Category: Land before Time
Rating: T
Couples: Tria/Threehorn
Warnings: AU, Hints of Character Death and Blood
Chapter: 1
Copyright: © characters and places by United Pictures; © Plot and OC by me
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The herd soon entered the protective enclosure of the Great Wall, a massive male tinted a dark – near black – purple leading them, the messenger walking at his side.
"This is only part of my herd." He told Grandpa as the old Longneck greeted him. "My father and grandfather took most of them to our next stop, a place my aunt would not have reached anymore." He gestured to an elder female standing near the centre of the good dozen Threehorns that had followed their leader here as protection. She looked weak and starved, her eyes blank from grief.
Five young Threehorns were surrounding her, several of them near mirror-images of the herd-leader.
"My little ones, first nest." His voice was filled with pride as he spoke. "Though I have no idea where their mother went off to at the moment."
"She said she wanted to check something." One of the little ones spoke up, shrugging lightly at his mother's absence.
"Hopefully at least inside the valley?" Old Threehorn had arrived, looking the herd over and mentally measuring the other male. His daughters and their friends had trailed after him, already wondering if the five young Threehorns would be willing to play with them (at least, Tricia was doing so).
As the grown-ups descended into meaningless chatter, she approached them. They were three boys and two girls in differing shades of purple and blue. They looked at her with equal curiosity, being as starved for playmates as she had been. Their herd had an unspoken rule that only one nest was allowed for each set of Cold Times so that the hatchlings could be protected by the entire herd. It had proven effective, most nests making it to adulthood without losses. The downside was that the hatchlings had to depend on their nest-mates as play-partners, a thing that soon made the youngsters grow bored. That the next nest was already underway mattered little to them, since the age-difference would be too great for them to want to play with the new little ones.
"You won't play with her." A cold and calculating voice froze the youngsters in their tracks. The herd shuddered, parting to let the speaker pass. "I forbid it."
"Mother." One of the hatchlings spoke up in greeting to the grown-up female walking towards them. Her little mouth opened to speak again – possibly to demand to know why they could not play – but a single glare snapped it shut again.
Tricia was frozen in shock as the five were led back to the herd-center by their mother. The old female had not graced her with even so much as a look.
"Tria?" Her father had noticed the female as well, still able to recognize that particular shade of pink anywhere.
Even as he moved to confront her, she only briefly stopped to look in his direction. The hatchlings were not like that, freezing once more as the dark-grey male stormed in their direction.
She stopped barely on time to stay out of his charge, her face impassive as she regarded him.
"You are in my way." Tria finally said. "I wish to return to my herd."
Her children were cowering beneath her, peeking with wide eyes at the male towering over them.
"That is all you say after we did not see each other for Cold Times?" He demanded incredulously. "After you abandoned me and Tricia here?"
"What else should I say?" She countered. "Now get out of my way."
He did not, fully intending on confronting her.
The father of the children underneath her was not so keen on that. A thundering roar, filled with rage and indignation. A charge, at full-force and intend to kill.
He barely managed to get out of the way, earth flying up as the dark-purple male came to a stop. Tria had backed off, pulling the little ones with her.
"Stay away from her." He snarled, eyes blazing in fury.
"Zantion." Tria spoke up softly, approaching the fuming herd-leader. "You don't really want to cause trouble now, do you? He is hardly worth it."
He looked from the female to the old Threehorn. "Very well." Though he didn't stop himself from glaring at the grey male as the female and hatchlings walked past them.
The Threehorn-herd moved into the Valley after that, Tria at their leader's side. She refused to speak to any of the residents, all but declaring her daughter and once-mate dead. Tricia was devastated, trying again and again to talk to her mother, only to be rejected every time. Cera was helpless in consoling her sister, unable to come up with a good explanation for the older female's behaviour. Their father proved even more useless in that regard, secluding himself from everyone in the valley.