The Hunt in The Nightly ValleyThe sound of powerful steps rang through the darkened forest as two massive sharptooth ran through it in unwavering, deadly determination. The slightly larger one of the duo, Dein, could see the river opening far below him and his mate as the two prepared to finish their long and mentally-wrenching journey. The male had been a mental wreck himself since that terrible day but his mate had been in an even worse condition. Dein still shuddered at the mere thought of the day about week ago, a day that had hit the duo like nothing before. At first, Terri had spent many hours just crying on her son’s side, a situation which would never leave any parent’s mind. Dein fought against the most terrifying image of his life from reentering his memory as it was still too much for him to handle.
However, dwelling in that most dreadful of moments would help none even if Dein had apologized to his son many times since finding what remained of him. Despite his odd habits and inconceivable friendship with the pitiful leaf eaters, he had still been their son and both of the sharpteeth would have given up their lives for him without a second thought. However, neither of them could do even that to protect their beloved child. Chomper had been killed, not because of hunger, but by some other, sick motive. However, all of that mattered nothing to the sharpteeth at this point. In the end, there was only one dinosaur who was responsible for Chomper’s departure to the Great Beyond well before his time.
The male’s eyes turned red with rage as the sight of the fast runner family entered his mind’s eye. The day when he and his mate had left Chomper with the cowardly, treacherous omnivores would be the day both of the sharpteeth would curse for the rest of their lives more than anything else. Detras and Pearl had done their all to convince the other family to leave Chomper with them until the duo would have dealt with Red Claw. Dein had told his mate letting Chomper go to the Great Valley was a blunder in the first place but his fleeting moment of weakness had made him accept this outrageous plan. One way or another, Chomper had paid for his parents’ mistake but Ruby and his family wouldn’t get away with their mortal failure. This he had promised to his mate long ago. Dein’s eyes were focused on the approaching cliffs overlooking the river when he heard Terri speak to him.
“As we expected, those bastards are trying to get to the river! We can’t let that happen!” The female said, her voice dry with the overwhelming emotions swirling in her mind. Dein looked at his mate in sympathy but his voice was highly calculating as he answered.
“They won’t. They may be quick but we’ll make sure they won’t leave this valley alive. I don’t know who Ruby’s companions are but they’ll share her fate.” The sharptooth practically spit out the fast runner’s name and his whole composure radiated nothing but murderous intent. Terri turned to look at him and answered to the other sharptooth in deep betterment, her claws hungering for the blood of those who had caused her all this sorrow and regret during the past weeks.
“We can’t be too careful, Dein. Those cursed half teeth can be very hard to catch if we just rush there headlong. We can’t afford any mistakes or we’ll give them an opening from which to escape.” She left her comment extremely vague, strongly implicating to Dein she had a plan she was thinking about. The male looked at his mate with an urgent but interested look, knowing Terri would leave no stone unturned before Ruby followed their son to the Great Beyond.
“What is it that you are planning to do? I truly hope it’s a good plan.” Dein turned his head back to the nightly forest around them, knowing it would be just a few minutes before he and Terri would reach their prey. The fast runner’s scent was growing stronger by the second and soon, they could give what little reprieve they could to their fallen child. Dein listened in deep interest as Terri voiced her thoughts.
“There’s only one way to cut their escape. This is what we should do…”
The fast runner’s heart felt like it was going to explode as it beat desperately in her chest. Ruby looked at the river which was still a good distance away but her and her companions’ desperate rush was closing the distance at a rapid pace. The sky was covered with clouds, covering the nightly woods into complete darkness. Even the omnivores’ eyes struggled to see the ground but there was no time to waste. Either they’d wash away their scent and escape or they’d perish in this place, as a payback for the most terrifying mistake in Ruby’s life.
The same thoughts run over and over in Ruby’s mind as she pondered feverishly her situation. How had Chomper’s parents found their way to this distant place and had they found Chomper or what remained of him? Would they try to slaughter Yarel and Greentail alongside with her? No matter how much she wanted to know those answers, she knew the escape was far more important at this point. The night was eerily silent and, to her immense worry, she couldn’t hear anything except her and the siblings’ steps. It was as if the sharpteeth had suddenly disappeared or staying still but the fast runner knew they were out there, waiting for their moment to attack the unsuspecting friends.
Yarel’s thoughts mirrored highly those of his friend’s but his mind wandered further to the tales he had heard about that fearsome pair of predators. For countless Cold Times, the stories of their brutality had been spread as warnings to stay away from their path. Their style of hunting was highly savage and they had absolutely no respect to their opponents or to giving them a clean death if they thought torturing their victims further helped their goals. Yarel felt his heart turn cold as he thought that he was forced to face those monsters face-to-face, simply because of Ruby’s past deeds. Yarel knew better than to question her motives but the fact that Ruby hadn’t warned the siblings about this danger as a real one made Yarel frown heavily. However, his concerns were interrupted by a silent call from his sister.
