During my vacation, I've been able to work on the next chapter and complete it. However, I'm going away from the gang to update on a little something.
Enjoy!
WARNING: Contains some bloody violence. Reader Digression is advised.
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Chapter 13
The End of the SearchWhile this was all happening, the herd that was assembled by The Counselors of the Great Valley had now arrived deep within Sharptooth Territory. So far, the vast number of dinosaurs, that being of forty or so, had made the sharpteeth cautious. Some, however, were quite skilled and knew of a trick or two to getting at least one of the herd. Killing them without notice until it was too late. Just one of the members of the herd was big enough to feed a small Sharptooth Family.
Despite the fact that it seemed safe at this point, the herd was on high alert. Some were elderly and not in the best of shape to put up a good fight. They may be among the first that a sharptooth would go after. On top of this, Ali did warn them that some of the sharpteeth were quite skilled, having been known to take out ones that were both healthy and strong thanks to clever hunting tactics. With such deadly foes, the herd had to be on their guard.
Pat was the one chosen to lead the herd. He didn't think of himself much as a leader, but he gladly took the position. He had smartly sent a number of flyers to scout ahead, not just to find the herd they were searching for, but also to look for incoming danger. He also had the flyers search in rotation as to not get too tired and be ready to attack if sharpteeth came after them.
Unknown to the herd, a sharptooth herd of nearly fifty fastbiters were watching them. They had been watching the herd that had entered their territory for a few days now. They were waiting for the perfect moment. They knew that if they attacked at just the right moment and used the correct tactic, they could take out every single one of the herd and enjoy a nice feast.
It may’ve been seen as a deadly move, but the fastbiters were known among sharpteeth to be the most daring, possibly suicidal and most successful of all fastbiter herds. None knew how they were so good at hunting for such a large family, and yet, they rarely ever starved. Once a leafeater was caught in their trap, not even a miracle would save them. At least, that is what was believed.
Truthfully, there was one herd that had been known to escape and defeat them constantly for one reason or another. They guessed that the herd at hand was well-trained. Still, that would not account for the fact that they could not get near any of the children with that migrating herd that came along every so often. Still, they knew that the leader of that herd was coming to their end. To at least get that one would be a triumph to them.
The leader of the fastbiter herd looked on. He may’ve lost his one good eye in a fight for the right of his position, and as a result had a scar there, but he was quite the formidable hunter. He alone formed all of the carefully planned hunting tactics. Hardly any failed. His herd was strong and he knew that today the herd would feast upon those roaming through their area.
He had carefully studied the herd and noted just how cautious they were. He knew of the number of flyers scouting ahead. He knew of the strength that the mixed herd of dinosaurs would present and how much of a challenge it would be. However, he noted one key thing about the leader of the mix herd.
He saw that the longneck was smart and well skilled, despite his age. However, he noticed that one of the back feet had been badly burned quite some time ago. Indeed, it looked like it fully healed, but even he knew that an injury such as that can have permanent side effects. He could tell that, even after all that time, the old longneck was still limping. It was the perfect area to hit that one first.
He had studied the members of the herd and knew all their weaknesses. How they all moved. He wasn’t fully sure how the herd would react and whom would be protected by another, but he figured a good number would be protected by the leader. That is how most large herds fought, and even those mighty tactics failed before this mighty fastbiter herd.
There was only one key component that could possibly make them lose. However, it was the most vital for them as well. That was timing. The herd could plan their movements to the smallest part of a second. These key plans are what made them so formidable. They had it all down to an exact science. It was nearly impossible for them to fail with this herd.
He then noticed that the key point to attack was nearly at hand. It was only a small window of opportunity, but it was all they needed.
The flyers came down and got ready to report that there was nothing, but before they could send out the next batch, which was currently getting ready to take off to let the others rest, the fastbiter herd made their move. They came straight towards Pat. The old longneck saw them and was ready to strike back.
He swung his tail at what he believed to be the right moment, but the fastbiters stopped short. They only felt the wind of the strong attack. They knew he was powerful from the attack, but with their plan, it hardly mattered. The fastbiters moved right after the tail missed and went for the legs, striking him deeply with their claws, the deepest of all being at Pat’s back bad leg.
Pat wailed in great pain as he felt the claws dig into his legs, making his large weight topple over. Pat turned towards the fastbiters and noted how one of them had blood dripping off its claw, which said fastbiter tauntingly licked up, savoring the flavor.
Pat gritted his teeth, figuring the fastbiters got lucky. It was sad he didn’t know the truth. He’d be lucky to notice before his own doom.
While this was happening, a number of fastbiters went for a threehorn within the group. He tried ramming them, but the fastbiters were quick and dodged the on-coming attack. They then made an impossibly fast move and slashed at him at the side of the midsection. The threehorn gritted his teeth and inhaled sharply. He turned towards the area where the injury was and noted that it was barely bleeding and would heal in time, but it would leave quite the mark for a few days.
The flyers swooped down to try and back up the predators into other healthy attackers. However, the fastbiters were able to pinpoint the exact moment and struck the wings. They quickly ended up injured enough that they would be lucky to fly away before the fastbiters made the finishing blow.
The fastbiter leader had yet to involve himself in the fight. They were only injuring each member of the herd enough so they wouldn’t escape. After they were all down, only then would he step-in to deliver the final blow to every member of the herd, and then they would have a nice feast that would last them for days.
