Here is the first in a series of oneshots and short stories featuring the gang and my OC. The series will span from when Chomper meets Arya to sometime after the events of "Past and Future". I will also be rewriting that story and posting it here as I am not as happy as I was with it before.

Summary: While exploring the Secret Caverns, the gang find themselves trapped in a canyon. Chomper makes a new friend in a young Sharptooth who shows them the way out.

An Encounter in the Canyon

The heat of the Bright Circle burned high in the sky. It was the middle of the Warm Time which meant that it could get awfully hot during the day. Many creatures both big and small searched for ways to combat the heat, whether that be finding shade or go for a refreshing swim.

In the Mysterious Beyond, a group of seven young dinosaurs emerged from a cave, blinking as their eyes adjusted to the sun. The group was consisted of seven different kinds: a Longneck, a Threehorn, a Spiketail, a Swimmer, a Flier, and a Fast Runner and, surprisingly enough, a Sharptooth. They had all entered the Time of Great Growing some time ago and were now in their early to mid-teens. The group looked around at the small canyon they had entered with interest. They had planned on exploring the unknown parts of the Secret Caverns that day and unfortunately a cave-in cut them off from the way back to the Great Valley. So they had to go deeper into the tunnels to look for a way back. This was a new place that none of them recognized so they were eager to explore it. The canyon itself was a large channel with a little stream running through it and random bushes dotted the ground.

Cera, the Threehorn, was the first to speak. "Great." She groaned. "Where are we now?"

"Maybe we came out somewhere else in the Valley." The Longneck who was named Littlefoot thoughtfully spoke up, walking further into the chasm with his friends trailing behind him.

"Doesn't look like any part of the Valley I've seen." Cera grumbled.

"Where do we go now? Now where do we go?" The Fast Runner named Ruby asked, bring up the rear of the group with Chomper, the young Sharptooth.

"Hmm. . ." Littlefoot paused in thought to consider her words before replying. "Maybe if we follow this canyon we can see where we are?"

"That is a good idea, Littlefoot! Yep! Yep! Yep!" The Swimmer named Ducky, who was walking by Spike the Spiketail's side, cried. Spike grunted in approval.

The rest agreed and with that they began to walk farther into the canyon. An hour or so later, they came to an intersection in the gorge that split off in three different directions. Here, the stream emptied into a small bay before it turned into rapids down the farthest right passageway. More bushes dotted the landscape, though larger than the ones that they had been seeing. It was a good place to take a break to eat and get a drink before they resumed their journey.

They separated and went to go eat their fill. Some of the Leaf Eaters moved to the bushes to eat while the rest went to the water to quench their thirst. Chomper waded into the moving water to try his luck at catching fish. Ruby had been teaching him how to fish when bugs didn't seem to be filling him up as much anymore. He was a fast learner and caught on quickly. He was nearly waist deep when he suddenly froze and began sniffing, his eyes darting around nervously.

Littlefoot noticed this and approached his friend with a look of concern. "What's wrong, Chomper?"

Chomper didn't answer at first as he waded back to shore and resumed sniffing the air. Finally, he spoke. "Guys, I don't think we're in the Great Valley. I think we're in the Mysterious Beyond!"

"W-Why you say that?" Petrie, the Flier, whimpered from his perch on Spike's back.

"Because I think I smell a Sharptooth." He paused to double check the scent and his face became one of alarm. "And it's coming this way!" He cried.

His friends' eyes widened in horror as a chorus of "oh no" echoed throughout the group. Thinking fast, Littlefoot spotted a large pile of rocks on the far side of the chasm big enough for them all to hide behind. It wasn't be the best hiding place, but it would have to do on short notice.

"Over there!" He quickly ran toward the pile. "We can hide here!"

"But won't it find us?" Cera questioned. "I mean, that's not a very good hiding place."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Littlefoot retorted. Cera grumbled, but quickly ducked behind the mass of stone with the rest quickly following.

No sooner than they ducked out of sight that a silhouette appeared on the rock wall of the middle path. They held their breath and clutched onto each other as the shadow drew closer and closer. Finally, a pale grey Sharptooth like Chomper stepped into view. It had honey coloured eyes and was littered with faint scars that showed the harshness of life in the Mysterious Beyond. The surprising thing was that it looked to be about their age if not slightly older. Most of the Sharpteeth that they encountered on their adventures were adults and very few had young with them.

