Well, here it is after a two-day delay.
The newest chapter is now finished. Please Enjoy!
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Chapter 2: The Fight to SafetyChapter 2
The Fight to SafetyAs the trio traveled through the barren wasteland, the new comer Rooter was telling his passengers a little tale of his.
“One day I was resting and this little longneck fell on me. I’m not sure who he was, but when I saw him crying, I wondered what his problem was. He told me that he had just lost his mother from a sharptooth and blamed all of his pain on his mother. I then told him that it was nobody’s fault. That it was part of The Great Circle of Life. Also that he would always have a part of her in his heart. I can only hope that I made things better for the young lad.”
“So, you don’t know who he was at all?” Ali asked Rooter after hearing his tale.
“Not the slightest clue.”
Ali thought about the story for a bit. Somehow, it triggered a memory from her past. It was back to when it was her first visit to a place called, “The Great Valley”.
She and her newly made friend, Littlefoot, a longneck just like her but male, were traveling through a desert back to the place where Ali lived before her herd had to migrate everywhere. They were traveling there to find a special flower that could cure the illness that Littlefoot’s grandfather had gotten. Ali decided to start up a conversation while they were traveling.
“So you live with your grandparents, huh?” Ali asked.
“Yeah! It’s great living with them!” Littlefoot answered her.
“What about your mom and dad? Don’t you have one?”
At this point, Littlefoot’s smile turned into a very sad frown and his eyes started to swell with tears.
“Is something wrong?” She questioned when she saw her friend’s sudden facial change.
“It’s just that, I’m not sure what happened to my dad, but my mother was killed right in front of me.”
“What? How?” She asked, being rather shocked.
“It was a sharptooth. Cera and me were playing together when he came. We ran for a thorn bush and thought we were safe. However, this sharptooth was smarter than we expected. He started to crawl through an opening that was just big enough for him. We were saved by a one of the thorny vines. When it seemed like he had stopped, we took our chance to get out. I tried to lead Cera away, but she took the wrong path and I went after her. The sharptooth nearly got us and I got caught in some vines. I was able to get out and when we were clear of the thorn bush, the sharptooth jumped and nearly landed on us. That’s when my mother showed up and attacked him. Through the fight, it looked like my mother was going to win. However, things suddenly took a turn for the worst when the sharptooth jumped and landed on her back. He then proceeded to bite and slash at my mother. I had never seen such a more horrible sight. All that blood! Ugh!” He shivered in disgust at remembering such a thing. He then continued his story.
“Anyways, after that, a terrible earthshake happened. It was the worst one I had ever been through in my life. It had changed the land completely and split families apart. It even separated my friends from their families and split me from my grandparents. During the earthshake, Cera and me had ended up near the sharptooth. If I hadn’t called out to my mother, I think we’d be dead by now. My mother knocked the sharptooth off a cliff and led me to safety while Cera left to find her family. Somehow, my mother and me also got temporarily separated near the end of the earthshake. When it was finally over, I searched for my mother. I eventually found her and could tell that she was very weak. She asked me if I remembered the way to The Great Valley. I was so worried about whether or not she would be okay that The Great Valley was the last thing on my mind. In her last words, she told me that she would always be with me. She then died right in front of me.”
Ali now regretted ever asking him. “I’m… I’m so sorry, Littlefoot.” She apologized with her face being slightly pale from hearing such a detailed sad story.
“It’s okay, Ali.” He reassured her.
“Do you miss her?”
“Every day!”
“Must be hard for you to live with that awful memory.”
“It’s okay! My friends help me feel better whenever I’m unhappy.”
“They must be great friends to do that for you.”
“The best! They’d be to you too if you just gave them the chance.”
Ali contemplated this thought of making friends with different species. She started to wonder if it was actually a good thing. The memory ended there.
As the memory faded from her, Ali turned her attention back to the spikeback that was carrying them. “You know, I actually have this friend that’s my age that had also lost his mother from a sharptooth. He could probably be the same one you met.”
Hearing this had made Rooter chuckle at her. “Young one, there are many children that have lost a member of their family by means of a sharptooth. It’s more than likely a coincidence.” He pointed out.
“But what if it’s not? What if we both know the same longneck?”
“Well then I would like to talk to the little lad and see how he’s doing. I especially wonder if he ever got over his mother’s death.”
Ali smiled. “I’m pretty sure he-“
“Could you two keep it down? I’m trying to get some rest!” Ret complained, interrupting Ali. “I’m exhausted from having to carry you around, Ali!” He then turned his back to her and tried to get back to sleep.
“I’m sorry, Ret, but I warned you that I wasn’t the lightest thing in the world.”
“Yeah, well… I didn’t want to leave you in that cave so you could end up as food to a sharptooth!”
“It’s very sweet what you’ve been doing for me, Ret.”
“Well, you’d do the same for me. We’re best friends, right?”
“Sounds like you two are more than just friends.” Rooter joked.
The old spikeback didn’t need to look to tell that his two passengers were blushing.
“Just shut up and let me rest, okay?” Ret yelled furiously and tried to get back to sleep.
Rooter just chuckled and continued on their journey.
High upon a cliff, which was over a pool of deep water, within a dark cave, a raptor looked around the area as a lookout. The Utahraptor scanned the vast wasteland for any potential prey. He heard his stomach growl with want. Hunting was never easy for a predator in this place where vegetation never grew. His keen cat-like eyes suddenly spotted something down below. Stopping to get a drink inside the pool of water was a spikeback. The raptor studied the new prey to oblige how to attack. He concluded that he would need help, considering that it looked old, but tough.
Before he decided to leave to get his clan, he spotted something. On top of the spikeback, two longnecks were resting, probably tired from a long journey. He smiled with glee. It seemed that there would be a respectable appetizer before going on to the main course. Seeing this, he rushed to get his clan.