“Let’s go that way! The quicker we can cross the river, the easier it’ll be for us to hide our scent” The thinclaw pointed to the right where the river made a quick turn, opening an unhindered way to safety and the body of water was also narrower at that point. However, the thought brought additional worries to Ruby’s mind. Dein and Terri were far from stupid and they’d suspect their prey to take the easier route. Even if the fast runner knew it’d be a risky move, she answered to Greentail in deep worry.
“That’s what they want us to do! I think we should take the harder way because if we take the harder route, the sharpteeth will have a harder time finding us!” Ruby cringed at her words as she knew it could easily backfire but at least it’d provide a brief reprieve to the three friends. Greentail returned a stunned look, the other female clearly disapproving of Ruby’s words. Her words were condemning and urgent as she answered.
“They’ll find us without a doubt if we waste any more time here! Our only option is to leave this place as soon as we simply can!” Greentail cried, knowing that the three couldn’t overestimate the sniffers of the sharpteeth and that mistake would be a fatal one. Ruby’s teeth ached as she bit them together but she couldn’t really question the thinclaw’s reasoning. There was simply no time for any hopeful thoughts or clever plans. Two of the most dangerous dinosaurs alive were on their trail and any hopes of trying to outsmart them would be suicidal at this point.
Greentail’s eyes were fixed on the pitch-black ground as the trio approached the river. The thinclaw jumped down to a small ravine which would be the group’s springboard to the bottom of the steep valley. Despite the female’s best efforts to keep her balance, the rocky bottom of the small ravine nearly tripping Greentail but it wouldn’t keep her still for a second. Ruby cringed at the complete darkness and she grabbed at the gorge’s wall slightly, throwing herself more comfortably to the ground. All of the three omnivores knew that any falling could easily prove fatal in this rocky ground but each of them got through it without any major drama.
The river glimmered in the starlight like a touch of light in the night and its surface was only slightly rippled by the wind. Yarel ran beside his sister towards it, knowing that their fates would be decided very soon. The trees surrounding the river seemed completely calm but they hid a deadly threat among them. The male cried in a restrained voice as the group prepared to jump into the water and begin their escape from the valley and the danger they now found themselves in.
“Let’s swim to the right until we reach the turn! From there, the way is clear!” His words echoed the group’s earlier decision but repeating them gave them more confidence that their struggles weren’t for nothing. With a deep breath, Yarel jumped into the chilly river, quickly followed by his companions. The boy gasped for breath in alarm at first until he found his confidence in swimming again. It was far from the preferred environment for a thinclaw but some situations, like these, demanded action. The river was surprisingly deep but it was no use worrying about it. The male heard his sister’s voice soon after he had started swimming towards their destination.
“Only a few more moments is all we need… how I hope they won’t find us now…” The weight of the situation was beginning to weigh on Greentail’s mind as she started to speak only to calm herself. Yarel gazed at her in worry but was relieved to see she was following him and Ruby with good pace.
“It’s only a few more moments and we’ll be safe. Those sharpteeth will never find us here.” Yarel realized himself how utterly stupid his words were. This was the most obvious place the half teeth could be in but the trio had to hope for the best. They had nothing else to hold on at this point.
Yarel panted heavily as he pulled himself up from the stream. The coldness, despite his feathers’ protection, had quickly creeped under his skin and the boy was trembling as the cool night air once again greeted his body. He was more than astounded the trio had reached this point without being seen but he was growing really uneasy. It was highly probable that the sharpteeth would have already reached the river but where were they? Why were they nowhere to be seen? Yarel looked at his companions with a weary expression but he didn’t stop to talk. Now all that remained was to sprint through the forest and exit the valley from its eastern opening.
“Come on, quick! We have no time to waste!” Neither of his companions questioned his command and the trio quickly disappeared into the forest once again. Yarel looked at the surrounding trees in fear as his eyes couldn’t see anything about what lurked between them. Still, if the sharpteeth hadn’t found them by now, the half teeth stood a good chance of escape. Yarel tried to stay calm and concentrate his efforts of the way ahead…. before his and his companions’ luck ran out.
Quickly, as if a deadly wind between the trees, a yellow-greenish form of a sharptooth jumped from the woods and before any of the omnivores had the time to react, the predator moved towards Ruby and kicked her with a powerful force. The fast runner screamed in pain and horror as she hit a nearby tree, her right leg and head taking a powerful hit. The claws of the sharptooth had opened a deep wound to her thigh but, to her immense relief, she quickly realized it wasn’t serious enough to hold her down.
“Ruby, run! We have to go!” Yarel screamed in horror as he looked at the fast runner who did her best to rise from the ground. However, the charging sharptooth forced her to regain her footing and a few seconds before the predator’s tail crushed the place where she had lied, Ruby could rise to her wobbly feet. With a frenzied sprint, she rejoined her friends but to their misfortune, the sharptooth’s charge had made them lose track of their direction. For now, all mattered was escape. Her escape was accompanied by a horrifying roar of the carnivore.
