Land Before Time is © Universal.
On a lonely path, a single sharptooth wanders aimlessly. It is obvious that he has been wounded in more ways than one, yet he keeps going. The elements batter him mercilessly, but he continues on. All that matters to him is his solitary quest. In his hands rests a single egg. He knows that it will hatch soon, but he dares not stop. All he can do is trek on, hoping to reach his goal before time runs out. Reaching a tall mountain range, he stops to rest for a moment before starting his search for a way thru; for he knows that he is now close to the place where he spent most of his childhood. He finds a passage just before twilight and proceeds to enter it with no fear of what could be waiting. He quickly emerges on the other side and manages to catch a glimpse of the place where he hatched just before the bright circle disappears over the horizon. Before starting his climb down off the hills, he looks at the egg and says "You'll be safe soon." As he descends, he thinks back on all that has happened in his life, and why he has chosen this spot for his hatchling…
Legend of a Friendly Sharptooth
By Longneck 626
The Past
Many years ago, there was one sharptooth who ruled over all. He was the most cunning strategist, the strongest fighter, and the best tracker. No one knew his original name, for by the time he had reached adulthood, others just referred to him as Sharptooth, and woe to any who dared to cross him. For a time, fear of him kept the other sharpteeth from coming close to any leaf-eater herds he was tracking. When he met his end at the hands of Littlefoot and his friends, sharpteeth started to associate the nearby valley, which the hatchlings resided, with extreme danger. It was only the bravest or most suicidal sharptooth who would dare to try hunting near there. Little did they know that a greater danger would come from one of their own….
It has started as just a couple of disappearances. A group of belly-draggers noticed that some of the herd members had suddenly disappear, as if something was stalking them. They shook off that thought immediately. What would dare hunt a sharptooth? The disappearances didn't stop, however. Pretty soon, it wasn't just belly-draggers, but knife-hand and swimming sharpteeth also saw herd members disappearing in an instant, and one group of flying sharpteeth came upon an old graveyard of a huge herd of leaf-eaters. It seemed that the herd had gone into a canyon, and something had attacked them. There was no evidence that anyone in the herd survived.
Soon enough, word of these disappearances reached the right ears, and a herd of ground-stomper sharpteeth recognized the sharptooth that everyone was describing. It sounded just like a sharptooth from their own herd who had heard a few too many legends about the great Sharptooth who had stalked the lands, and wanted to carve out his own place in the herds' memory. This sharptooth wasn't content in making up stories, though. He was actually going out and emulating some of the things they said the Sharptooth was capable of, like hunting down a whole herd or taking out the most feared sharpteeth, the horned-stompers. What stymied them, however, was how he had managed to catch some of the fastest sharpteeth around without being spotted.
Their answer came when he had his first open battle another group of sharpteeth. He was hunting a herd of long-neck leaf-eaters in a wooded plain when he came upon a group of knife-hands who were watching the same herd. They were just getting ready to attack the prey when he plowed out of the trees. Not knowing what to expect, the knife-hands turned towards the intruder and demanded that he state his intentions. He said that he was hunting the same prey, and that they should leave the area, lest they be caught up in his attack. The knife-hands asserted that they had been hunting the prey for a while, and that he should leave for his own health. When he heard this, he issued a direct challenge against them. When they saw that this sharptooth wasn't going to back down, they decided to teach him a lesson. Two of their hunters sprang at him, but he managed to stop them with a couple of swipes of his claw. He then managed to get three more before the group could react. They got into the same poses as when they faced a formidable group of prey and started to circle him, but that left them vulnerable to a couple of fast-biters who charged out of some bushes and started to attack.
Out of the whole group, only one knife-hand succeeded in dealing any major damage. It managed to get a jumping attack on the ground-stomper and dug its' talon into his left side, leaving a deep cut all the way from his eye to his claw before it was grasped and put out of its misery. Pretty soon, between the ground-stomper's strength and the fast-biters' speed, the knife-hands were wiped out, save for a small one who had stayed hidden in some nearby bushes. Taking a sniff, the attackers detected the scent of the hidden one, but instead of immediately attacking, the ground stomper looked at his left side. Seeing that the cut would leave a permanent red scar, it realized that the mark could go hand in hand with a good nickname. It roared "I am Redclaw. Let it be known that anyone who would stand between me and any prey will suffer the same fate as the leaf-eaters we hunt." He then marched off, stalking the long-necks for his own meal. The hidden one waited until it saw him disappear before emerging. With fear in its heart, it ran towards the nearest group of knife-hands to spread news of the attack.