The Sharptooth approached the water and stooped down to take a drink. The Sharptooth swallowed a couple gulps before rearing back up. Then it hesitated and to their dismay began to smell the air and look around. The gang braced for the inevitable sprint that would happen once the Sharptooth figured out their hiding place. The Sharptooth's gaze fell onto the rock pile and it opened its mouth.

"I know you're there."

Chomper almost gasped when the Sharptooth, now revealed to be a female, seemed to address him. He mentally cursed his kind's superior sense of smell. Of course she could smell them! Of all the places he and his friends hid from Sharpteeth, this was one of the worst. Luckily, if it came down to it, they could probably take her in a fight. He knew Cera would be all for it.

"Come on out." The female Sharptooth's voice shook him out of his thoughts. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his friends watching him as if waiting for a translation.

The Sharptooth continued. "I smell Leaf Eaters in there with you. Live ones. If you're not going to eat them then what are you doing with them?"

Chomper noted that she had sounded genuinely curious, not judgemental like other Sharpteeth he had actually gotten to talk to. Even his parents were somewhat at odds with his choice of friends, although it had gotten better since Littlefoot and the others left the island.

Dumbfounded, Chomper couldn't help but reply. "They're . . . They're my friends." His declaration seemed to puzzle her and she cocked her head and frowned. He was ready for her to start laughing or say something rude.

". . . Okay."She breathed deeply. "Well, you can come out you know. I won't try anything."

Chomper's jaw dropped. He could vaguely hear his friends whispering to him in concern and for translations. He raised his hand to them in a reassuring gesture before replying. "R . . . Really?"

The female Sharptooth nodded. "Promise. I'd rather not risk getting my tail handed to me."

Chomper grinned widely and eagerly summarised the conversation to his friends despite his mind still trying to grasp what just happened. Was this really a Sharptooth he could possibly teach to be friendly? She seemed nice enough. And she didn't try to attack them yet so that was a plus. He couldn't stop smiling when it set in that what happened had actually happened. Of course, someone had to bring logic into it . . .

"Are you crazy?!" Cera all but shouted when he suggested leaving the protection of the rocks. "You actually believe that Sharptooth?! How do we even know she's telling the truth? What if she tries to eat us?"

He opened his mouth to reply but Ruby stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "One way to find out if she's telling the truth is to see if she's telling the truth."

"Yeah," Chomper said, thankful that the Fastrunner was backing him up. "And if she's not telling the truth, we can easily deal with her. She might even know the way out."

Littlefoot stepped between his quarreling friends which drew their attention. "I agree with Chomper." This caused Cera to huff and roll her eyes. Chomper beamed, glad that someone else was on his side. "There are seven of us and one of her. If it comes down to it we can take her on if she decides to fight."

Littlefoot turned to the rest of the gang and they all exchanged nervous glances. They took a breath to steel themselves before nodding in agreement. Littlefoot gave Chomper an encouraging smile and motioned for him to take the lead. The young Sharptooth gulped, trying to calm himself as he finally emerged from behind the rocks with his friends trailing behind him. They stopped in defensive stances once they were in view of the other Sharptooth. She tilted her head and her eyes roamed over each of them head to toe as she scrutinized them. Then as if sensing their apprehension, she stepped back as if to show them that she meant no harm. Chomper appreciated the gesture and let out a breath, the others seemed to do the same.

Both groups lapsed into silence as if daring the other to make a move. Finally, Littlefoot nudged Chomper's side which drew his attention. The longneck nodded in the direction of the female Sharptooth. Chomper nodded in understanding and stepped forward.

"Uh . . . Hi." He started shyly. "M-My name's Chomper." His face heated up when the female's lips twitched into a small smile. "And these are my friends. . ."

Chomper then preceded to introduce each of his friends. He pointed to each of them as he said their name and watched the Sharptooth nod. When he was finished, he turned back to the other Sharptooth with a grin.

"I'm Arya." She said, returning the smile.

