Chapter 1: A Special Visit
Sonic zoomed through valleys and hills. The blue hedgehog stopped near a high hill, looking towards the sky. He smiled and enjoyed a soft breeze as it passed by. Sonic then wondered how his dinosaur friends were doing. So, he decided to go see them again. It had been more than a month since Sonic visited the dinosaurs. He wondered if anything special happened while he was away. Sonic zoomed back to Tails' house and got the time machine ready. Tails had finished remodeling the time device from their last adventure into something else. Last time, the device was like a small handheld computer, now it was like a metal wristwatch. Tails then told Sonic how it worked. Tails then activated the portal. Sonic told Tails that he would be back soon. "Okay Sonic" Tails simply said. Sonic then jumped through the portal and vanished. Tails wanted to stay this time and Knuckles was back to guarding the Master Emerald.
Meanwhile by Eggman's battleship…
Eggman started carrying the water-damaged robot suits back to his battleship. A big door slid open through the roof of the ship, and Eggman flew in. The evil genius started to fix them. The Claw Heads were very upset that they failed to destroy Sonic and the kids, and that the river blast ruined their suits.
"I cannot believe that we were beaten by that Fast Rat and his 2 odd friends" growled Ozzy. "If only that water didn't hit us, we would have destroyed those kids and that Runner." Ozzy looked at the ground in great anger and shook his hands.
"Well, that Knuckles was too strong and that 2 tailed Flyer was too smart" groaned Strut.
Ozzy glared at his brother. "Don't remind me!" Strut groaned sadly and looked away.
Suddenly, both Egg Nappers jumped when they heard loud snarling sounds. They turned toward the sound. It came from the raptors that Eggman had captured recently. Fortunately, the snarling Sharpteeth were locked in a strong metal cage, so the Claw Heads were safe.
"Why did Eggman have to bring those Sharpteeth here anyway?" pondered Ozzy.
"I don't know. Maybe he wants to be friends with them" said Strut.
Ozzy glared at Strut. "Sharpteeth do not have friends!" Strut covered his head and moaned in sadness.
Eggman then came walking in. Ozzy then frowned at the evil genius.
"Why did you bring them here?" asked Ozzy as he pointed at the raptors.
"Because they will be our new fighters. They will help us destroy Sonic and the others" stated Eggman.
Both Egg Nappers looked at Eggman in confusion. Ozzy raised an eyebrow.
"Are you crazy? How will they help us? Sharpteeth are mean" said Ozzy.
"Yeah. Very mean" added Strut.
The evil genius looked at the Claw Heads and grinned. "Oh, you'll see. I will get them to listen" said Eggman.
The Claw Heads wondered how he will do that. Eggman then walked to his computer and started working. He used a big claw to pick up the metal cage and sent it over to some machines. He used some type of sleeping gas to knock out the raptors. Giant robotic hands grabbed the raptors and started adding armor and other parts. The Claw Heads looked wide-eyed at the raptors in confusion and fear. They wondered what Eggman was doing. The evil genius watched and grinned darkly. He was transforming them into something else. Eggman also started to rework the raptor suits and his Eggasaurus. He was going to make sure that the suits would not fail this time.
Meanwhile, in the Great Valley…
Littlefoot was chasing a dragonfly while Cera and the others were getting themselves some leaves to eat. Littlefoot followed the dragonfly by a small cliff. He almost fell off, but he managed to stop himself from falling. He suddenly spotted something in the distance. It was a herd of Longnecks. Cera and the others finally found Littlefoot looking at the Longneck herd.
"Hey, they are Longnecks just like you Littlefoot" said Ducky.
"Yeah. I wonder where they came from" said Littlefoot.
Littlefoot then went to tell his grandparents about the herd. They tell him that they already know and that they are going to greet them. Grandma Longneck started cleaning Littlefoot with her tongue, so that he will look nice. Littlefoot wondered who the Longnecks that were coming to visit were.
"Who are they? And where do they come from?" asked Littlefoot.
"They're our cousins, Littlefoot" answered Grandpa Longneck. "They're a migrating herd."
"Migrating?" wondered Littlefoot.
"That means they travel and live in different places" explained Grandpa Longneck.
"You mean, instead of living in one place like us?" asked Littlefoot.
"That's right" answered Grandma Longneck.
Littlefoot then says that he wouldn't like migrating and that he likes staying in the Great Valley. His grandparents agreed with their grandson. Suddenly, Littlefoot and his grandparents saw a gust of wind zoom by. Then it stopped near them. Littlefoot and his grandparents smiled. It was Sonic! He came back again.
"Sonic!" exclaimed all 3 Longnecks. Sonic smiled back and waved. They all walked over to the blue hedgehog. Some other dinosaurs were also happy to see Sonic.
Littlefoot hugged Sonic and Sonic returned it.
"Hey guys!" exclaimed Sonic.
"It's great to see you again!" said Littlefoot.
"You too!" replied Sonic.
"So you've come to visit again?" said Grandpa Longneck.
Sonic nodded. "Yep. So, did I miss anything?"
Grandma Longneck shook her head. "Not really. But our cousins have arrived."
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Cousins? I didn't know that you had cousins."
Grandpa Longneck nodded. "They migrate which is why we don't see them often."
