Chase and Disaster

The pale light of the Night Circle shone across the darkened landscape, it's rays also finding their way to the Secret Caverns, only highlighting Ruby's desperate struggle to try to fall to sleep. The fast runner usually fell easily to sleep after the long, happy days in the Valley but today she could only twitch around awake, unable to clear her mind and give way to her weariness after the long night of celebration. The reason for the fast runner's inability to fall asleep was clear, however. Mr. Thicknose's words rang in her ears, making her thoughts a maze of doubts and uncertainty.

I hope you understand the importance of your kind's wisdoms, if only for your future.

The old dinosaur's last answer dominated Ruby's thoughts as she finally rose from her lying position, knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep before sorting out her conflicting thoughts. Ruby walked silently in order not to wake up Chomper and walked to the mouth of the Cavern, sitting down to the edge of the cliff overlooking the sleeping Great Valley. There was no reason to go to her Thinking Place at this hour: nobody would bother her anyway. Also, the way to the higher cliff could turn dangerous in the dark of the night. The fast runner turned her gaze to the surrounding Valley and fell to her thoughts.

How had her parents and the residents of the Valley seen her entrance to the haven of leaf-eaters? She had never given much thought that anyone had problems with her living in the Valley but it was true: she was the only fast runner she had seen during her time there. Of course, Ruby knew that Chomper's time there was limited but the event of the young sharptooth being forced to leave had always felt like a distant prospect. And when that day came, what would become of her? She had become Chomper's guardian and she had taken that role without thinking much of the long-term implications of that position. By that time, there was little Ruby could do to protect him from Red Claw. What would she do when that day came?

Ruby's half-closed eyes searched the nightly Valley, looking at a few swimmers walking at the distance. Behind them opened one of the openings of the Valley towards the Meadow of Jumping Waters. Every part of this place felt like home and she felt like a part of it. Even then, she wasn't a leaf-eater and her and Chomper's presence was never really accepted by large segments of the Valley. Her friends would always be there for her but even then, would this ever be truly the place she would call her home?

The fast runner's head rested on her hands when her eyes caught a surprising and terrifying sight. Three dinosaurs she had never seen before were heading from the clubtails' nest's direction, holding one large egg in their hands. They were quickly heading for to the northwest, a surprising direction that didn't seem to lead out of the Valley. Still, Ruby quickly snapped out of her half-sleeping state, realizing that it was up to her and Chomper to try to return the egg if they just could. She rose up from the cliff and headed back to the cave, whispering to Chomper in an urgent, alarmed voice. The sharptooth was a heavy sleeper and it would sometimes be even difficult to wake him up prematurely.

"Chomper! Wake up, now!" The little carnivore didn't wake up to her friend's words so the fast runner repeated louder and pushed him slightly, just enough to ensure his waking.

"Chomper!" Her voice was slightly sterner than she would have wanted but it worked as Chomper slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a sleepy voice.

"What… is it?" Chomper quickly saw the look in the fast runner's eyes and her answer woke him up immediately.

"Egg nappers, Chomper! We have to stop them!"

It was mere minutes until the two dinosaurs were heading towards the northern edge of the Valley, trying to keep up with the three egg nappers without being seen. They moved carefully among the tall grass in order to keep their position a secret and to move as silently as they could. If the three grown dinosaurs saw their chasers, the chase would be over before it began. Chomper looked worried as they tried to sneak behind the three unknown thieves. Suddenly, he whispered in a hesitating voice.

"How… how are we going to stop them? There's three egg nappers and we're just us!" The sharptooth's voice was far from confident as he tried to come up with a plan that could guarantee the return of the egg. The borders of the Valley were getting ever closer and it was becoming obvious that the thieves were going for an exit from the Valley even most of its residents didn't know of.

"We cannot just steal it back. We have to make them leave it for us, even if making them do that won't be easy. And if we cannot make them give it back, they have to be scared to do so. There's no one else who can do it but you, Chomper." Ruby whispered in a kind voice to her companion even if it's content had the potential to unnerve the young sharptooth. It wasn't like this would be the first time he did this but it didn't mean he enjoyed these occasions.