She was careful not to show her teeth as to not frighten the Leafeaters. Chomper felt his face heat up once more and his eyes widened, causing his friends to ask if he was alright. He quickly translated, earning a few mischievous smirks which made him grimace and his face redden more. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the situation. After the whole, Time of Great Giving incident he'd pretty much given up on encountering a Sharptooth who would be willing to even be nice to him. Now, here was a Sharptooth who was being nice to him and he could hardly contain himself.

Arya's voice shook him from his thoughts. "So uh what are you guys doing here? This is . . . kind of my home."

"Wait, you live here? Alone?" Chomper asked, tilting his head. "Where are your folks?"

Arya didn't say anything at first, nervously picking at her claws. She sighed. "Well, Dad didn't stick around so I never got a chance to meet him. And Mom got really sick and passed away towards the end of the last Cold Time."

Chomper winced in sympathy. "Sorry about that."

"Honest question." She replied shrugging. "Anyway, back to my first question: What are you guys doing here?"

Chomper quickly summarized how he and his friends ended up in the canyon. Arya hung on to his words and her eyes almost bugged out of her head when he mentioned living in the Great Valley. He rolled his eyes as that was a familiar reaction of just about everyone when they found out he lived in the Valley.

"It's a long story." He said then continued his account.

When he finished, Arya stared at him, jaw slack in bewilderment. "Well," She started after a while. "I can show you how to get out of here if you want. The Sharptooth gestured to where the canyon split into three paths multiple behind her. "It's easy to get lost in here if you don't know where you're going."

"Uh," Chomper blinked and glanced at his friends. "How do we know you won't lead us into a trap?"

Arya shrugged. "You don't. But it's better than wondering around here for who knows how long and running into a Sharptooth who actually wants to eat you."

Chomper frowned in thought. Arya did bring up a good point. They would be able to get home faster and there would be less of a chance of encountering more Sharpteeth. And there would also be more time to be able to talk to Arya. Chomper glanced behind himself and was met with the encouraging smile of Littlefoot, which reassured him.

He took a deep breath. "Okay. Can you help us out of the canyon?"

"No problem." Arya replied smiling. Chomper smiled in return and turned to the others to begin translating.

However, before he could open his mouth, Cera beat him to it. "You done talking to your girlfriend Chomper?" She smirked, raising a brow. Spike, Ducky and Petrie snickered while Littlefoot and Ruby grinned playfully.

Chomper glared at her. "She's not my girlfriend, Cera!" He growled, but that just made her laugh. His frown deepened and he clenched his claws into fists.

Thankfully, Littlefoot stepped in before things could escalate any further. "So what'd she say?"

"She said that she'd show us the way out." He replied, his frown melting away as he turned to the friend that wasn't trying to get on his nerves.

"That's great!" The longneck said. "What are we waiting for?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Cera cried, butting in between the two, frowning at Chomper "You're actually going to trust that Sharptooth?"

Chomper frowned. "I'm a Sharptooth. Do you trust me?"

"Well, yeah."

"And I trust her." He said. Chomper sent a pleading look to his friends, hoping that he could convince him. It seemed to work as they nodded and turned to stare expectantly at Cera.

Finally, Cera groaned. "Fine." She then glared at Chomper and growled. "But if we get eaten it'll be all your fault!"

Chomper sighed and rolled his eyes, a small smirk on his face. "I know."

With Arya leading the group, they left the lagoon and went down the same path that she'd come in. It was slightly narrower than the way they came, only enough room for them to walk comfortably in pairs, and had more twists and turns. They also saw how easy it would be to get lost as they passed more junctions splitting off into many different directions and going who knows where. At one point, they passed a particularly wide, but short trail that contained a cave, which Arya pointed out as her den.

And the entire time, Chomper chatted with Arya. He found out that she mostly ate fish or scavenged, and that she would only hunt when she absolutely had too. Even then she would target only the old, sick or otherwise weak herd members, but she drew the line at the young ones.

"I may need to kill to eat, but I'm not heartless." She had said. "It's really sad when someone who has a whole life ahead of them doesn't get to experience it. And I'd rather not be the one to cause more suffering than I already do."