Back down near the pool, Rooter was resting and enjoying a much-welcomed drink. Ali looked down at the pool of water. Her mouth was dry from the earlier sandstorm she had to travel through before getting separated from her herd.
“Thirsty, young ones?” Rooter asked.
“Yes! Very!” Ali said with a grateful smile.
“I’m pretty thirsty myself.” Ret said as he got down from the spikeback.
While Ret jumped down and walked up to the pool of water, Ali dragged herself off Rooter and over to the pool of water. She then completely submerged her head into the liquid and began to greedily drink it in huge gulps. It wasn’t long before her lungs reminded her of needing oxygen and she had to come up for air. She surfaced and started to breathe heavily as Ret and Rooter laughed at her.
“Gee, what were you planning to do, drink it all?” Ret joked.
Ali giggled. “I guess!”
Suddenly, the three heard a thunderous roar, which made them gasp in a mixture of shock and fear. They looked up the rocky wall next to the pool to see a Tyrannosaurus Rex at the top of the cliff, looking down at them.
Ali gasped again. “A sharptooth!”
“It’ll come for us if we don’t hurry!” Rooter said. “Climb on, kids!”
The two longnecks got back onto the old spikeback.
“Hang on! We’re gonna make a run for it!”
Rooter started to run towards their destination. However, it wasn’t long before they were stopped by two raptors jumping in front of them. One was gray while the other was green. The gray Utahraptor hissed at them, while the green one dug his flexible toe claws into the ground for better traction.
Rooter started to back up, when he heard a growl and looked behind him to spot the same Tyrannosaurus Rex they had seen at the top of the cliff. Upon closer examination, they could see that he was light green colored and had yellow cat-like eyes. However, the one thing that made him stand out from all other members of his species was a long scar that extended from his eye, which was blood red, and down to his middle claw.
Ali gulped. She remembered that Littlefoot had warned her on her previous visit about this sharptooth that was in the Mysterious Beyond. He was known around the world as Red Claw.
They were so afraid that they had almost forgotten how to breathe. Rooter knew he couldn’t make any attempt to attack because it would put Ali and Ret into great danger. A part of him thought this was would be where he would meet the end of his long life.
The raptors charged towards them and were about to pounce when a large tail hit the two raptors and sent them flying. The next thing they noticed, a very tall longneck came by and rammed its head into Red Claw’s stomach. This caused the T-Rex to fall to his knees and start to breathe heavily for air.
The stranger bent it’s neck around and went to eye level with that of Ali and Ret. They could tell that this longneck was rather young and had a more feminine look.
“You okay?” The longneck asked in a calm sweet tone.
“Yeah! Thanks!” Ali said.
“I’ll take care of this big brute!”
“But…”
“Don’t worry, I can handle these sharpteeth! Now, go!”
Rooter didn’t object and started to run for safety as fast as his legs could carry him. It seemed like they would get away when the two same raptors jumped in front of them causing Rooter to come to a sliding halt. However, the sudden stop caused Ali slip off. Ret noticed this and quickly reacted, grabbing her tail with his mouth. Ali gasped when she felt her tail being clamped upon.
“Hang on, Ali!” Ret muffled while pulling her up.
Seeing, easy prey now, the raptors approached. The two were aiming for Ali and were about to pounce when another large tail hit them. Ali looked up to see an even taller longneck. In fact, it was the tallest one she had ever seen in her entire life. She had no idea that longnecks could grow to be that tall. She was finally pulled onto the safety of Rooter’s back and continued to look at the tall longneck in amazement.
“You okay, little lady?” The longneck asked in a deep male voice at their eye level.
“Yes! Thank you!” Ali said.
The taller male longneck then turned to the tall but shorter than him female longneck. “Sue, how about we send these sharpteeth home with empty stomachs?”
“Gladly!” She said.
Sue reared up her tail and landed it at Red Claw’s feet, causing him to trip and fall face first to the ground. The taller male longneck launched his own tail at the two raptors while they were starting to get up. This caused them to fly through the air and land sharply on Red Claw’s back. The two raptors got off so Red Claw could get up. Red Claw stared angrily at the longneck couple.
“Want more?” Sue seriously questioned.
Red Claw let out a roar and retreated, knowing he was beat in this situation. The raptors let out a roar of defeat as they retreated as well.
Sue turned to the three she just saved. “Well, I’d say that takes care of those bullies.” She said.
“Thanks for saving us again.” Ali said.
“Glad to do it. After all, what’s the point of having a tail like mine if you can’t beat up bad-guys with it once in a while?”
Ali knew that was a joke and started to giggle.
“Well, time we headed back home to our little ones.” The taller male longneck said to Sue, giving her an affectionate rub. That’s all Ali needed to hear and see to know they were a couple with children.
“Yes, dear!” She said to him, accepting the rubbing. She then turned to the trio below. “Goodbye!”
Ali, Ret and Rooter said their good-byes and thanks as the proud mother and father left.
Once the two longnecks that saved them were a good distance away, Rooter spoke. “Well, let’s go!” He said and headed towards their destination.
It was smooth sailing from there and it wasn’t long before they finally arrived at where Rooter was taking them.
“Well, here we are!” He said.
Ali and Ret looked. They were shocked at what they saw. Below them was a vast valley of green that had trees that seemed to stretch on forever. Traveling through the valley was a stream that seemed to have water that was cleaner than any other source of water in the world. The stream continued, making multiple waterfalls along the way. A chain of mountains that seemed to never end surrounded the valley. One look and they could tell exactly where they were.
“We’re… we’re in The Great Valley!” Ali said, completely shocked by this discovery.
---End Chapter 2---
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Well, hope you enjoyed that one.
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