"Oh" said Sonic. "So, they don't live here?"
Grandpa Longneck shook his head. "They always travel to different places."
Sonic was now in deep thought. "That's just like me" thought Sonic.
Littlefoot then thought of something. "Sonic, do you migrate?"
Sonic thought for a moment then said, "Well, sort of. I do travel a lot but I mostly spend time with my friend Tails."
Littlefoot looked a little sad. "Sometimes I wish you could stay in the Great Valley."
Sonic looked a little sad too. "I know." But then Sonic smiles, "But I'll always come to visit you guys."
Sonic then patted Littlefoot's head. Littlefoot then smiled and hugged Sonic again. Sonic chuckled a little.
Grandpa Longneck then said that he and the other grownups were deciding to give Sonic a better nickname because Sonic was faster than a Fast Runner and he goes with the wind. So, they decided to nickname him, 'Wind Runner.'
Sonic rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. Sonic then smiled. "I like it."
Littlefoot's grandparents smiled happily. "We all agree then" said Grandpa Longneck.
"At least they didn't name me Spike Runner or Fast Spiketail" thought Sonic.
"Come. Let's go welcome our cousins" said Grandpa Longneck.
"Okay!" said Littlefoot.
Littlefoot, Sonic and the grandparents went to greet the Longneck cousins.
"I hope they won't be afraid of me" said Sonic.
"Don't worry. They'll be fine" said Grandpa Longneck.
"Yeah, they'll like you" said Littlefoot with a smile. Sonic then smiled back.
"Hey, do you think they have kids?" asked Littlefoot.
"I'm sure they do" answered Grandpa Longneck. Sonic nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, Grandpa Longneck fell to the side of a rock wall. Littlefoot and Sonic stopped walking and raised an eyebrow.
"Grandpa!" exclaimed Littlefoot.
"Are you alright?" asked Grandma Longneck.
"Hey, you okay? Are you hurt?" asked Sonic.
Grandpa Longneck got back up and looked confused. "Strange. I never felt so tired."
Grandma Longneck then suggested that they should stay at their nest. But Grandpa Longneck then said that he was fine. He smiled to assure her. Grandma Longneck didn't look convinced. Neither did Sonic.
Sonic raised an eyebrow. Grandpa Longneck then told Littlefoot to lead the way. They all started to walk to their visitors. Grandma Longneck looked at Grandpa Longneck with great concern.
"I'm fine grandma. Really" said Grandpa Longneck.
They continued walking again. All the dinosaurs met on a hill to greet and welcome the Longneck herd. The cousins were tan and light tan colored. The leader of the herd was an elderly female Longneck called 'Old One.' The Old One had a long mark of some kind near the left eye. The Longneck cousins looked very curiously at Sonic. They never saw something like him. Fortunately, they were not afraid of Sonic. They wondered where Sonic came from. Sonic waved shyly. Littlefoot's grandparents then told their cousins Sonic's nickname. Sonic then showed the cousins his speed. They were very amazed by Sonic's ability. Some of the cousins smiled at Sonic. But the Old One gave Sonic a weird look then looked at the valley. Sonic raised an eyebrow. He then thought that the Old One was odd. The Old One then looked at Littlefoot's grandparents.
"Tell me, how is your climate?" asked Old One.
"Our climate? It… It's fine" said Grandma Longneck.
"And your land? Has it changed?" Old One asked again.
"Why no, it hasn't" replied Grandpa Longneck.
"Good" Old One simply said.
Grandpa and Grandma Longneck looked at each other in confusion. They wondered what the Old One meant. Unknown to everyone, Eggman's spy bot was watching from a distance.
The Old One then looked far and wide at the Valley. "Of course, who knows how long that will last?"
Cera then said what did the Old One mean by that. Littlefoot shushed Cera so he could hear. Cera hmphed and walked away. The Old One then said that her herd has roamed far and she has seen lots of things changing. All the dino parents gasped at what the Old One said. Grandma Longneck then asked if changes will happen in the Valley as well. The Old One looked out into the Valley again.
"I don't know" replied Old One. "All I do know is that once our land was just like yours."
The Old One explained that their old home was just like the Great Valley, until great rains came down on their land with no signs of stopping. The waters turned their land into a marshland, and it became the home to strange and dangerous creatures. Other tiny creatures took refuge in the trees, so that meant that they could not eat the leaves. Their land had changed into 'The Land of Mists.' They were all forced to leave that place behind. Grandma Longneck then asked if they would be staying with them. But the Old One said that they don't stay in one place for too long because they still believe that everything changes. The Old One then suggested that the grandparents and the other Longnecks may go with them when they decide to leave.
"After all, there is safety in numbers" said Old One.
The Old One then looked at Sonic. "You're not from this land are you?" asked Old One.
Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Well, no. But I do like it here."
"I suggest that you be careful. You may have a great ability but you don't look so strong" said Old One.
The Old One and the others started walking away. Sonic crossed his arms and frowned at the Old One as she walked away.
"I can take of myself thank you very much" thought Sonic.
Eggman listened through his spy bot. He grinned when he heard the Old One mention dangerous creatures in their old home.
"Land of Mists eh?" said Eggman as he grinned darkly.
End of Chapter 1