“Run as much as you want, coward! You’ll pay soon enough!”
Terri looked at the trio in extreme agitation but she was also relieved that she had managed to confuse the half teeth enough to heading back towards the river. She had hoped to slaughter Ruby during the initial contact but that was exactly the reason she had proposed splitting up to her mate. Now her strategy had begun moving forward as she was leading Ruby and her friends into a trap from which there was no escape. No matter what, Chomper’s death wouldn’t go unavenged. However, Terri wasn’t going to let Dein have all the reprieve of this hunt. With a mighty roar, the female darted after the trio in full speed.
In her mind Ruby cursed having to be drawn to this chase in night. Escaping from a sharptooth was extremely difficult even in daylight and now the carnivore had even the advantage of better night vision than her. Even more so than before, the trio struggled to find a safe footing whereas Terri simply seemed to float through the woods with no effort. However, as her mind begun to clear from the nasty hit, a horrifying fear started to form in Ruby’s mind.
Why was Terri hunting alone? It was her roar Ruby had heard crying in the distance and she hadn’t seen a glimpse of Chomper’s father this whole night. Had he faced his end on some previous hunt? If that was the case, Ruby could certainly understand even better why Terri was so extremely upset. However, there was no proof of Dein’s demise, a possibility which embraced Ruby’s heart in an icy grip. If Dein was here alongside his mate, where was he? The fast runner could see that similar thoughts were floating in her companions’ minds but they simply had no chance of thinking about the implications of those possibilities. A sharptooth was on their tail and she was gaining on the three
friends at a rapid rate.
Ruby’s whole body was trembling as she heard her chaser’s step growing ever closer and louder, knowing she and her friends would have to come up with something quick if they wished to survive. Ever since that dreadful sand cloud, the girl had finally come to the realization how precious and fleeting one’s life was and she could already see in her mind’s eye her and her friends’ bodies lying in the ground as mere haunting remembers of the lives and dreams that had passed away in the predators’ claws. However, the fast runner wasn’t going to give up. She had gone so far in her search for her family and she owed it to them to help them against the very threat she was facing now. However, Ruby’s already taxed mind took only another blow as she saw the sight opening up between the trees.
The same river the trio had crossed earlier opened before them, cutting their escape forward. The friends had hoped they were running to the right direction but their hopes had been proven misplaced. Not only were they further away from the rescue but they were already too close to be surrounded. Greentail cried in fear as she saw the disheartening sight.
“We can’t cross it, the river’s too wide! We have to try to turn around and…” The thinclaw’s yell was cut short by another loud roar from their right side and before the omnivores could turn their heads, another sharptooth charged towards them from the woods near them. Ruby looked at Dein’s advancing form, knowing that her chances of survival were growing increasingly small. However, there was still one way she and her friends could run to and none of them hesitated a moment before they took off to that direction.
Terri exchanged glances with her mate, affirming that their plan was going on as planned. The three pitiful child killers were running straight towards their doom and there was nothing they could do about it anymore. While Terri was making sure they wouldn’t escape back to the forest, Dein was charging at the trio in a merciless gleam in his eyes. This unusual and personal hunt was very quickly nearing its end.
The fast runner cringed as she felt the ground growing softer by the second. It felt like her feet were sinking into it, making her advance increasingly forced. With a sickened feeling, she realized the plan of the sharpteeth. Before the omnivores opened a well-hidden, sinking swamp which would very quickly halt their escape, making it easy for the massive predators to finish the job. There was only one she could do at this point. Knowing that their chances for survival were minimal in any case, she jumped to her right and headed towards the river despite the clear danger.
“It’s a trap! We have to cross the river or we’re lost!” The fast runner yelled, not waiting for her friends’ answer. If they wanted to see the rising of the Bright Circle, she knew they’d follow her. Even the small chance of the trio being able to cross the river was better than a certain death in the swamp.
Greentail and Yarel looked at each other, knowing that Ruby was right. There was no escape for them now: they were also being chased alongside their new friend. The thinclaws quickly followed Ruby but they saw Dein getting alarmingly close to the fast runner. She had locked her eyes on the stream, preparing to jump as far into it as she simply was able. She knew Dein was dangerously close to her but there was nothing she could about it. With a sick feeling, Ruby jumped into the water… only to feel an overwhelming pain in her back. Her mind was completely incapacitated by the wounds the sharptooth’s claws had left on her upper back and the base of her neck and her shock prevented her from allowing to fight against the powerful current. The thinclaws looked in fear as they saw their friend being swept downstream, nearly knocked unconscious by the pain and bleeding. She would likely survive them but both of the thinclaws knew they couldn’t follow Ruby without endangering themselves further. The duo quickly swam over the river, seeing that Dein merely snorted after them before darting after Ruby.