The leader quickly noted a few spiketails falling. Those were hardly a match for them. Every spiketail they met ended as their meal. They never failed against those.
The threehorn from earlier didn’t last much longer and soon fell. They were usually more formidable, but they too didn’t last that long. It seemed they would soon add yet another threehorn skull to their collection.
Swimmers didn’t fare much better. At best, they were able to deliver a few punches, but the fastbiter leader knew those were only decoys and grinned when he saw the real ones strike quickly and take them down in only a few slashes to the body. Ducky’s father, who had joined the herd to help find the longneck herd, collapsed soon and closed his eyes, fearing to never see his children or his mate ever again.
The clubtails didn’t last much longer than the spiketails. The boppers on their tails, which they were so proud of, weren’t of much help. These weren’t just defeated, but greatly humiliated.
Soon, all of the members of the leafeater herd were down. A number of the fastbiters let out a roar, signaling the time for the final blow. The leader of the herd came forward and approached the old longneck.
Pat looked upon the fastbiter that was approaching and noted the battle scars upon him. He even noticed the missing eye, probably figuring that this one was the leader of the herd. He couldn’t figure out how they pulled it off. Their herd should’ve been good enough to hold off a group of this size. A part of him wondered if they were one of herds they were warned about.
The fastbiter leader came up to the slender neck and drew his claw back, ready to stab it deep in there and rupture the windpipe within. Suddenly, a large tail struck the leader, knocking him away. The fastbiters looked on as they saw the longneck that had come to the rescue.
Pat looked up and noted the adult longneck that had saved his life. It wasn’t long before nearly one hundred other adult longnecks joined her. The all stood at the ready, prepared to take on the formidable predators that were in front of them.
The leader that was struck got up and noted the new herd that had appeared. He then saw one longneck he knew all too well. It was the leader of the herd that had always eluded them. He was determined that they would not escape him this time. He got up and let out a roar, which ordered the others to attack the new herd, which they obeyed.
The fastbiters made the first move, aiming for the legs of the leader like before. The leader of the longneck herd, Old One, ran towards them. This seemed like the most desperate move, but desperate times called for desperate measures. At the last second, she slid across the ground and twisted her body in a 360, thus extending her tail and striking the pursuing predators halfway through the spin. Upon completion, she was facing the rest of the predators and snarling threateningly at them.
Not being the least bit intimidated, the fastbiter leader let out a hiss, which was the order to continue the attack. Listening, the predators continued their attack and immediately ran past the leader, deciding to attack the rest of the herd.
Having learned the advanced survival tactics from Old One, the new herd was more than a match for the sharpteeth. The new herd easily brought back the fastbiters. Despite being outnumbered and outmatched, the fastbiters continued.
Suddenly, without warning a screech was heard. Turning towards it, the fastbiters noticed that Old One had the tail of the fastbiter leader with one of her large front feet and was threatening to crush him with the other. She then turned towards the rest of the fastbiters.
“Leave us, and that herd alone,” She began, gesturing towards the mix herd the predators attacked earlier, “and we will spare your leader.”
The rest of the herd stopped, not wanting to risk the life of their leader. The leader let out a bunch of caws, telling them to not surrender and that the old longneck was bluffing, which was true, but the predators really didn’t know that. Not wanting to risk it, the group retreated, leaving their leader behind.
Seeing this, Old One smiled and let go of the fastbiter. “You are free to go.” She said, sternly.
With that, the fastbiter took off, planning to give his herd a good beating tonight. Not long after that, and seeing the fastbiter leader disappear in the distance, Old One let out a sigh of relief. In truth, she could never bring herself to purposely murder another creature. She rarely actually killed another, and those times she did were only accidental. She felt that life was precious and thus could never kill another. At most, she only drove away a predator and had them live so they could hunt someone else another day.
She then turned towards the old male longneck. “Is everyone alright?” She asked.
Turning, Pat looked at everyone. They were all injured in one way or another, but otherwise fine. “Looks like everyone will survive, Miss.” He said. He then let out a smile. “You arrived just in time.”
She smiled back. “We were glad to be of assistance,” her smile then disappeared. “But we must be on our way. We are looking for members of our herd that were separated from us.” She said. She then decided it was best to ask the mix herd. “Have any of you seen any longneck children in your travels?” She questioned.
Peaked with interest, Pat struggled to get up, succeeding in doing so. “Yes, we did. Do the two children of such happen to be named ëAli’ and ëRet’?” He asked.
At this point, a younger adult female approached him. “Ali? You found Ali? Where is she?” She asked in great worry.
Pat smiled. “Don’t worry, young miss. Your daughter is safe in The Great Valley.”
Ali’s Mother let out a sigh of relief. She knew her daughter would be safe there and had friends who would take care of her while she waited. “Thank goodness!” She said. “But how did you know she was my daughter?”
Pat’s smile only widened. “Only a mother would worry as much as you did about their child.”
Ali’s mother only smiled back. She did care about her daughter. There’d be no other explanation for her reaction.
Old One turned to her herd. “Everyone, we are going to The Great Valley.” She then turned towards the mixed herd. “And we are going to help them get there.” She concluded.
It took some work, but they soon were able to help them up and assist them back on the long journey home. Soon, they would retrieve their lost ones.
---End Chapter 13---
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Sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoyed it!
See ya later! :^.^:
