHououmon]

Here's a picture I started on. Littlefoot as a fastbiter in my style. So far, only the sketch is done.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjyADWpYqDs&feature=youtu.be

[vonboy]

Looks good, Dark. I guess it'll start looking better once they're colored the gang's colors.

[rhombus]

That is awesome, DH.   You have captured Littlefoot almost exactly as I see him in my mind when I write my chapters.  Thank you very much for sharing that with us and for giving us an idea of the technique that you use.  I look forward to seeing your work in the future.  

[Ducky123]

I agree, great sketch

I don't know how people can use the mouse to create such steady and straight lines... I've tried sketching digitally and my result were... horrible

[DarkHououmon]

I don't know how people can use the mouse to create such steady and straight lines... I've tried sketching digitally and my result were... horrible

I used an old tablet I bought back in...2005 I believe.

[Ducky123]

Ah okay

Here's
Here's my little advertisement for this project on DA. Tell me if I should add/change/delete something

[rhombus]

Thanks, Ducky.   That announcement looks great.

[DarkHououmon]

Here's a quick sketch I made of Calin. The darker head was the hardest for me to draw. I had to erase and start over at least a dozen times.

[rhombus]

That is an excellent sketch, DH!   You have captured Calin's unassuming exterior and his inner demons quite well.  Thank you for your continued interest in this project.  

[DarkHououmon]

I finished this earlier today.

http://www.deviantart.com/art/What-have-I-become-566835192

[rhombus]

I would just like the reiterate what I mentioned on your DeviantArt.

I must repeat what I said in the livestream. I wasn't exaggerating when I said that your drawing is one of the best I have seen.  It is certainly among the best of the Seven Hunters fanart created thus far.  Your drawing certainly captures the horror and magnitude of the situation.  Littlefoot's world (and that of his friend) has been utterly shattered.  Now he and his friends must face the challenges ahead of them in a world that they have never known.  The world of the killer.  The world of the hunter...

I eagerly look forward to next drawing.  

[JulianR94]

Why am I only seeing this now?
These are some awesome drawings!