LAND BEFORE TIME
The Dinosaur Named Thorn
Disclaimer: I do not own the original story line of ''LAND BEFORE TIME'' or its original characters
...
Chapter 7
'' I'm glad your back, mother.'' Dora said enthusiastically as she took a few steps back.'' I was a little worried that you and papa wouldn't be able to catch up to the rest of the herd with grandpa leading us forward at such a crueling pace.''
I turned to look at dad as he gave an amused laugh before saying: '' That tough old guy may indeed expect much from his herd but he would never willingly push on at a pace that would leave someone behind; especially not his son and his mate. And his grandchildren.''
'' Speaking of grandchildren,'' Dema laughed out,'' how many little brothers or sisters have you given us?''
'' You have four little sisters Dema, Dora.'' Rome answered with a smile on her face as she moved towards her mate and grabbed Thera by the nape of her neck. She flinched at the movement but didn't struggle as her mother lifted her in the air and lower her down to the ground.
Tessa and Cera soon joined their sister on the ground and the two adolescents were momentarily distracted by the sight of the three tiny hatchlings looking up at them shyly.
'' Awww, aren't you guys so cute.'' Dora voiced out as she approached her new sisters. '' What are your names?''
'' I'm Thera.'' Thera said quietly, looking a little less anxious about the meeting with their family.
'' My name's Tessa.'' Tessa answered in her usual shy voice.
'' Cera!'' Cera answered shortly (in a brash tone of voice), pawing the ground before charging towards Dema whom laughed good naturally when his little sister's head connected with his larger snout with a 'thumping' sound.
'' Aren't you a spunky one, Cera.'' he said as Dora laughed out loud at the sight of their little sister wincing and shaking her head from the slight pain that had assaulted her head.
'' She sure is, but hey... where is the fourth sister you mentioned?'' Dora asked, looking around in confusion.
Topps and Rome shared a fond smile before the male threehorn made his way towards where his youngest noticeably winced and tried to hide behind her mother's tall frill.
He chuckled when Thorn tried to scramble back from his head but with so little room to move he was quick to catch his evasive daughter whom stilled once she realized she had been caught.
''Oh, my goodness!'' Dora gasped when her youngest sister was held into view by their father. She slowly walked closer until she was standing but a few inches from the little threehorn who's feet dangled above ground as Topp's held her by the nape.
Topps willingly deposited Thorn on top her elder sister's nose. Dora stayed motionless for a moment so that her sister got her bearings back before saying:'' Hey little one, I'm your sister Dora. What is your name?''
'' Thorn.'' I whispered, turning my eyes downward so I could look her in the eye. I was still trying to shake off the nervousness clinging ito me like a thick coat.
'' Thorn? How did mom and dad come up with that name?'' Dema broke in as he, too, made his way towards me. Thera, Tessa and Cera all followed him.
'' Well,'' I drawled out sarcastically, rolling my eyes slightly,'' I had a little trouble with a sticky thorn-bush on my hatch day and mommy and daddy decided to be funny and name me after that said plant.''
Dema and Dora broke into peals of laughter over my words and I soon joined them in the moment of hilarity. It was quite a funny story, afterall.
Thera, Tessa and Cera stared up at us with somewhat annoyed expressions, none of them quite understanding what we had found so amusing in our exchange.
This in turn had my parents break into a shared laughter as they peered at their daughters moment of exasperation and confusion. Their youngest never seemed to cease surprising them with her very bright intellect that sometimes made her sound so much older than her barely six moon cycles of age.
'' You are a smart one for your age, Thorn. I can tell.'' Dora said with one last chuckle as she lowered me down closer to the ground.
I hopped off her nose and was greeted with my age sisters slightly jealous expressions. Something that wasn't a strange occurrence. They usually gave me those looks when I managed make myself sound so hard to understand.
'' And a 'Colorless' mom, dad.'' Dema broke in with a smirk,'' what an honor to have one born in the family of the next soon to be leader of the herd. Grandpa will be estatic.''
The jealous expressions on my sisters faces seemed to intensify at Dema's words and I couldn't help but retort with a miffed: '' Its NOT my fault I'm glorified because I was born colorless!''
Cera snorted at my words and turned her back on me whilst Thera just rolled her eyes before looking up at the sky. Tessa allowed an apologising look come to her face when she gently nudged me on the neck when I uttered another annoyed sound and turned my back on them all in retaliation.
I nudged her back before looking in the direction of the moving herd.
My eyes widened slightly when I was reminded of the scene in the movie where the threehorn-herd had been shown walking towards the horizont with the sun-setting in the background.
I quickly looked up at the sky where the sun was and found to my surprise that right before my eyes, the sun was indeed setting towards the horizon.
It was like looking at a movie scene all over again. Especially when one of the dinosaurs at the back stopped suddenly and bellowed:'' COME ON, STOP STANDING AROUND WHERE SHARPTEETH WILL CATCH YOU, STRAGGLERS!''
I couldn't help but jump at the loud bellow. He sure was loud for someone whom looked like he'd seen many years come and be gone.
Humungous in size and with dark skin like our father's; scars and wrinkles were all over his body but his eyes were piercing brown in color and seemed to still hold a fighting-spirit.
I couldn't help but continue gaping at this threehorn whom was like a dinosaur version of a war veteran that had seen everything and anything during his long life.
