CHAPTER 5

THE JOURNEY THERE

It was mid afternoon by the time they were gathered at the entrance to The Great Valley of Peace, ready to leave. Again, it seemed like the entire valley was there to see them off. Parting embraces were shared between family and friends. There was sadness in both Councilor Topsy and Cera's facial features. Cera didn't want to go, but she knew she had to. Her sworn duty as a healer obliged her. Councilor Topsy did not want to let her go, and risk losing his favourite daughter forever, but he knew he had to let her go. Tears ran down both their faces as they shared a long parting embrace.

"I'm scared, daddy!" she sobbed.

"I know. But you must be brave, my daughter. I know you will do the right thing. I raised you as such."

A few of the valley residents even shared clawshakes, embraces and well wishes with Chomper, including all of the members of the Council.

Finally, Lesik announced their departure, and it was among the sad goodbyes and good luck wishes that they left The Great Valley, which has been their sanctuary for as long as any of them can remember.

They walked on in silence for a bit, until Chomper broke it with a question for Lesik.

"I'm curious. Are all of your Council sessions always like that?"

Lesik chuckled. "Not always. We are usually a lot quicker in reaching a concensus. Matter of fact, today was the longest I recall any of our sessions had lasted!"

Chomper nodded.

"What about you? Do you have a Council of Elders, like we do?"

"Yes. But we do things differently. When our Council Leader tells us to do something, we usually do it. But if someone were to oppose the decision, he gets banned from the Council. And if he resists, he is usually killed."

Everybody looked at Chomper with large eyes. "Wow! That IS a different way of doing things." Alaina commented. "Anyway, I think that if females were on the Council, things would be a whole lot easier. Yup! Yup! Yup!"

"I'm sure YOU think it's a good idea, but I don't think a female will become a member of The Great Valley Council anytime soon." Cera commented.

"No one's ever thought of letting sharptooth females onto our Council, either!" Teek said. "But Little Foot, if the Council only allows two of the oldest of each kind in The Great Valley, why are you on the Council? Aren't there any older long necks living in the valley?

"Actually, after Little Foot's grandma and grandpa died, he became second oldest long neck in Great Valley, by only a few days." Petrie said from his perch up on Lesik's head. "Also, it natural for him to inherited job of Council Leader from his grandpa."

Lesik sighed. "True... but it's not been easy."

"I can understand that." Chomper nodded.

A short time later, they had arrived at the border of green eater country. Two threehorn guards had accompanied them to the very edges of their land. One of them just happened to be Wendyk, Cera's potential suitor.

During their journey, Wendyk tried on numerous occasions to talk to her about... 'them'. Wendyk tried to convince her that they would be the ideal couple. A perfect match. Cera stuck to her argument that her duties as a healer would keep her too busy to be able to raise a family, and that it was useless to be mates with any threehorn male if she was never going to produce eggs. Wendyk tried to rebuttle that he didn't care about fathering hatchlings. All he wanted was for her and him to be together as a joined male and female threehorn pair. Cera rebuttled that he was talking nonsense. That producing eggs was the soul purpose for threehorn males and females to be together, and that her duties as a healer would not allow her to be a mate or a mother. She even told him to try getting together with another threehorn female of the valley who wants to make eggs with him. Wendyk said that he didn't care about any of the other female threehorns. That all he cared about was her. Cera finally growled him into silence.

"Wow! Who knew love could be so complicated?"Alaina commented.

"Veeery complicated!" Petrie said as he rolled his eyes.

"Yes! I oughta know!" Chomper chimed in.

At the border, the two threehorn guards parted company with them saying that this was as far as they could go. Lesik thanked them for escorting them to the border, and that they should be back real soon.

Wendyk cried out "I'll be waiting for you, Cera!" before he turned around and walked back towards The Great Valley. Cera rolled her eyes and let out a huge sigh.