She then prompted Chomper to explain why he was living with Leaf Eaters. So He recounted how his friends had accidentally hatched a Sharptooth egg in the Great Valley and the many adventures they had since then. He also explained how his parents sent him to live in the valley with his friends to keep him safe from Redclaw. Like last time, Arya listened attentively to his story and chuckled when he told her about having friends for diner.

"I still can't believe they actually thought I'd eat them! I mean I apparently bit Cera's tail when I was a hatchling, but don't really remember doing that." Chomper laughed, which caused Arya to laugh as well. "It's sort of an inside joke between us all now, so that's good."

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang were watching Chomper and Arya laugh at something Chomper had said. While feeling somewhat left out, they were happy that Chomper had found a friend of his own kind. Littlefoot in particular, who saw the young Sharptooth as a little brother and wanted the best for him, was excited. If Chomper had friends in the Mysterious Beyond, then he wouldn't be lonely if he was to someday leave the Great Valley. Although, Littlefoot never wanted it to happen under negative circumstances, he still knew it was a possibility in the future.

From beside him, he heard Cera grunt. He glanced over and saw her sneering at the Sharpteeth's backs. While Cera's default expression was an annoyed stare, Littlefoot could tell there was more to it.

"What's wrong Cera?" He whispered, not wanting the Sharpteeth in the lead to hear.

Cera grumbled, sounding much like her father but he wasn't going to point that out. "I don't like this." She replied also in a whisper.

Littlefoot grinned "Of course you don't."

"I mean it!" She snapped, glaring at him. "We don't even know this Sharptooth. What if she's lying? She could be leading us into a trap for all we know."

"I know, but it's either that or get lost. Chomper thinks she's telling the truth and that's good enough for me." He said, smiling at the Sharpteeth's backs. Chomper and Arya seemed to start up a new conversation.

Cera sighed in irritation. "Why are Longnecks always so trusting?"

"Depends," Littlefoot smirked mischievously. "Why are Threehorns always so stubborn?"

He knew it was a bad idea the moment it left his mouth. But he couldn't help snickering when Cera whirled on him with a glare that just screamed run. Thankfully, she just rolled her eyes with a huff, shaking her head and grumbling. Littlefoot just kept grinning as he heard the others behind him quietly giggling as to not draw Cera's wrath.

Arya blinked as she watched this happen. "Is the Three- uh . . . Cera always like that?"

Chomper glanced at the Threehorn with a raised brow having heard some of the conversation between her and Littlefoot. "Sort of. It's a . . . uh Threehorn thing. She's not so bad once you get to know her."

Not much later, they finally reach the exit of the canyon. The path they were on widened considerably until they were suddenly free of the stone walls and staring at the rolling dry landscape of the Mysterious Beyond. The Bright Circle was beginning its descent in the sky telling the young dinosaurs that it was late in the day. In the distance, they could make out the mountains that bordered the Great Valley. It was obvious to the gang that they had traveled further from the Valley than they thought.

Even though he was happy they made it out of the canyon, Chomper was disappointed that he would have to say goodbye to his new friend. He wished they could stay longer, but he knew they had to get back before the grown-ups started looking for them. It didn't make him feel any better though.

Arya turned to the group and smiled. "Well here we are. If you want to be back before the Bright Circle leaves the sky, you'd better hurry."

The young dinosaurs nodded to the female Sharptooth in thanks, knowing that she wouldn't understand them verbally, and started in the direction of the familiar mountains. Chomper followed them, head lowered and tail drooping in sadness.

"Hey Chomper!"

He perked up as Arya called his name and he turned to her. "Huh?"

"Don't be a stranger next time!" Arya cried.

With a wave, she turned and walked back into the canyon. Chomper waved in return and watched as her tail disappeared around the corner with a huge smile on his face. Oh, there was defiantly going to be a next time! He had to think of a way for there to be a next time. Would he have to sneak back here or would his friends not him? Would they join him? Chomper was so deep in thought that he was startled by a voice.

"Chomper!"

He quickly ran to catch up with his friends. "Coming!"

Hope you enjoyed the first installment! Feel free to send me some ideas you'd like to see and I'll try to add them to the list. Stay tuned for the next installment.

Please review and follow! :)