The attacks on both leaf-eaters and sharpteeth continued for quite a while. It seemed to the various herds that Redclaw wanted to make the whole mysterious beyond his own personal hunting ground. While he was only one sharptooth, fear of him started to make other sharpteeth avoid leaving familiar territory, lest they accidentally run into him. That didn't stop him, however. Any herd he ran into, if they offered any resistance at all, he made sure none of them survive.
One day, after receiving another report about the renegade sharptooth, a pair of ground-stompers came up with a crazy idea. It occurred to them that Redclaw was successful in his attacks only because, while most other sharpteeth stayed with their own type, he had other types of sharpteeth who worked with him. They thought that if sharpteeth could learn to work together, they could either eliminate Redclaw or drive him away. The problem was that none of the sharptooth herds had ever learned how to work with others. To remedy this, they would send their hatchling to the strongest place the leaf-eaters had: the great valley. There, he would learn the dynamics of how the herds had learned to co-exist and, armed with that knowledge, lead the other sharpteeth against Redclaw. When they proposed their action, the other members of their herd laughed at them. "What chance would a sharptooth have in that valley? They'll kill him on sight." was the general opinion. "It will work," they countered "for our son has an advantage no sharptooth has ever had before. Some time ago, a group of hatchling leaf-eaters had brought his egg into the valley and cared for him until we found him; and during our sojourn on that accursed island, the same hatchlings saved him from going under the big water. Because of that, we know that he would have a safe place there." They declined to mention that the ones who had saved their son were the same ones who had dealt Sharptooth his death. That would have made their plan seem suicidal.
"But what about the journey? Redclaw seems to know everything. Won't he stop all who might try to defy him?"
"We've thought of that as well. A while back, we met up with a herd of half-tooth fast-runners. They were having a major problem with a plugged-up water source. After we fixed it for them, they promised to do us a favor if we ever needed it. We plan to have one of them guide and protect our hatchling while he's on his journey to the valley. Redclaw is so arrogant that he won't suspect that a simple family of fast-runners would have a design against him."
Seeing the inherent logic of their plan, plus the fact that the ones who proposed it were willing to risk their hatchling on its outcome, the other members of the herd quickly agreed to it. The next day, the two adult ground-stompers gathered up their hatchling and set off to find the fast-runners. It actually took very little effort to find them, seeing as how they were currently nesting in a nearby valley. They recognized the adult ground-stompers almost immediately and invited them into their council area. When the ground-stompers proposed their actions, the fast-runners recognized the brilliance of it. They agreed to go with it, but with one change: instead of coming back after the errand, the guide would stay with the hatchling in the valley. This change was proposed because the fast-runners wanted both a sharptooth and a half-tooth to share the credit if the plan succeeded, but the ground-stompers also saw the potential benefits of having a permanent guide for their son.
After getting the ground-stompers' approval, the fast runners went out among their herd looking for a volunteer for the mission. Almost immediately, one small family offered to help. Their daughter Ruby had always wanted to go on an adventure, and taking a hatchling to the leaf-eaters paradise and watching over him seemed to be something they though her very capable of. After meeting her, the ground-stompers were impressed enough that they brought her over to meet their son. He looked up and stared at the visitor. She looked back at him and said "Now that we will be travelling together, I would like to know your name, for you should always know the name of someone who you are travelling with." Looking up at the fast runner, the ground-stomper answered "I'm Chomper. Who are you?" in perfect leaf-eater.
One Week Later
The plan to get Chomper to the valley was executed perfectly, but even the best of plans can be tripped up by an unforeseen circumstance. When the family of fast-runners was nearing the valley, Redclaw stumbled upon them. They knew they were busted the moment he laid eyes on the hatchling ground-stomper. He immediately went into attack mode, trying to get at anyone he could. Fortunately for all, a fast-runner is much swifter than an adult ground-stomper, so the group managed to temporarily lose him. They took no chances, though. They split up right there, and watched their daughter lead Chomper in the direction of the valley. Satisfied that they were safely on their way, the adults and their remaining hatchlings turned and started heading back home....
After splitting off from the group, Ruby managed to evade Redclaw with very little difficulty. It was only a few moments before the sound of his roars faded into the distance. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to Chomper and said, "I am sure we are safe now, of that I am sure." Looking around, they managed to spot saurus rock in the distance. Now sure of which way to go, the two of them set off for the great valley.