"Uhhh… I've never tried to scare grownups before. Are you sure this will work?" The time when he had scared Rhett away which in turn earned him the wrath of the whole heard had worked simply because of the reason that Rhett had never seen a sharptooth that close before and the herd saw that his horror was real. These egg nappers, however, had probably seen a lot more during their life and they wouldn't run away at the sight of him.

"Just try not to show yourself. If they don't see you, their mind makes you bigger than you really are. If we're lucky, they might forget the egg and run away in fear!" The fast runner looked at the sharptooth as she explained her plan. Chomper merely swallowed as the duo saw the egg nappers approaching an area that seemed like another large groove in the long mountainside of the Valley. The thieves didn't have the least of idea that they were being followed and to Ruby and Chomper's great surprise, they entered a small cave behind a small thicket of long trees.

"I didn't know there even was a cave there! Where does it go?" Chomper asked in surprise as the last of the three entered the cave. Ruby answered thoughtfully before she started to move towards the opening which was hidden by a group of large bushes by the mountainside.

"Neither did I but it could give us an edge!" Ruby exclaimed happily in sudden realization. Chomper looked at the cave for a moment until he realized what his friend meant. He knew how greatly talkbacks enhanced voices. With that increased impression, there was a far better chance that Ruby's plan could work.

"You're right! Even my roar could sound scary in there! Let's go!" The sharptooth quickly ran towards the tunnel, knowing that the egg nappers weren't going to slow down until they were a safe distance from the Valley and safe from its residents' wrath. Ruby followed her friend into the narrow cave, taking one look back into the lush thicket and the Valley, still surprised by the many secrets the Valley held within its walls. How many places were there still to explore that she had never heard about?

The cave itself was very narrow and dark, forcing Ruby to be careful with her each step whereas Chomper walked rather normally due to his superior eyesight. Ruby could see the outlines of the larger stones but overall, falling and alerting the thieves was a real chance. At this point, that would mean the end of their hopes to stop them and in the worst-case-scenario, could even put the two in danger. It was likely that they wouldn't be too happy with the two telling the whole Valley about the accident.

Slowly but surely, Chomper's sniffer started to send out ever more disgusted signals. The sharptooth had tried to tell himself that it was just his imagination but in the end, he had to admit that he had only once smelled something so terrifying. Was this tunnel another gateway into the Hidden Canyon? Ruby could smell it, too and after seeing her friend's disgust, spoke to Chomper in a concerned voice.

"I know you don't like this smell, Chomper, but we have to go there! Not going there would mean not going after the thieves!" Chomper merely nodded as he walked closer to the Canyon. Maybe he could use the nausea this place gave him to his advantage in his roars? He could still smell, albeit faintly due to the overwhelming reek, that the egg nappers hadn't gotten far. It seemed that they, too, had had a hard time moving through the tunnel. The light of the Night Circle started to shine through the opening of the tunnel in the distance, signaling that if Chomper wished to make his grand entrance, it would have to happen now. He looked to Ruby briefly who simply nodded to the blue sharptooth. Chomper tried to use the terrifying smell around him as additional help in motivating himself as he let out a loud roar which was multiplied by the many talkbacks in the narrow cave, turning his still-meek cry into a terrifying roar.

The resulting voice rang through the nightly Hidden Canyon, the roar of the small sharptooth being dramatically enhanced by the cave. The three egg nappers quickly turned to look behind them, looking in fear in the direction of the tunnel. One of the three stuttered in fear to the others, his eyes widened as he tried to see the mysterious chaser.

"What was that? There… there shouldn't be any sharpteeth in the Valley!" His voice was meek as the roar started to die down. One of the others started to put on a brave face as he tried to calm down the others.

"And there aren't! I don't care what kind of prank the sap-suckers have put on this time but I'm not buying it!" His brave face started to melt away as Chomper's shadow started to appear on a wall near the mouth of the tunnel, illuminated by the Night Circle's light. All of the three egg nappers felt their blood run cold as another roar emanated from the tunnel. At this point, it was getting difficult to deny the sharptooth's existence and the danger the trio suddenly found themselves in. None of the three were ready to face off this new threat and each of them resumed their run towards the gaping mouth of the Mysterious Beyond at the back of the small canyon. In the surrounding dry plains they could try to lose the attacker.

