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A flyer leans the Truth!As Longtail began to awaken, he noticed…something was wrong…he was being held by something, or someone…..he noted with a grim disposition that he was being held by his most hated enemy….a sharptooth, but not just any sharptooth…”It’s you….it can’t be….” Stuttered Longtail “Oh but it is me my child.” said the sharptooth with a grin on her face.
When Longtail decided to look around he saw that he wasn’t the only captive in the sharptooths’ clutches. They were also holding Littlefoot hostage as well….and then Longtail knew he’d have to change tactics if he wanted Littlefoot to come out of this unhurt.
Just then Littlefoot began to wake up as well, and then asked “Longtail, where are we?” But of course Longtail didn’t answer….one of the shrpteeth did. “Don’t worry little one, you are still inside your Great Valley…just not anywhere you know of.”
“Well this stinks…” commented Longtail, but for his muttered out-burst the young flyer received a swift kick in his stomach, forcing him to cough just a bit. “Well, well, well, I didn’t know you still held a grudge….I mean after all this time I thought you would’ve forgotten all about that messy little tussle we had out in the Mysterious Beyond.” said Longtail to the lead sharptooth
But of course this only served to get Longtail another forceful smack, this time across his face. Littlefoot couldn’t understand how Longtail could just sit their and take that kind of abuse…but of course, from what he had heard, Longtail had survived much worse.
“I-If I may a-a-ask, what is your name?” croaked Littlefoot to the lead sharptooth. And she of course answered. “My name dear child is…” “Her name is Darktooth Littlefoot, supposedly one of the most feared sharpteeth in the entire Mysterious Beyond…or so the rumor goes.”
That one sentence finishing outburst got Longtail a very painful induced roundhouse tail whip from every single sharptooth in striking distance. “Look can you just take us to our friends in the center of the Valley, because if the others made it back to the elders, then you may be able to reach a favorable type of deal.” Said Longtail in a distant, almost dream like voice.
When Darktooth was about to strike again, she stopped herself and said “Yes, that is a very good idea, you may have a place here yet.” She then turned to her brother and said "Sniff out the rest of the valley herd so we can get this...deal underway!"
Inside the center of the Great valley….“WHAT?!” roared Cera’s father in a fit of rage. “You must remember that the children didn’t mean for this to happen, but now that it has, we have to find a way to get them back, especially Littlefoot.” said Grandpa Longneck
“Wait what about Longtail? Are we just going to leave him with those vile sharpteeth?” asked Petries mother with a hint of concern in her voice.
“Of course we are!” cried Topsy “No we’re not!” shouted Littlefoot’s grandmother “Well then what are we going to do?” asked Tria “I say we try to face a bargain with these sharpteeth”
“That was MY idea!” cried a voice everyone recognized almost immediately. The elders looked over to the bushes on their right and noticed that along with Longtail, was of course Littlefoot, but they were both being held by sharpteeth.
“This is all my fault….I should’ve KILLED YOU WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE!!!!” screamed Longtail at the top of his lungs at Darktooth who was holding him in her claws.
Darktooth looked calmly down at Longtail, and said “Don’t worry little one, you may still get the chance to kill…it just won’t be me.”
At this point Longtail was obviously confused, and to clarify the situation, Darktooth said “Let the little longneck go….and don’t even THINK about questioning me….just do it.”
The other sharpteeth did as they were told and let Littlefoot go, and of course he wasted no time in running to his family who was waiting for him at the far end of the meeting circle.
ëBut what about Longtail….we can’t just leave him with those monsters!' thought Littlefoot to himself
Darktooth then opened her mouth, exposing her pearl white teeth, and one began to change color….and she placed her open maw over Longtails neck….and said:
“Oh don’t worry young one this won’t hurt a bit…….”
As Darktooth prepared to do what she had dreamed of for years, she spoke up one more time… “If you have anything terribly important to your little friends, I would do so now….because once I’m done with you…well let’s just say you won’t be you” she aid with a sly look on her face.
Longtail looked at his captor out of the corner of his eye as she dug her blood red fang, and the rest of her teeth into his neck, and held it there for what felt like forever, and even though in reality it was only a few short seconds The fang seemed to be getting hotter with each passing second….at one point Longtail could’ve sworn she was going to burn a hole through his neck.
Then just as quickly as it had started, Darktooth removed her jaw from his neck, and casually threw Longtail into the center of the field.
ëSo….what now?’ thought Littlefoot to himself.
ëThis can’t be good…she bites him and then lets him go?’ Just then, Longtail began to feel sick to his stomach…really, really sick…he insides were on fire, but his outsides were freezing over…his vision began to blur…he broke into a cold sweat…his mind was so dissolved by all this happening at once…that he couldn’t even form a full sentence…as a matter of fact, he couldn’t speak….at all!
And right then in that moment, Longtail’s heart skipped a beat…and then his body, and his mind, were assaulted by what would felt like fire…burning, slowly enraging and killing the young flyer.
But every time he opened his eyes Longtail saw the friends he had made, before and after arriving in the Great Valley. Longtails vision was only getting worse…a red cloud began to form around his eyes and he knew something was terribly wrong.