Years Later
Chomper had really grown up. After he had finally gotten too big to be safe in the valley, he had set out on his quest to find various sharptooth herds to join in his cause. While most of the herds he found thought his ideas sounded silly, no one seemed to laugh at him after they found out where he had grown up. There were still legends among the sharpteeth about the valley, that it was a natural fortress, that leaf-eaters had no fear there, that any sharptooth who set foot in there was betting their life against a black demon. He actually got a little amusement from the last legend, having witnessed Mr. Threehorn in battle. They respected him for growing up in a place where no one would ever want to send a sharptooth hatchling. Eventually, he managed to get representatives from the knife-hands, ground-stompers, horned-stompers, and several other types of sharpteeth together to deal with Redclaw. His attack plan played on the fact that Redclaw was so sure of himself, he would constantly attack the valley hoping for an easy meal. They would set up an ambush right at the point where he would try to breach its walls. The other sharpteeth relied on his judgment in the matter, and he in turn answered any questions they posed, save for one. The only thing that Chomper would not reveal was the identity of his mate, for now he was always seen travelling with a purple egg. He would answer questions about what she was like, but he never identified her, except by some gem-sounding nickname. The others figured that his mate was not around anymore, and that it was painful for him to talk about her.
Day of the Ambush
His maneuver had worked like a charm. Redclaw made one of his predictable advances towards the valley, and they had caught him unawares right as he was attacking a weakness in the valley's defenses. He managed to get a couple of his attackers, but they succeeded in driving him right to the edge of a deep canyon. Chomper himself delivered the final blow, sending Redclaw hurtling down a cliff so high that it was impossible for anyone to survive the fall. Afterwards, they all had a little victory celebration before they broke up and headed off towards their homes, although there was talk among the representatives of getting together again and forming a sharptooth council based upon the one the leaf-eaters had in the valley. For Chomper, the battle to him represented the end of a journey that he had started the day he hatched. Right now, he just felt upset at the loss of his driving goal. He was snapped out of his melancholy when a passing fast-runner invited him to visit their home. He perked up at this, for he had wanted to go there for some time, and now was his chance.
One Season Later
They thought Redclaw had finally been defeated, but true sharpteeth hardly stop after one defeat. One such legend was the great Sharptooth, who had survived falling into a canyon after a fight with a long-neck. Chomper felt it odd that he kept remembering this, but it served almost as a prophecy to him. He was finishing up his visit to the fast-runners home, and was planning to go to his own ancestral home to raise his hatchling when a fast-runner sounded an alarm. Thinking that Redclaw's old allies had tracked him down, he went toward where the sharptooth was supposedly spotted. He was surprised when, just as he thought someone had given a false alarm, who but Redclaw himself showed up. Chomper just stared at him until Redclaw got close enough to recognize him. Chomper then looked his enemy in the eye and shouted "What do you want now, another legendary battle for your story?"
Seeing that Chomper understood his motivation in seeking him out, Redclaw replied "I see you know what makes me tick. You're not like other sharpteeth. They all thought I was just a rival hunter who would steal their prey. They never thought they'd be the ones to find out how truly lethal a ground-stomper can be."
Hearing this, Chomper started to feel angry. "So, you did do all those attacks. All the missing sharpteeth, all the lost herds, even the massacre of the leaf-eater herd in that canyon."
At the mention of the last one, Redclaw gave a little chuckle. "That one wasn't me, but since you all wanted to give me the credit, I gladly took it."
"What are you trying to do now?"
"What should it matter? You won't live long enough to stop me."
"Maybe not, but someone will."
"Oh, you mean your little sharptooth alliance? After I finish with you, both they and your leaf-eater friends are next."
Hearing this, Chomper started to feel more enraged than he'd ever been before. There was just no way that Redclaw would hurt his friends. He would go to any length to prevent that. Redclaw was prepared to go all out in this battle as well, for he knew that victory here would all but guarantee his place in the herds' memories.