Ruby looked in deep worry as the egg stealers only quickened their pace with the egg. It was clear that they had to do far more in order to try to stop them before they had escaped beyond the duo's reach. With an alarmed voice, she spoke to Chomper.

"We must chase them but we must not be seen! Quick, we must scare them even more!" Chomper nodded quickly to his friend as the two started to chase the three thieves. The sight of the duo would do little to scare the egg nappers but with roars and other loud voices, they might make the right impression. Both of the young dinosaurs tried to walk as heavily as they could while retaining a quick pace. Chomper did his absolute best to sound older and to the fast runner's surprise, his impression was rather successful. If she didn't know any better, she could have thought herself that there was an almost-fully grown sharptooth on the hunt.

The three egg stealers quickened their speed as they heard that their chasers were on their trail. None of them had the courage to turn to look behind them as the angry snarls were creeping ever closer. The exit from the Canyon wasn't far but what would deny the chaser to abandon the hunt at the edge of the Valley? The egg-carrying dinosaur's heart pounded in panic, completely knowing that one meal wasn't worth the trio's lives. The egg only showed them down and getting rid of it would improve their chances of survival. With a rude snort, she threw the egg to her companion's hands, speaking quickly.

"Take it! I'm out of here!" The female's voice was sharp as she headed past the others. Her companion looked at their companion in bewilderment, then exchanging glances with his other companion who called to him before he went after their third pack member.

"Leave it! There's no reason to carry dead weight if it gets us killed!" The other egg napper looked at his spoil in hesitation, not willing to leave the meal they had worked so hard to get. But his companion was right. If there was a sharptooth on their trail, as it seemed, it would be pure madness to carry any more weight than they absolutely had to. With a deep sigh, the dinosaur let loose of the egg, dropping it into the soft ground and it rolled towards a small bush by the small stream flowing through the Canyon. It got stuck in the lush vegetation, stopping in a firm place near the river.

Ruby looked the egg in deep joy and relief, positively surprised by the fact that her desperate plan had worked. She looked at the three egg nappers disappear from the opening, most likely running as far into the Mysterious Beyond as their legs could carry them. Ruby walked quickly towards the egg, grabbing it quickly. Chomper's voice reached her ears soon after.

"I can't believe it actually worked! Am I really that scary?" The young sharptooth nearly laughed as he, too, was incredibly joyful at the success of their quest. Ruby answered to her friend in joyful voice, thankful that his roars had been as effective as she had hoped.

"Only to those who don't know, you Chomper. Even them, you can actually pretend very well. Thankfully, if you weren't that scary, we wouldn't be here now. Come on, let's return this and go back to sleep. There's still a lot of time to rest." The fast runner started to walk back towards the cave, followed by Chomper who was equally relieved by the turn of events. Even then, the sharptooth wished to leave the Hidden Canyon as quickly as he could as the smell was getting too overwhelming for his sniffer. The sharptooth ran past Ruby, quickly speaking to the fast runner his antics.

"I'll get to the tunnel, quick! The smell's horrible!" Ruby chuckled as he watched Chomper run towards the exit from the Canyon. Ruby could very well remember the sharptooth's reaction last time and it wasn't much better than this. She turned her gaze to the small river sparking with the rays of Night Circle, appreciating the sights around her. It was a shame that the small tunnel would have to be sealed tomorrow in order to prevent accidents like these from happening again, once again closing off this beautiful place from the rest of the Valley. The fast runner was turning her gaze back to look towards the cave when she felt her right leg hit something rough and sharp. The next few seconds were characterized by sharp pain around her body and blurred forms. Soon after, Ruby found herself lying on a pile of rocks, the hard soil making her fall even more painful. However, it was only after she felt some warm, thick liquid flowing on her fingers that her heart started to race and her mind starting to give in to panic.