From this point, they were travelling into the unknown. They were in sharptooth country, with their trusted friend Chomper as their guide.

It took them a full two days to arrive at their destination. Mostly because Chomper was pushing them hard. He wanted to get back to his home country as soon as possible.

But when the green eaters were finally able to convince him to stop and rest, the conversations turned more pleasant. During their meals, they sang the songs they remembered from their respected youths. Chomper taught them some of the songs he learned as a youngling that were passed down to him from his parents(loosely translated to the green eater language); and the green eaters taught him the songs they learned as younglings themselves. Chomper figured he could find rough translations to his native language for them.

There were a few minor incidents and skirmishes with other sharptooths who tried to attack and kill the green eaters, thinking they were prey ripe for the taking; but Chomper was able to fend them off, or talk his way out of what would be a bloody confrontation, if he had not mentioned their errand of mercy. It's a good thing Chomper is here to guide us. Lesik thought. If it weren't for him, we would've been killed and eaten a hundred times by now.

One particular incident had a funny outcome.

While they were resting, two sharptooths who looked almost exactly like Teek came out of the forest, roaring and baring their razor sharp teeth, ready to strike at the green eaters.

Chomper immediately got to his feet, waives his arms in the air, and spoke to them in the sharptooth language.

"STOP! These prey are not to be attacked! They are mine!"

"And why not? Surely, you cannot eat all of that meat in one sitting." one of the sharptooth, slightly larger than Chomper, and of a little bit darker shade of green than he was, said.

"They are for my mate and son. We are to feast on them tonight. They are prepared to die so that we can have our bellies full."

"Then why have you not killed them already, if they have already offered their lives so that you and your family can have a full belly?" the smaller sharptooth asked.

"It's just that it is easier for me to have them walk to my den so that they can be killed there, instead of killing them here and now and having to drag their carcasses all the way home, which is quite a ways from here."

The two sharptooth eyed each other momentarily, then the larger one spoke again. "All right. You can have them."

"Yeah. It's not as if there's a lack of green eaters around here to hunt, anyway." the smaller one added

"Thank you."

"Strength to you and yours!" the larger one finished before they both turned around and walked away.

Once they were out of sight, Chomper breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Lesik walked up to him and asked. "What did they say?"

"They thought you were fair game, and wanted to kill you."

"Humpf! And what did you tell them?" Cera asked.

"That you were for my mate and son, that I was walking you to my den, and that you were prepared to die so that we can have our bellies full."

Everybody broke out into laughter.

As they continued on their journey, Chomper mentioned. "I think those two sharptooth were brothers."

"How can you tell?" Cera asked "You all look the same to me!"

Chomper smiles. "Oh, we can tell! The smaller one seems to have taken on more the traits of his mother than his father."

Cera rolled her eyes. "Whatever!"

When they finally reached Chomper's home country, they were met at the border by two sharptooth guards who, were it not for the varying shades in colour, the green eaters would swear there were Chomper's twin siblings. Just how many sharptooth who look like Chomper ARE there in this place! Cera thought to herself.

"Halt! Who goes there!?" one of the guards said as he came forward.

Chomper stepped forward to greet him. "It is I, Teekul Sharpe! I have returned with the green eaters who will help cure us from the disease that afflicts us."

"We expected you sooner, Teekul! Things have gotten worse! MUCH worse!"

Chomper got a worried look.

"Chief Berserker anxiously awaits you. You know the way."

Both guards stepped aside to allow the expedition party to pass.

"Follow me." Chomper said as he led them past the guards and into the dense forest.

The guards watched them walk past. While Lesik and Cera remained calm, Petrie and Alaina looked at them nervously as they walked past.

When they were out of earshot, one of the guards spoke up. "Those green eaters look REAAAALLY succulent!"

The other guard shot him a look. "Remember your orders, Furnok! They are not to be harmed or eaten!"

"A shame. That long neck could feed my family for a month!"

The other guard nodded. "I know."