With a bellow and a quick charge from both sides, the battle started. Chomper was able to hold his own during the fight, but for some reason, Redclaw was a lot stronger than he'd been when they last saw each other. For every wound Chomper managed to deliver, Redclaw repaid him twice over. Pretty soon, Chomper was running out of energy, so Redclaw decided to end it. He wound up and smacked Chomper in the midsection so hard that he felt the wind being knocked out of him and heard a very loud crack somewhere deep inside. Too tired to continue the battle, he collapsed on the ground. Looking at his defeated opponent, Redclaw started to give out a victory screech, but was stopped when he slipped and nearly fell over. Realizing that he had been severely wounded and was in danger if Chomper got up, he dared not stick around to attempt a killing blow. He turned and departed, only stopping to say "I'll see everyone soon." Watching his enemy walk away, all Chomper could do was feebly try to get up. A moment later, even this small effort proved to be too much, and he passed out.
He awoke just as the bright circle was approaching its zenith. Noticing that he wasn't where he had fought Redclaw, he quickly surveyed the area. Off to one side, a small group of fast-runners was watching him. His immediate thoughts turned from them to the fate of his egg. After a few moments of searching, he found it lying in a nest off to his side. He was relieved to see it here unharmed, for he knew Redclaw would make sure it was destroyed if he found it. After a few minutes, he felt well enough to try getting up. It was a delicate process, but he eventually managed to get into a standing position. He knew that, injured or not, he had to go find his sharpteeth allies and relay the news about Redclaw. Gathering up his egg, he started to head off in the direction of the closest place some of them were heading when one of the fast-runners came up to him and said "You looked a little beat-up. Do you need some help?"
"No, thank you. I'm fine."
But as he turned to go on his way, he stumbled a bit. He then realized that he was probably hurt a little more than he thought. Turning back to the fast-runner, he acknowledged his offer of aid.
"Lay down, and I'll see if I can help." the fast-runner said.
Laying the egg and himself down, Chomper gently got into a comfortable position and let the fast-runner tend to him.
It took a few minutes for the fast-runner to examine him. Several times, he felt a jolt of pain whenever something was touched, so he knew that the fight had taken a lot out of him. He was mainly in shock at seeing Redclaw again. He thought he'd eliminated him during their battle by knocking him down into a deep gorge. The fact that Redclaw was still alive meant that Chomper wasn't the only one who was in danger. Redclaw had told him that he would target his allies, specifically the sharpteeth who had fought with him and the leaf-eaters who had raised him. While the other sharpteeth Chomper had worked with to take Redclaw down were still able to defend themselves from sudden attacks, his leaf-eater friends weren't so lucky. He would have to get word to the valley as soon as he could, for if nothing else, he could repay all that they had done for him with a warning of an impending attack. His thoughts were interrupted when the fast-runner moved away from him with a dejected look. He knew that something was wrong. The fast-runner looked up at him and started speaking.
"When I examined you, friend of fast-runners, I felt something broken inside. You must have taken a very hard hit to your midsection. Whatever he broke is stable right now, but sooner or later, it will get worse."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, unfortunately I am. With an injury like that, there is nothing I can do. I don't think you have very long to live."
When Chomper heard this, a decision was quickly made in his mind. He didn't have the strength left to search out his sharptooth comrades, and most other sharpteeth viewed a lost egg as a rare treat. Looking out towards the horizon, he knew that, because of its unique parentage, there was only one place where the egg would possibly be safe. Turning back to the fast runner, he said "Thank you for your help. I appreciated it."
"As I appreciated helping a friend of the herd. Tell me, is there something else my kin and I can do?"
Chomper immediately started pointing in the direction of the island where he had briefly lived as a hatchling and said "In that direction, a couple of days walk away, there is a green field by the big water. It is used as a nesting ground for the knife-hands. Please go there and deliver a message."
"Okay."
"Tell them that the one we had gathered against has returned, and has called out everyone in the alliance as a potential target. Tell them that one of their own will have to figure out how to find the others and ask them to gather together as many hunters as they can. If they ask why I will not, please stress that I had to do one last task before I succumbed to my injuries. When they ask the purpose of the hunters, state that although Redclaw defeated me, I managed to do a good bit of damage to him as well. For a brief time, he will be vulnerable, and if they can stop Redclaw before he can recuperate, it will be a lot less risky to whoever does this. If they ask who will lead them, state that you will help them find one who is worthy."
"Anything else?"
"One more thing. Above all else, they will need to send some hunters to protect the great valley. Redclaw has targeted that place again, and if he succeeds, I fear the devastation will reverberate far beyond the walls of the valley. Can I count on you and your kin to do all this?"
"Of course. It would be an honor to do all this for such a noble sharptooth ally. But what do you plan to do with yourself?"