Ruby quickly raised her head to look at the sight before her, seeing scraps of the ruined egg close to her hands, its contents flowing around the fast runner. Most hauntingly, the shape of the unborn hatchling peeked from among the pieces of the egg. It took a few moments before everything that had happened started to register into Ruby's mind.

The egg… destroyed… What… how… what can I do…

Different questions ran through Ruby's mind as she quickly rose back to her feet, looking in horror at the results of her accident. She could hear her breathing quicken and feel her legs moving slowly backwards as the truth was slowly starting to form in her confused mind. She had done her best to save the hatchling but in the end, it was her own carelessness that had finally turned out to be the egg's fate. Tears started to form in Ruby's eyes as she looked at the scene before the horrifying implications forced her to turn her eyes away from the inconsolable sight.

Chomper hadn't seen the fall itself but he had heard the sound. He was relieved to see that his friend wasn't seriously hurt but he was also overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. He stood still for a moment before he started to move towards Ruby. The fast runner was crying heavily as the blue sharptooth reached her. After a moment of hesitating, Chomper asked the obvious question.

"I'm… sorry, Ruby. What can we do?" His voice was silent and mournful as he looked into Ruby's eyes. Both of them were extremely confused but Ruby was the next one to speak. Her answer was intermittent and extremely fearful as she spoke.

"We must hide the egg!" No one must know what happened here today!" Ruby whispered in a sobbing voice as she looked at her companion and started to gather the cracks of the eggs from the ground and hide them into the larger bushes. Chomper joined her quickly and the two dinosaurs tried make the scene seem like nothing extraordinary had happened. Most of all, the unborn clubtail had to be kept hidden. Unfortunately for the two, neither of them saw a lone, small flier in the sky, his eyes fixed on the ghastly sight far below him. Soon, he fled in fear, unwilling to believe the terrifying deed he thought he had just witnessed.

Ruby was panting heavily as last of the pieces of the ruined egg had been hidden in the bushes of the nightly canyon. The overwhelming panic had been replaced by a sense of fear, sorrow and failure, fully knowing what the residents of the Valley would say if they saw her now. A fast runner, covered in the innards of an egg in the middle of the night. She spoke to Chomper in a weary, broken voice as she sat down to a rock for a moment.

"I have to clean myself before I can go back. We just have to hope that no one will know about this chase. How I hoped it would have ended otherwise." Ruby sighed and looked at the stars in melancholy, trying to find some comfort from them. Chomper simply looked at her in sympathy, answering her in a somewhat comforting voice.

"They won't, Ruby. And we did our best! Why would they be angry at us?" He tried to put on a brave face even if he partially knew the answer. Neither of them had wished to dwell in the implications of the long conversations during their original arrival in the Valley about three Cold Times ago. It had been a long, difficult process to let the duo in and they were warned that even small, suspicious activities could result in their banishment or even worse. Ruby knew it and she didn't have to answer as she headed towards the small stream. However, before she reached it, she heard a call that made her blood ice cold.

"Ruby! Chomper! What are you doing here at this time of the night?" The voice belonged to Petrie's mother Volant who was flying towards the two young dinosaurs. Her voice was confused and concerned but it held no real anger or antagonism. However, something in her appearance raised deep horror in the two dinosaurs as Ruby quickly submerged herself into the river to prevent the flier from seeing the egg's contents on her. After a moment, she answered to the newcomer, trying to keep her voice as close to normal as she could.

"Uhhh… we've gone to this place often because it's such an enchanting place in the night! And we… just thought it would be a good idea to come here today. Why do you ask?" Ruby tried to put on a distantly natural expression while Chomper strived for an embarrassed, toothy smile. This kind of answer wouldn't have satisfied Volant even in normal circumstances and now it was even less believable. Her voice was took a much sterner turn as she eyed the two.

"I was told a different story. The story I heard was that you two were doing something you shouldn't be doing." Volant hated to interrogate the duo like this but she wished to see if there was any truth to Dasher's accusations. She had learned to respect the two dinosaurs during their time in the Valley but still she was more willing to believe her own offspring. Ruby's apparent fear did little to ease the flier's concerns. Chomper tried to answer in a hesitating but genuine voice and he succeeded in controlling his voice better than Ruby.