The pain of numerous rocks hitting her body only worsened Ruby’s pain as she did her best to regain her composure. She was still bleeding heavily but the overall shock of her injury was starting to wear off. However, she looked in panic around her as she saw the narrow but quick river taking her along with it. With herculean struggles, the young fast runner managed to stay afloat but soon enough, she saw that she’d have to do something quickly or face immediate attack. Terri had joined her mate in tracking her down and they were closing in on her. It wouldn’t be long before they dared to assault her directly and when that moment came, her life would be forfeit. The immense pain in her back did its best to prevent Ruby from escaping but the fast runner understood everything that was at stake.
The girl grabbed on a nearby rock with all her might, the impact hitting her ribs with a great force but with desperate efforts, she pulled her up on the boulder and with slight stumbles, resumed her running.
“That’s brat’s not going to escape! Quickly, after her! Dein said in growing anger as she looked at Ruby disappearing into the forest. He could feel a similar sentiment rising within her mate who merely snorted before answering.
“Then follow them, Dein, and stop jabbering! Luckily she won’t be able to lose us anymore…” Terri said, sniffing at the sweet smell of blood, before she jumped over the river with one mighty leap. Meanwhile, a smile appeared on her face as she looked at the stone Ruby had used to climb to the shore. It was painted red by the fast runner’s blood and that was a smell trail no sharptooth could ever be shaken off from. The female carnivore looked at the woods in satisfaction as Terri felt the thud of her mate joining her just behind her. Ruby’s final chase was on.
“Come on, the sharpteeth won’t reach us anymore if we get away now!” Yarel said in a confused voice as he looked at the forested hills around him. The entire night had suddenly turned into a nightmare and the thinclaw’s thoughts were a complete mess. He had seen Ruby being swept down the river seriously injured and disappearing behind a turn not far downstream. Ruby’s disaster could turn to the siblings’ salvation if they decided to seize the opportunity. However, his voice didn’t convince even himself and he could see his sister’s eyes bearing the same thoughts as he was. Greentail looked at the river with burdened eyes, her mind clearly burdened by the dilemma she and her brother were forced to face.
“She can never escape alone. The sharpteeth are not going to lose her scent anymore, that is for certain.” Greentail’s voice wavered as she spoke, not willing to go as far as calling for the two to sprint off to save Ruby from her horrifying fate. However, she couldn’t force her legs to take another step uphill even if there opened the way to freedom. Ruby had been the first one to offer her friendship to the siblings and even this one, short day together had felt like an endless relief to the two after their long, lonely months in the forest. However, even against his conscience, Yarel’s lips formed the only words that made sense anymore.
“B…but it would be pure madness! It’s against all our wisdoms! You said it yourself: Ruby is injured and it’d be a miracle if she can even run! We’d just get ourselves killed without any reason! We didn’t try to survive all this time just to get killed now!” The male felt miserable as it had been him who had initially argued for joining Ruby in her journey and now he was telling his sister to abandon her. The silhouette of the sharptooth by the river in the far distance chilled him greatly but he couldn’t help but feel grateful that they weren’t after him now. However, it was clear that neither of the two were really arguing about this issue: rather, they were mirroring each other’s opposite emotions. And it was clear to all which side would win.
“We already broke the wisdoms by coming here and she needs our help, Yarel! You wanted to get on this journey and I already thought you to be better than this! We don’t have more time: if we don’t go now, Ruby will surely die!” With decisive movements, Greentail turned around to face the forest near the right bank of the river. Somewhere down there, Ruby was fighting for her life against two mighty predators. Greentail’s mind was too overwhelmed to be able to think about the situation rationally but it was clear she had made up her mind. Yarel took another glance at the forest but he had to admit that neither could he force himself to run there. With a deep sigh and a pained expression, Yarel answered to her sister.
“I guess you’re right. We owe it to her. Now, come on! We don’t have a second to waste!” And with those words, the thinclaws turned their backs to the option which any half tooth should have chosen. They could only hope that their gamble wouldn’t be for nothing.
Heavy panting and wavering steps accompanied Ruby as she against all hope tried to create as much distance between herself and her chasers before it would be too late. She knew her injuries would draw the carnivores towards her but what else could she do? The fast runner felt pain in her chest as she thought that she was once again on her own, her new friends most likely running for their lives at this point. The girl couldn’t even begin to imagine they’d choose anything but the safe option here.
The omnivore’s eyes scoured the terrain before her for any help or shelter. The lack of lighting complicated those efforts and to her growing horror, she could slowly begin to hear the now-familiar steps far behind her. There was no chance she’d be able to outrun them with her injury so hiding and swift covering of her would was the only option she had left.
They’d find me under those rocks and there’s no way a sharptooth wouldn’t see me under some pile of leaves! Oh, what can I do? Would that… that’s it!As a rare reprieve this night, Ruby spotted a small groove between two large trees, it’s mouth small enough so that there was a chance the sharptooth wouldn’t find her there. The fast runner quickly gathered a good handful of leaves to end her bleeding and quickly jumped to her perceived shelter. And not a moment too early: the sharpteeth reached her position after a very short while. Ruby cringed in pain as she forcefully put the leaves against her would in an effort to quickly stop the blood pouring to the soft ground. However, it wasn’t long before the girl realized she was already too late.