Looking down at his egg, then back at the fast-runner, Chomper took a deep breath and said "I will, as my last act, warn the valley of the looming danger."
The fast runner stared at him for a moment, but didn't say anything more. Turning back towards its comrades, it started getting them ready for travel. Chomper, meanwhile, had gotten himself back into a standing position. Reaching down and carefully picking up the egg, he started off towards the great valley...
Present Day
He was jolted out of his remembrance by the sound of something charging. While he was remembering his past, he had gone from the southernmost point in the valley to the meadow in front of the secret caves. He remembered that most of the leaf-eaters in this valley were still deathly afraid of sharpteeth, so his arrival was probably going to cause a panic; and when he presented his news and the request of safety for his egg, he would only hope that someone would be able to see everything that was at stake. Turning towards the charging sound, he was surprised to see what looked like a cross between a longneck and a threehorn. It was playing a game with what looked like a cross between a swimmer and a flyer. This told Chomper that things had really changed in the valley since he left. He also had a sneaky suspicion that he knew whose hatchlings these were, but he didn't want to head straight towards them in case he turned out to be wrong. The sight of a sharptooth threatening a hatchling would not help his cause. He turned to continue on when he suddenly was struck with a coughing fit. He found that it had become a bit hard to breathe, and he realized that whatever had been injured inside him was starting to take its toll. Going at a slower pace, he searched around for a safe place to lie down. Spotting a nearby entrance to the caves, he went inside and found a small nest in a nearby antechamber. Lying down there, all he could do now was hope that the residents of the nest would be back soon. It seemed that he was rewarded for his efforts, for almost immediately he looked up and saw the two unique kids he had glimpsed before coming towards him again….
Petrie and Ducky were exhausted. They had just finished up a play date between their daughter Terana and Littlefoot and Cera's son Bambo, and were taking the kids back for a mid-afternoon nap before Bambo's parents came to collect him. Bambo, of course, didn't want to go to sleep, and neither did Terana. It seemed to the two mates that whenever the kids got together, they would get into all kinds of mischief. Ever since Terana had hatched a couple of seasons ago, she and Bambo were inseparable. Hardly a day seemed to go by without the two of them coming together for some fun. They called out to the kids to slow down, but were startled when a strange voice reverberated from their nest area. Putting all exhaustion aside, they ran forward to see who was there. They rounded a turn and came face to face with their worst fear: a sharptooth lying in their nest. It didn't help that the kids were going up towards him.
"Terana, Bambo," Petrie yelled. "Get away from there now."
The sharptooth looked up and happened to get his first glance at Petrie and Ducky. They expected his to get up and attack, but were too rooted to the spot with fear. The sharptooth surprised them, however, when a second later he called out in leaf-eater "Ducky? Petrie? Is that you?" Hearing his voice again seemed to trigger a memory for them. They knew this sharptooth.
"Chomper?" Ducky asked.
"Yep, it's me." he replied.
They hardly recognized their old friend. He had grown from a young hatchling to a huge sharptooth, with strong arms, legs, and a set of visibly sharp teeth. He was also sprouting a collection of scars all over his body, from a gash right between his eyes to a permanently red toe. What drew them the most, however, was a big indentation in his chest. It looked like something had tried to go straight through him.
Noticing that they had been drawn towards his scars, he commented "It's tough out there in the mysterious beyond." He was then hit with another coughing fit. When it finally went away, his breath seemed a bit shallower. "As you can probably guess from this wound," he said, pointing to the one on his chest, "I will not be around much longer, but before I go, I had to come bearing a message and a final request."
Seeing that their friend was in a weakened state and declining rapidly, they moved Bambo and Terana off to a far corner to rest before turning back and indicating that they were ready for his message. He skipped all pretenses and just blurted out "Redclaw is back. He is the one who did this to me, and he told me that he intends to target you as well. When I fought him, he defeated me with no problem at all, so somehow he has gotten a lot stronger. I met up with a helpful fast-runner after my battle, so the sharpteeth are aware of him. They will provide as much protection as they can. Hopefully he'll never set foot inside this valley, but you guys had to know so that you wouldn't be caught unawares."
This news sent a shiver down the leaf-eaters backs. Redclaw had been a handful the last time he had targeted the valley, and if he had gotten even stronger, who knows what he could do. They would have to let everyone in the valley know as soon as possible. They thanked him for the news and asked him what his request was. He tensed up at this.
