Very sorry for the long delay, but I've had so much going on. Plus I'm now in college and my studies are my main focus. This won't be abandoned but there may be long gaps between chapters, that just means I'm busying studying or preparing for an exam or something.
Consider this another part of chapter one and not a stand alone chapter. Sorry again but my studies come first.
The cold time came and went as it always did, the white covered ground was soon replaced by the lush green and blooming of plants.
The thoughts still haunted Littlefoot, what did the future hold for him? He felt pressured by the knowledge he was last of his herd, it was his duty to carry on the family line. Even as he grew life still threw challenges at him, as if nature was testing to see what would break him. He could easily just join an all-longneck herd, but that would be saying goodbye to the valley he had called home for over half of his life. And how could he just turn his back on his friends like that? He couldn't, he refused too.
He knew his father would take Littlefoot into his herd anyday if he asked, but is that really what Littlefoot wanted? He was so used to living in the Great Valley full of different species that a herd full of only longnecks seemed almost foreign to him. A part of him longed to be with his own kind, he had met a few in his lifetime outside his family...Ali,Rhett,his now adopted brother Shorty. But it was not enough, he spoke about it to his Grandparents and they told him how he was feeling was perfectly normal,so why did he feel so ungraceful? He had the best home in the world for a leaf eater, amazing friends and all he could think about is what he was lacking, he never felt this way before, he felt almost restless and fed up, he felt that life was personally against him and trying to make it as difficult as possible. Littlefoot now realized the older he got the harder life became, as a child he thought it would be easier, he could do whatever he wanted. Not realizing the truth, he would of gave anything to go back to his care-free childhood days.
With a heavy sigh Littlefoot turned away from the plant he had been chewing on, the bright circle was out in full force as if trying to make up for the Cold Time all in one day. The longneck kept in the shadows of the trees, the tops blocking out the worst of the heat, being so distracted his own thoughts he didn't notice a flyer above him trying to catch his attention.
"Littlefoot!" Petrie croaked hovering above the longneck, the longneck seemingly in his own world didn't even bat an eye as if Petrie was no more then a mere trick of the wind, or a result of Littlefoot's imagination he chose to ignore. Not giving up Petrie flew right in front of the longnecks face "LITTLEFOOT!"
That got Littlefoot's attention alright, in fact it downright startled him, he jumped back in surprise before narrowing his eyes at the flyer "Did you have to do that?".
"It was only way me could get you to listen" Petrie huffed dropping to the ground "You too busy thinking to listen to anybody lately, you no even listen to your friends."
Littlefoot felt a pang of guilt, it was true. He had been so hung up in his own problems he had shut his friends away instead of letting them try and help, any effort they made to ask what was bothering him was brushed off. "I know...and I'm sorry about that, I've just had so much on my mind lately, it's all too confusing even for me. I didn't want to drag you or the others into my own personal troubles..they are something I must sort out on my own, if you know what I mean..."
"Yes...me understand..Mama said sometimes no matter how much we want to help someone it's best to just stay out of the way and let them deal with it on their own...if only someone could tell Cera that she going on and on about how you should stop being stuck up and let us help..me tried to tell her maybe we should leave you alone unless you ask for us for help but she was like-"
"Alright, Petrie" Littlefoot interrupted the flyer "Cera is just being Cera, you know how she is always wanting to be the hero" he chuckled "But I do appreciate the concern, really"
"Well if you change your mind and do want us to help, we will help thats what friends do..speaking of friends..the others were wondering if you wanted to hang out with us today...we haven't really seen you in a few days..we're going to meet by the watering hole..actually you better come or Cera might start thinking you have made new secret friends and don't care about us anymore..and we'll never hear the end of it."
Littlefoot laughed, it felt good to push his worries aside even if it was only for a little while. This is what he needed, to just enjoy himself stop worrying about the future for now, or the way he was going he would spend most of his youth worrying about his adulthood. "Well I better come then, or I'll never hear the end of everyone else complaining about never hearing the end of Cera's complaining" he cracked a smile at his jumbled up sentence and lowered his head to let the flyer jump on.
"Ummm...Littlefoot?" Petrie began saying as he rested on the longnecks head on the way to join the others "Me heard the adults talking...they were discussing what to do with Chomper."
Littlefoot skidded to a stop "Chomper? They are not going to kick him out are they?" no..they could not kick Chomper out, Chomper was like Littlefoot's little brother,, they couldn't kick him out. "I know he is a sharptooth but...he has be fine here for years..." with a pang Littlefoot realized the reality. Chomper was growing, he couldn't live off insects forever, he would need meat..but Chomper would never purposely attack a valley resident...would he?. Great this is just the last thing he needed, something else to worry about.
Petrie felt Littlefoot's sudden tension and suddenly regretted mentioning the whole Chomper thing to him "Ummm..me don't know, just they say how big 'that sharptooth' is getting and how he could pose a threat to us if we're not careful"
Frowning Littlefoot continued walking, he knew it wasn't fair to expect Chomper to half starve on insects for the rest of his life, but the thought of just chasing him out for what he was..didn't seem fair. It was not like Chomper chose to be born a sharptooth. "Well..he can't stay here forever if you think about it, a sharptooth has gotta do what a sharptooth's gotta do which is kill, it's how they survive. And we are the food that they eat, one day we might be food to Chomper.'
"You..don't really believe that do you?"
Littlefoot thought for a moment "I don't want too, but sometimes we do have to put reality before our fantasies, Chomper is not a leaf eater."
Petrie let the subject drop and fell into the same silence as the longneck below him, he knew something was troubling his friend, but Littlefoot refused to tell anyone. Was something making him sad?
The flyer decided to mention it to Littlefoot's grandparents, Littlefoot was their grandson after all so they must be worried about his strange behaviour. If they even noticed it that is, he sighed with relief when the rest of his friends came into view. He noticed the glare Cera gave Littlefoot and gulped, why did Cera always have to get angry? Why did she not worry about the fact something could be wrong? But that was the Cera they knew and loved, and they were long used to it by now.
"Guys?"
All eyes went towards Littlefoot's direction as he spoke.
"I...need to tell you all something, something that has been bothering be for a long while now."
"What is it?" Ducky asked "We noticed you been sorta sad, what is making you sad?"
Littlefoot took another deep breath, it was too late to turn back now "Ok...but you must promise not to laugh, this is kinda personal and this is the first time I'm telling anyone."
"We promise...I guess"
"Ok, well let me start from the beginning..."