The fast runner looked in fear as the two carnivores started to sniff for the air, apparently noticing the sudden end of the trail. Ruby started to shiver ever more violently as they moved ever closer, the thuds of their steps making the soil start to slowly fall upon the hapless dinosaur. She tried to make her way deeper into the tunnel but those hopes were crushed shortly. As if a thunder from the clear sky, a sharptooth’s claws dug through the ground, penetrating the entire groove Ruby was hiding in. She gasped for air as she realized that she would have been impaled if she was sitting only a bit nearer the sinkhole’s mouth. Before she could do anything more, the whole ceiling of the tunnel was dug up by a mighty swipe from the sharptooth. Suddenly, Ruby’s whole shelter had been taken away, leaving her wide open for the decisive blow.
At this point, Ruby could no longer take it. All of this had come to pass because of her own mistakes but on every leg of her journey thus far, she had tried to do the right thing but despite that, it seemed like the world was throwing each and every disaster her way. The sudden appearance of her best friend’s parents was only another blow and it seemed like it would be the final one. Tears formed in Ruby’s eyes as she turned her eyes at the two sharpteeth who looked at her in loathing and hate. With a broken voice, she cried to the predators in a pleading voice.
“I’m sorry about all this! It was my fault and Chomper had no part in anything that happened! But it was all an accident… We lost all of our friends and Chomper was with us! I was the only one who survived… poor Chomper…” The memories of the blue sharptooth returned to her mind but her heartfelt answer didn’t help any in this situation. The two carnivores’ expressions were unmoved but they didn’t strike the deadly blow right away. After a few seconds, Terri raised her head close to Ruby and answered with a similarly emotional outburst.
“You mean that you left Chomper to die so you could escape yourself?! We should have expected no less from your kind in the first place and don’t worry, our son’s sacrifice wasn’t for nothing! Your family will pay alongside with you as Chomper’s wellbeing was on all your shoulders. Once we’re done with you, they will be next.” The female carnivore’s voice communicated finality but it was also heavily burdened by sorrow and despair. The toll the news had taken on Terri was evident to everyone present. Her words, however, caught Ruby’s attention far more than her expression. Ruby’s tears stopped flowing as the implications begun to really dawn on Ruby. The fast runner could see that the threat was very clear. With some struggling, Ruby rose to her feet and spoke in a fearful and desperate voice.
“No, please listen to me! This whole mess was my doing and I am the only one you can blame for it! My family had nothing to do with this, please leave them be!” Her personal lamenting had disappeared under her gripping fear for her family. In that moment, Ruby was completely prepared to pay for her mistake if it would save her family from the predators’ revenge. However, the duo’s first answer to her plead was far from encouraging. Dein snorted loathingly, taking another step towards Ruby and speaking a snarling tone.
“Chomper deserved so much better than to be betrayed by you, someone he was foolish enough to call his friend. I truly thought you cared of him enough to keep him safe, and for a long time we thought we had chosen right. We had helped your family to live without fear from the other sharpteeth and with their help, we were gaining an upper hand against Red Claw. That bastard was losing many allies to us and we were preparing to finally take him down once and for all. You can only think how our plans changed when a flier flew to us telling us of something we would have to see.” At this point, Dein’s eyes begun to grow moist even if Terri looked more than eager to embowel the source of their misery but it was clear that her mate wanted to finish his speech. Ruby turned her head to the ground, knowing what was coming. She already braced for the mental images that would soon be burned to her mind.
“Hearing he had news of Chomper, we immediately followed him and after almost a day’s trek, we arrived at the scene we should see. It was a desert near the Great Valley and he had nearly been submerged by the recent sand cloud. But there he was, lying without the least reminder of life in his broken body. The joyful twinkle in his eyes had been snuffed out and only an empty glare stared to the sky. But as a further insult to his memory he had been merely slaughtered and not a mouthful of his body had been eaten. You were the only one who could have prevented it and you failed pitifully!” The last words were roared and the mournful wail brought a sick feeling to Ruby’s stomach.
Even then, the thing she had accepted long ago had finally been confirmed. Chomper was truly dead, the two would never never share a miraculous reunion in this life. The one thought that Ruby had tried to avoid even after all hope was gone finally flooded into her consciousness: Chomper, her dearest friend, was not returning. Deep gulps rose to the fast runner’s mind as she realized the full magnitude of that knowledge. The only thing that prevented her complete mental collapse was the immense danger she still found herself in. The fast runner stuttered heavily, fighting against her own tears as she spoke.
“We were separated in that very sand cloud. We lost each other in it because we were attacked by fast biters. The last I saw of Chomper was when he wouldn’t leave Littlefoot and Cera to die. I told him to follow me but he didn’t listen. I would have wanted to go back for him but it wouldn’t have helped. The whole situation was hopeless.” Ruby was too overcome with emotions to even begin coming up with a lie on this moment, no matter the consequences to herself. As was to be expected, her words did little to ease the tension of this conversation. It was Terri who once again addressed the young fast runner and her voice was, if possible, even more toxic than it had been the last time.
“And because of that, all is lost! Don’t worry Ruby, Chomper will soon have the luxury of knowing that those whose fault his demise was will join him!” And with those words, Terri quickly took a few steps forward to finish the job when something highly surprising happened. The sharptooth suddenly felt a small but stinging pain in her leg that momentarily caught her off guard. The sharptooth quickly turned around to see the attacker and she was extremely surprised to see who it was. One of the insufferable half teeth had seemingly decided to knowingly search for death but Terri couldn’t come up with any reason why a juvenile thinclaw would attack her this brashly. With an annoyed roar, Terri turned around to strike her down when another, extremely important development happened. While she was preparing to strike Greentail down, Yarel jumped on her head from a nearby hill, immediately heading to attack the carnivore’s eyes.
Terri couldn’t understand at first what was happening but she very quickly bowed her head and tried to strike the puny attacker away. Yarel cringed in fear as he did his best to dodge the furious attacks but with quick coordination and reflexes, he managed to avoid the deadly claws searching for his blood. Ruby looked at the new development in astonishment, already resigned to the fact that the duo had escaped as any sensible dinosaur would do. However. they had returned and they were risking their lives in this fight. Ruby quickly started moving when he heard Greentail’s cry.
“Run, Ruby! We can’t keep them at bay for long!” She shouted in leaf eater to hide their meaning for at least a moment. Time was truly off the essence and every second only increased the possibility of the two failing to contain the threat. However, the female thinclaw could see that Yarel was up to something. He still tried to injure Terri’s eyes but there was something more to his plans. Dein was moving to help her mate and Yarel realized that there was a chance for further damage to the sharptooth than he had initially thought. As the predators, did the most realistic thing they could, Yarel cried to Greentail in alert.
“Move behind her leg! Prevent her from getting a good footing!” Yarel cried as Terri bowed to her mate to let Dein take out the troublesome half tooth. However, as the male thinclaw dodged the first attack, Terri suddenly moved to the left to crush Yarel against a tree. A mistake that would prove extremely costly. The female sharptooth’s heel rose from the ground and while Yarel did his best trying to get Terri off-balance, his sister moved to stand near her foot and when Terri was reeling at her mate’s efforts and Yarel’s mischief, Greentail pushed at the foot with all her might. This caught the predator completely by surprise and she could feel her footing grow unbalanced. However, Ruby could see that it wasn’t yet enough. Terri was looking extremely fearful but she could yet regain her balance. With immense risk and pain, the fast runner knew he’d have to help her friends and with immense pain and risk, Ruby ran to the location where she saw Terri’s foot falling.
The fast runner’s whole vertebrae were hit by an immense force as the sharptooth’s leg fell upon it. Ruby would have wanted to cry in agony but the situation was far too dangerous for that. After a second that seemed to stretch for an eternity, she could feel the pressure easing as she realized she had succeeded in her effort. Ruby raised her gaze and saw that the giant sharptooth was finally tripped… but it was falling right at her! With panicked movements, Ruby jumped away from the sharptooth’s way and looked in horror as Terri’s body fell at protruding logs and nasty rocks near her, causing the predator to scream in immense pain and immediately causing large amounts of blood pouring to the ground. Terri started to immediately writhe and twist in agony and she tried to rise to her feet but the injuries were too severe for her to regain her footing. Ruby looked at the sight in shock, relieved to see that the siblings’ plan had worked but also disgusted and saddened at this display. Despite their recent disagreements, this was Chomper’s mother and the fact that she had caused this to her sickened the fast runner greatly. She could only begin to think what would have done had the young sharptooth been here to see the result of their clash. With a single tear falling out from her eye, Ruby apologized to her fallen friend.
I’m so sorry, Chomper. I never wanted this but it was the only way to save myself. Wherever you are, please… please, forgive me for this!The fast runner’s sorrow and guilt was nothing compared to what Dein felt at this moment. Only a minute ago, he and his mate had been standing triumphant, preparing to get rid of the one dinosaur whose fault Chomper’s passing was. But now, he was looking at the injured form of his beloved mate whose blood was painting the black ground red. And beside her was standing the very same dinosaur who had taken his son away from him. Dein cry could be heard across the valley as he contemplated at everything Ruby had taken from him. His mate was still alive but she was horribly injured, thanks to Ruby and her outrageously fearless friends. There were no time for futile words the predators exchanged a brief, understanding gaze as Terri nodded on her mate to continue the hunt. The three omnivores looked at the male sharptooth, the tension tangible in the air. Dein’s mind worked in overdrive on how to finish the job he and her mate had started and now he had even more reason to see that Ruby would not survive until the morning.