He could feel his emotions flaring like a fire during the dry spell…the two most dominating were his anger, and hatred. Every moment that passed he only became more and more angry with not only the one responsible for this, but at the elders for not trying to help get him out of trouble.
Longtail knew he could never truly hate anyone in the valley herd, but this new sensation was just too overpowering…and while sitting still would have been a good idea his body went into convulsions…causing the flyer only more blinding, mind numbing pain.
Then to add more fear to the valley herd watching, Longtail began to bleed...it started slowly, leaking out of his nose…then it sped up, and then started to drip from his mouth, and finally as he attempted to breath, he forced out a cough and of course a small spatter of blood was the result.
“You see, this is what I like to call the Sharptooth disease. It infects the host, and in this little ones case…” gesturing towards Longtail… “It can change someone from a sweet, innocent child, into your worst fears!”
“But why him?” asked Topsy. “What this child did to me is none of your concern…but at this point…you and your herd have three choices…..One, you let the flyer turn into a sharptooth, and he kills you all….Two, the child transforms and you defend yourselves and kill him, or Third, if he continues to resist this as he has…it will just run its course and kill him…..so, you see either way I win!”
With one last long look into the eyes of his newest friends, and two he considered family in the valley, Longtail the flyer put his bloodied head onto the stained grass beneath him, and closed his eyes…hoping his pain and anguish would disappear forever as his heart beat became slower, and slower and slower…..
….but it was not to be….as Longtail soon discovered. “Not again!” said the flyer as loud as his weak and tired voice would allow.
ëIt seems to me…’ started the voice, but was cut off by Longtail.
“No..." he sad inbetween breaths "I’m done listening to you….now you WILL listen to me. I finally have questions that I want answered NOW!” The voice simply gave a grunt of approval and allowed the child to continue
“I want to know three things: One, who am I….Two, what am I and don’t say a flyer…and Three, show me this ëGuardian spirit’ you keep referring to.” Said Longtail in an even toned voice
ëWell child I for one am finally glad to see you’ve learned your first lesson about being a Guardian….knowing when to take command of a bad situation….’ said the voice, with an almost motherly embrace. Then it continued talking
ëAs to the answers to your questions…I’d be happy to help you. Although not in the order you asked them. First…to put it simply you are right you’re not just a flyer, you are also half sharptooth by blood.’Although Longtail knew he had heard the voice correctly, he at this point in time just didn’t care. While still lying on his stomach, in the light he simply looked up and said “Yeah, what else ya’ got?”
The voice then seemed again pleased with the flyers response.
ëMy, my, it looks like your learning all over the place today. The second lesson of a Guardian is, knowing when to let go of your feelings and emotions…as they can sometimes hurt you when they get in the way of protecting the ones you care about.’Longtail again wasn’t even so much as moved…as his answer dictated “And the hundred treestar question is…”
ëHmm…It looks like you have a stronger heart than I realized…and now for your final answer....your real birth name is…Longtail Skyfire.’ That last answer caught Longtail by surprise as he raised his head as high as he could while still laying on his stomach. “You mean the name my friends gave me only a few days ago….is the same name my birth parents gave only moments after I hatched?!?!”
The voice gave a pleased grunt of approval, and said
ëyes little one…Longtail has been and will always be your own name.’ “Well…” began Longtail “…this is pretty cool.” “So, do have any other words of wisdom, oh mysterious light?” asked the flyer with a hint of pride in his voice.
ëWhy as a matter of fact…I do have something to show you, but first you must do one thing for me….’ “And that would be what?” asked a somewhat confused Longtail
ëWhy it is really quite simple…all you have to do to see what I have to show you is….change the color in your right eye.’“You want me to WHAT!?!” cried Longtail still knowing he actually couldn’t move his body he still felt a shiver go down his spine. “H-How do I do that?” he stammered to the voice.
ëChange the color in your right eye…just like this.’ And without knowing where the voice was coming from, he felt a jolt, like sky fire (that’s lighting to you and me) his right eye dilated and he could see it happen like looking in the water at his reflection, and indeed his right eye changed colors from a hot pink, to a sun-burst yellow.
And his response to this change was two-fold “It’s just as bright as the Day Circle….but why do I feel….different.” The voice of course sensing the young ones distress said
ëNow that you have learned to open your heart to the truth of your past and family….I can show you my secret.’ “What secret?” asked Longtail
ëJust stand up and you’ll see what I mean.’ Said the voice, and Longtail did as he was told and finally found the strength to stand on his two feet. But upon standing, a soft yellow glow began to radiate from where his heart would be.
As surprising as this was to the flyer, he didn’t have time to respond, for at that very moment, the yellow light drifted away from his chest and moved a distance from the child. Then the ball of light began to take on a shape, and then a whole new form…“No, you can’t be….it’s not possible….I’m facing a-a-a-….”
ëYes, little one’ said the voice looking down at him from the air
ëI am a Guardian…and not just any Guardian…..but your guiding spirit. And I have one other thing to tell you little one…..’ But before Longtail could get past his current shock the spirit then told him
ëI am your mother…………’