"It deals directly with my egg." he replied, pointing directly at it. "I can sense that it will hatch soon. Ever since the egg was laid, my greatest hope has been that my hatchling would be able to grow up in a place where he wouldn't have to worry about his own survival on a constant basis. I came here knowing that this is the safest place for anyone to grow up. I want to ask this one last thing from you: will you please watch over the egg? Will you care for him and treat him as if he was your own?"
This request was probably the most surprising thing Ducky and Petrie had ever heard. They were knocked speechless, so he continued.
"I know this valley stands as a beacon of peace for all leaf-eaters. It is the perfect place to raise anyone. I know he will be viewed as a threat, but I remember that a small sharptooth will be able to survive here for quite a while before he actually has to hunt others, so I ask this of you as a true friend: please protect him. I know I can trust you two with him more than anyone else in the world."
"But what about your mate? Will she ever come looking for the hatchling, like your parents did for you?" Ducky asked.
"Oh, if only it were it that simple. I am still haunted by it, the memory of my greatest failure. She disappeared in the dead of night shortly after she laid the egg. We were on a migration, and she had been carrying the egg while I searched for anyplace nearby where we could rest. One minute she was by my side, and the next, she was gone. I searched high and low for her, but whatever happened, she was never seen again. It's been so long since I've seen her that I've pretty much given up hope of ever finding her alive. It was sheer fate that spared the child, for I managed to find the egg before it lost all warmth. It was on the edge of a river, and I could only guess that she fell in while she was getting a drink of water. After that day, I never let the egg out of my sight, for fear it would suffer a worse fate than my mate." Giving a little gasp, he then looked directly at them and said "I know you two would be able to care for him, at least until he can survive on his own."
Petrie and Ducky were shocked beyond belief. Here was their old friend, dying in their nest, just so that he could warn them of an attack and imploring them to take care of his egg. The situation soon turned into a heated debate between the two mates on whether or not to accept the responsibility. On the one hand, Chomper had helped them out so many times in the past that they felt that they wanted to grant his dying wish. On the other hand, they were worried about the potential harm to both Terana and everyone else in the valley if the hatchling ever decided to fully embrace its sharptooth heritage. Sure, they had said that they would gladly care for a lost egg, but they had never anticipated caring for a sharptooth. Their debate seemed to drag on for ages until they were interrupted when Chomper coughed and pointed down. Following his gesture, they looked and saw that the egg had hatched while they weren't looking. Glancing down, they got their first look at their old friend's new child. It was a purple colored boy who had the look of a sharptooth, but something seemed to be off. His leg muscles seemed to be curved more towards running than stomping, his arms seemed to be longer than usual, and when he gave a big yawn, they saw that he had a mix of flat and sharp teeth. After looking at the child for a few moments, they realized who Chomper's mate had been, and that fact greatly eased their fears about the child. Glancing at each other, they made their decision. Turning back to their old friend, they answered "Yes. We will watch him."
Hearing their answer, Chomper knew then that his journey had not been in vain. Indicating for them to come closer, he whispered something else to them. His breathing turned raspy as he then looked down at the small forms of Bambo and Terana before saying "Be good, hatchlings. You carry the memory of the best leaf-eaters in the great valley or mysterious beyond I've ever known." And with that, he laid back and was silent forever more. Watching her sharptooth friend take his last breath, Ducky immediately began to cry. Petrie comforted her as best he could, but it was quite a while before she stopped.
The Next Day
He was buried in a small field near where he and his friends had played together all those years ago. Almost every dinosaur in the valley turned out to pay their respects. Everyone remembered the sharptooth as one who never caused any problems and was always willing to help others. When they heard about all he had done, especially how he had returned to the valley to warn them at the cost of his own life, they recognized that he truly had been a living symbol to everything the valley stood for. After the mourning ritual ended, the herds broke up and headed back towards their respective areas, save for Petrie and Ducky, who lingered at the site with Terana and the sharptooth hatchling. It had hit them harder them most, for they had both seen him at his final moments, and they now carried a secret he only wanted revealed to his son when he was old enough to understand. They stayed at the site for quite a while as they were remembering everything that had gone on between them and their old friend. It was only when the bright circle was almost gone that they looked and saw that both kids had fallen asleep. Carefully gathering them up, they started in the direction of their nest. Before they left the site, however, Ducky turned to her mate and asked "So, what are we going to call him?" After a second, the name came to Petrie. He knew, without a doubt, that the hatchling's father would have approved of it.
"Chomper."
The end