"And what is that? There's nothing going on here." The sharptooth sounded somewhat anxious but his voice almost would have calmed Volant down if it weren't for the report she had been given. The flier then answered in a sharp, weary tone, eager to get this issue over with.

"Where did you hide the egg? And why did you take it in the first place?" Volant looked directly at the two young dinosaurs, willing to underline the seriousness of this conversation. Time seemed to freeze for Ruby who now understood that there was no getting around the real story. Volant hadn't been too accommodating even during the duo's initial arrival into the Valley, the flier being one of the main opponents of letting the two into the Valley. How would she react this time? With a fearful sigh, Ruby rose from the stream, the egg's liquids not completely washed away. Volant gasped heavily, not wanting to accept the sight before her eyes. She truly hoped that there was more to this incident than lied before her eyes.

Ruby walked in shame, not finding any right words to say. Not only had she endangered her own position in the Valley but Chomper's as well. No matter what happened, his safety was her responsibility until he could rejoin his parents and she had just compromised her whole charge. The fast runner felt the entire world's weight fall upon her as she pointed to the bush where she and Chomper had hidden the remains of the egg. Volant walked there without a word towards the bush, seeing what she feared she would see. She turned in rising anger towards the two dinosaurs and spoke in disbelief.

"Why? What have you done? Do you have any idea what this means?" Volant's voice seemed to shatter Ruby's last remains of composure as she tried to come up with anything that could save her and Chomper's face. However, what followed was her complete breakdown.

"It was all an accident! There were two egg stealers here and we stopped them! But… this was my fault! I fell while I was trying to return the egg and it broke! Please, just believe me!" Ruby hoped telling the truth could save the situation but to her horror, Volant's expression didn't soften in the least. In fact, it only grew more suspicious, only adding more fuel to the fire.

"I wasn't told about any egg stealers, Ruby. I was only told that you had stolen an egg, broken it and who knows why! This was exactly what we feared would happen. I really want to believe that you speak the truth but the fact is, one of the Valley's children died before their birth, possibly because of you! Do you think the clubtails would accept an apology, after all the trouble you two got through to receive their approval?" Volant's expression started to crack slightly, the conversation threatening to get the better of her. Her own voice felt alien as she listened to it, horrified by what she herself was saying. She had learned to trust the two but that didn't change the fact that both of them were partial or complete meat eaters. Even if she tried to convince herself otherwise, she couldn't deny the possibility of the fact the two had given up to their nature. She looked at the fast runner in a mixture of fear and understanding as Ruby answered in a fearful voice.

"But it's true! You've got to believe me! We didn't even know about the tunnel leading here! And even if we had known about it, we wouldn't have been able to hide that tunnel from our friends!" Ruby was stunned to hear another familiar voice entering the conversation as she was about to continue her defense.

"She speak the truth! We all thought Hidden Canyon walled off long ago! And Ruby no egg stealer! Me know it!" Petrie landed by her mother's side, seemingly agitated by the display. Volant looked at him in surprise, asking the obvious question.

"What are you doing here, Petrie?" The older flier asked, looking at Petrie in an angry look.

"Me saw you heading off after Dasher told you about me friends. They would never do something like this!" Petrie was completely resolute, willing to see that the issue would be resolved quickly. Volant sighed, not happy in the least by this turn of events. Petrie's arrival would only complicate the issue which was something that had been decided many Cold Times ago already. She would have to make sure that Petrie would also understand.

"I don't know what to believe, kids. But when the word spreads about this, I fear there are many that would no longer accept your presence here. The clubtails, the domeheads… even the threehorns would find it difficult to believe this story. I cannot hide this accident because here in the Valley each herd has to trust each other." Volant's words' hit the three other dinosaurs like a terrifying weight, each of them lacking words any to say. Petrie was the first one to open his mouth but he was waved silent by Ruby who whispered in a silent voice, tears flowing from her eyes as her gaze dropped towards the ground.