The fast runner on the other hand, looked at the sharptooth, knowing that she would have to resume her flight any second now. Somehow, Terri’s injury had frozen the situation. Ruby knew that it hadn’t been many seconds since her fall but each moment seemed to stretch on for hours. The girl took her time to make appreciating glances at her friends who had saved her from certain death. She had wondered whether the two truly wanted to follow her but at this
point, Ruby had no more doubts about their loyalties. They would see this danger off together or die trying.
All of those thoughts were immediately shattered as Dein started to charge against the three with a more mournful and enraged growl than Ruby had imagined possible from a sharptooth. Immediately, the half teeth took off again, Greentail leading them forward. She screamed in deep fear as she knew Dein would reach them at any moment and now, they had no chance to take him off by any imaginable means.
“We saw a small pass leading to the plains somewhere in this direction! We must find it before that sharptooth catches us!” Greentail said as she jumped another stone with a powerful jump, making her way to the higher ground
overlooking the base of the valley. She cringed heavily as she knew these forced rises only benefited Dein due to their differences in size but there was nothing she or any of the others could do about it. All the while, she could hear Dein roaring behind them as they struggled to even preserve the existing gap between them and the beast.
“This ends here, half tooth scum! You have run long enough!” The sharptooth said as he jumped above the rise the omnivores had struggled to rise, standing less than a longneck’s tail’s length from his prey. The walls of the valley were approaching quickly but Dein knew he had more than enough time to finish the job. To his chagrin, Ruby and Yarel had spread out further to the forest but Greentail had stayed near the middle, apparently thinking she could move faster without trees to hinder her. Dein snorted as he thought about her plan.
That just shows how stupid those kids are! That’s a fatal mistake! The male sharptooth darted on an unforeseen sprint and o her horror, Greentail noticed it immediately.
With growing despair, the thinclaw realized her situation was growing increasingly hopeless. The hapless half tooth turned left and tried to move behind a small cliff to take cover from the incoming attack. However, Dein was this time faster than she could have imagined. Before Greentail could get into hiding, she could see that the sharptooth’s jaws were quickly closing in around her. The thinclaw let out a silent, desperate cry and tried to jump away from Dein’s reach. However, that last resort led to another, unforeseen disaster for the omnivore.
Seeing that the smaller dinosaur was off guard for a moment, he hit Greentail with his hand, all his claws aimed at her throat. However, his hit missed by the tiniest of margins but it was enough to interrupt Greentail’s jump. With an uncontrolled flight, the omnivore hurled towards a large, sharp rock, her head hitting its sharp edge with a terrifying force. The impact darkened Greentail’s world immediately but she could still feel the stinging, unimaginable pain flushing through her body. The hit had struck a deep wound to her forehead but even to her own amazement, she hadn’t lost her consciousness by a long shot. Mere seconds later, she was completely shaken off from her mental slumber by her brother’s call nearby.
“Greentail, come now! We’ll heal your wound when we get safe!” Yarel felt numbness take over his mind as he looked at his sister’s injured head and her unsure steps. Her whole face was suddenly being painted red but to his immense relief, the male could see his sister being able to walk and perhaps even escape from Dein’s grasp as the tunnel was very near and the forest was growing too dense from the sharptooth to chase them effectively. Ruby also noticed what had happened and both of them quickly headed towards their injured companion, no matter the danger to themselves.
Dein looked at the thinclaw in ever-growing anger. She had received a nasty hit to her head but she still wasn’t dead or mortally wounded. The sharptooth didn’t waste time resuming his chase and ending the annoying brat’s seemingly endless flight. However, Dein, too, realized he was running out of time. No matter which way the half teeth were running to, they would reach it soon as the highest hills bordering the river valley were growing ever higher and imposing as he approached them.
Even while she tried to keep her attention on her friends, Greentail’s head felt like it was slowly being grinded to dust by an ever-strengthening headache that slowly engulfed her whole consciousness. She could see that the escape was near but that knowledge was slowly being overshadowed by her deteriorating situation. To her alarm and extreme fear, Ruby could see that Greentail wouldn’t be able to escape at this rate as her pace was growing slower by the minute. With a fearful look, Ruby quickly looked around herself and distinct memories were growing in her mind. The bushes around her were bearing the last remains of the Warm Time’s berries and some of them were rather strong-smelling. While by no means as effective as those in the Hidden Canyon, these could be enough to give Greentail the few moments she’d need to escape even in her current, highly worrying state.
“Yarel, gather a few of these! We need to confuse Dein for just a few seconds!” The girl said as she gathered a few dozen of the yellowish berries. She wasted no time heading towards the sharptooth at this point and without any hesitation, she cried aloud.
“You’ve already gone far enough, sharptooth! Chase me for a change!” Ruby yelled as she suddenly tore the berries open, Dein not paying much attention to her odd gestures. The predator’s eyes bored into Ruby as it was still her he wanted the most. His eyes narrowed one more time as he hissed his answer.
Dein merely growled as an answer and begun to move towards Ruby but the fast runner quickly disappeared into the dark woods, invisible even to the carnivore’s eyes. He quickly raised his sniffer to the air but to his shock, all he could smell was some strong, overly sweet smell coming from near him. It wasn’t long before he saw the crushed berries all around him, apparently dropped by the two brats. Once again, he’d been tricked as he wouldn’t find Ruby in the woods before the smell would wear off. It was time to throw away all caution. The sharptooth quickly headed towards the mountains, knowing Greentail had escaped in that direction.
“Just a little more, Greentail! We’re there soon!” Yarel said as he tried to help his sister stay on her feet. No one would call her steps running but she still managed to jog slightly. Yarel was more than grateful to Ruby for her taunting but Greentail’s situation was only growing worse. He could already see the very narrow pass the two had seen earlier, opening before them like a tiny gate to freedom after this night of horrors. The forest was extremely dense but the light of the Bright Circle illuminated the heavenly sight. In just a few moments, everything would be well again. Just a few more seconds…
“Hurry, Yarel! He’s coming!” Ruby yelled as she quickly joined the two, only then noticing Greentail’s slow and unsure footing. The fast runner’s face fell immediately but she quickly moved to her side and said to her friend softly.
“Run now, Greentail, and you’ll be able to run again! You won’t join your parents just yet!” Ruby knew those words would be sure to raise some feelings in her friend’s fleeting consciousness and to be sure, the thinclaw’s dimming eyes seemed to register those words. The omnivore’s pace improved somewhat and not a second too soon. As a final resort, Dein charged through the woods in his last effort to slaughter the trio and they looked in fear as the massive form of the predator grew closer by the minute. His body was cast against the sky as a pitch-black shadow of death in the night and Ruby and Yarel quickly took firm grips of Greentail’s arms and quickly pulled her with them, determined to take her with them. The walls of the narrow pass slowly rose around them but it was still not narrow enough.
Dein could see that he was on the verge of being outsmarted and as final effort to save his face he run straight into the pass, hoping to crush the juvenile omnivores under her feet but all too soon, he could feel his last hopes fading. The walls of the pass quickly seemed to grab on his sides, preventing him from taking the last few steps to finish the job. However, that knowledge only worsened his struggles, no matter how futile they would be. The one guilty of Chomper’s demise would escape and he would leave his mate’s injury unavenged. After a moment, he hissed to Ruby as he resigned to the unchangeable reality.
“This isn’t over, fast runner. We will find you and your family again. The next time we meet will be our last.”
Ruby on the other hand, looked at the sharptooth in unending relief, almost willing to collapse against the cliff in mental exhaustion. She only looked at the raging sharptooth who was slowly moving away from the tunnel. The fast runner had already accepted that her demise had come but once again, she had managed to escape from the jaws of death. However, there was another one who still needed help. Ruby quickly run to Yarel’s side who had put Greentail sitting against the wall. She looked extremely pale and her gaze had lost any focus it had once had.
“Come, help me stop the bleeding! She’s getting too weak! She’s passing out!” Yarel cried in growing desperation as the bleeding from her head continued unabated, telling its own sad tale of her condition. The thinclaw’s body seemed to be completely still as Yarel and Ruby gathered fallen leaves and dust from the ground to finally stop the bleeding from the gaping wound. They weren’t hard to find and the duo quickly moved to cover her wound with whatever they could find. However, both Ruby and Yarel were growing increasingly fearful as they saw the streaming blood and Greentail’s increasingly hazy and directionless eyes. Their only relief was that their companion seemed to be unconscious and the apparent pain didn’t prevent their help.
However, Greentail wasn’t completely unconscious. Not yet anyway. Her eyes could see the fuss around her and somehow, the girl realized they were safe now. However, all parts of her mind were overshadowed by the all-numbing pain in her head and the increasingly sick feeling in her belly and every other deeper meaning around her was beyond her mental reach. Even if she didn’t realize it herself, her stomach suddenly started to gurgle and she started to writhe heavily. Following them, Greentail vomited on her helpers stunning them in ever-deepening alarm but her mind was too hazy to even realize it. Only seconds afterwards, the girl slowly fell to the ground, the last pieces of knowledge still tying her into the reality finally turning off.
Ruby and her friends have managed to escape for now but not without a heavy price. Will Greentail survive her horrendous injury or will one of Ruby's companions meet her end here? And just as importantly, what can the fast runner do to save her family from the sharpteeth? No matter what happens, these developments mark a major blow for Ruby's efforts to salvage what she can of her broken life. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you next time! 
Ducky123: Thank you for your kind words! Yes, I thought this was the correct time to build some more backstory for this herd and, as with most ancient societies, oral traditions are quite important. It’s true that Pterano’s tales bear similarity to those of Grandpa but I hope to create more differences between them later on. Also, I always imagined Petrie being quite socially awkward without his friends but we’ll see how things will develop for our favorite flier.