"I understand, Ms. Flier. I failed the Valley. We'll leave right away." With a great struggle, the fast runner raised her eyes to look directly at Volant and Petrie's. Her and Chomper's pledge had been mutual. If one of them breached their promise, both of them would suffer the consequences. Petrie answered immediately in clear alarm. He had never expected to hear those words from Ruby but here the fast runner stood, ready to leave the Valley that had been her home for many happy days.

"It be no your fault, Ruby! You cannot be blamed for things you didn't do!" Petrie's voice was pleading and he, too, was on the verge of tears as Chomper answered briefly. Even at his young age, he could see that there was no speaking out from this horrifying situation.

"We promised too much, Petrie. We're sorry." The blue sharptooth couldn't believe that things had escalated this far but he had been forced to accept the fact that his life in the Valley wouldn't last forever. However, he had always wanted to believe that it would happen on good terms. But he never would have thought it would end like this, being accused about things that never happened. Before anyone had the chance to continue, Volant looked at the two and spoke in a confused voice.

"So am I. Ruby, Chomper... If it were for me, I'd give you another chance because I'm willing to believe you. You've helped me so many times in the past but that's not my choice alone. I know you two will survive out there and I hope you'll be able to rejoin your families. I promise you that I won't you be seen as the enemies of the Valley even if you might not be welcome here anymore. Petrie, it's time for us to go." Volant prepared to take off, not willing to dwell in this unfortunate situation any more than she had to. The flier only prayed Petrie would follow her without too much arguing.

"We cannot do this! You've got to believe us, momma! They would never do something like this!" Petrie tried to desperately plead to his mother but it earned a mere angry look and answer from Volant.

"You heard me, Petrie. There's nothing we can do."

The younger flier's thought were a complete flux of conflicting thoughts and emotions, most of all concerning his conflicting allegiances. He simply couldn't let Ruby and Chomper leave like this but… what could he do? He knew the delicate agreement between the two and the Valley and the flier understood the severity of the duo's alleged crime. Yet, he also knew that they wouldn't have done such a heinous deed. If there was anything he could do later on, he and his friends would do their all to try to convince everyone about the duo's innocence. Anything we could do now would only make matters worse. Petrie looked at his friends in an apologizing look while he tried to give the expression that this wouldn't be the farewell. He tried to keep the situation as painless as he could as he spoke to the two before he followed his mother. His voice was little more than a whisper, its message only targeted for the two hapless dinosaurs.

"Me know you not do it. Petrie promise that this be no farewell. We find you again and make things all good again!" The flier then took off in an fearful if hopeful look, trying to believe that today's events weren't as momentous as they seemed. Maybe, one way or another, there could be a way to reverse his mother's judgement and to try to prove Ruby and Chomper's innocence and bring them back into the Valley.

After Petrie's departure, the fast runner and the sharptooth were left alone in the rapidly aging night. Even after Petrie's reassuring words, they couldn't help but feel that today had happened something irrevocable. Each of them felt empty and betrayed after their originally benevolent chase had turned to this. Ruby felt tears of sorrow and anger once again falling down her cheeks when she spoke to her companion, her eyes fixed into the endless distance before her.

"Let's go, Chomper. We don't belong here anymore."

Chomper simply nodded, tears finally forming in his eyes and as he followed the fast runner into this new journey. No more words were exchanged as the two dinosaurs headed towards the exit to the Mysterious Beyond, accompanied by only each other and their own, fear-filled thoughts.


This unfortunate accident will prove decisive for Ruby and Chomper's future as they find that sometimes mere suspicion can lead to unexpected outcomes, this time in a hard way. Will the gang be able to bring the two back into the Valley and what are Ruby and Chomper going to do now? I truly hope you found this chapter enjoyable! :)

Korrasami88: Uhh, when did I imply so?

The Rhombus: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! :) It's great to hear that you found my handling successful and believable. Ruby was still on the same mission as always, though: protecting Chomper from Red Claw. However, it is true that she is forced to look at the other species as an outsider. Unfortunately, trying to observe the Valley's culture might become more difficult after this chapter's events.