Then I found myself being nudged forward by someone, who turned out to be my eldest brother, and had to make my small feet move forward across the rough and dry grass filled plain.
My age sisters moved into step beside me and Dema and Dora urged all of us to head towards the herd. They flanked us from either side whilst our parents followed behind all of us, boxing us in a safe zone. Even the ones whom were almost fully grown up.
I heaved in a breath when our footsteps took us closer and closer to the still waiting leader of the herd. Our grandfather.
Tessa cowered ever so slightly at his formidable figure as she was the first to pass a few feet by him. Thera was more calm and composed whilst Cera stared hard, almost challengingly into the eyes of the old leader.
Our grandpa stared right back at her with satisfaction flicking across his face.
Then his eyes fell on me and he paused, his face shifting to one of surprise and shock.
I stared back at him, wanting to make the same sort of impact as Cera had made just moments before.
Unfortunately the kind of impact I did make wasn't the one I had wanted to make; what did happen was the most embarrasing moment of my hatchling life.
WHUMP
What I'd failed to notice was that Cera, Tessa and Thera had all veered slightly to the left to avoid a large and thick trunked, barbed bush.
I'd run smack dag into it with a surprised cry of shock and pain that I quickly suppressed by clamping my jaw shut tightly!
'' God, those thorns hurt.'' I thought as I backed away from the sticky thorns, shaking my head slightly as I tried to free the stinging sensation from my skin.
'' AHAHAHAAA! Thorn, I can't believe you can be so clumsy, and right in front of grandpa,too!''
''RRRGGGHHH!'' I growled, seeing red when I realized Cera was rolling on the ground laughing and making fun of me for running into that thrice cursed thorn-bush.
Thera and Tessa were peering at me with somewhat worried expressions as I stood there shaking in anger for a long moment before I pawed at the ground underneath my two front feet.
Then I charged straight towards the aggravating bush that was now the cause of my humiliation!
And which was in my way!
'' Thorn, don't...!'' Thera began but shut her mouth when she saw me close my eyes just shy of impact with the prickly bush.
I collided head-long into the trunk!
THUNK
Having my eyes closed prevented them from being poked out of my sockets as I dug my sharp nose horn into the tough bark and dug my feet into the ground.
The roots were deep but I kept pushing and pulling until I could feel the roots begin to give way.
'' GRRAAHHH!'' I shouted,giving one last almighty push and pull, and the thing popped clean off the ground, showering me with brown earth particles.
I tossed my head to the side, dislodging the uprooted prickly-bush from my nose-horn before charging towards Cera whom had been laughing one moment and the next had been silenced by my unexpected 'show'.
THUMP
Our skulls collided heavily with each other and Cera pushed against me as I dug my feet into the dirt and wouldn't let her overpower me this time.
'' You get yourself stuck in a thorn bush and I'LL laugh in your face!'' I growled at my sister whom I could see glaring at me as we continued pushing against each other, changing positions and circling each other but never turning our backs on each other.
'' HEY, will you stop that the both of you?!'' I suddenly heard Tessa exclaim before she pushed her way between us, though her voice had been enough to cool us down as we hadn't expected her to be the one to end our fight.
'' Don't you guys ever stop bickering? I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF IT!'' Tessa snarled, glaring at us as we gaped at her in shock that was slowly turning to deep admiration.
To think that shy, gentle Tessa had a voice like that when she truly wanted to let loose!
I started to laugh, quietly at first, before chuckling audibly. Not derisively, mind you, but out of admiration towards her new-found split personality that had made itself known today.
Cera started to laugh with me, though I think she couldn't quite understand the reason for my amusement.
Tessa sure didn't understand and her expression soured even more.
Still laughing I jumped at her and pushed her gently to the ground in a playful tackle. I nuzzled her on the head and before she managed to push me off I'd already said: '' Glad you have a voice afterall.''
Tessa's angry expression softened as I hopped away, my tail wagging slightly.
She suddenly attacked me with a playful expression and nudged me on the side. I snorted as she jumped to the side,her own tail wagging as she invited me to the usual game of tag.
I answered the invite and lunged towards her.
Tessa giggled and ran off in another direction.
Cera enthusiastically jumped into the fray and after a moment of watching and standing around Thera uttered a challenging cry and charged into the midst of the game.
Cera,Tessa and I uttered shrieks and laughter as we ran away from our eldest age sister and twisted and dodged under our parents, older siblings and grandpa. Even in the midst of the the game I noticed them watching us play with fond smiles on their faces.
Then, suddenly, a loud trumpeting call sounded through the hot plain which startled all four of us motionless in our tracks.
Whoever had made that sound, that someone sure hadn't sounded like a predator. But it's voice had been enough to startle my sister and I from our game of tag.
Then the earth began to shake underneath our feet like an earthquake.
I looked back towards the direction my family had come from to meet up with the herd and was shocked to see another massive herd stampeding in our direction.
Their heavy legs and feet kicked up dirt that rouse into a humungous dust-cloud; which prevented me from seeing what kind of dinosaurs were in that herd.
My eyes widened at the sight of the dust cloud coming closer and closer to where we were standing on top a hill; then I yelped loudly when I felt blunt teeth grab me by the tail. I was forced to dangle upside down with my eyes facing the ground.
Groaning, I looked to my side and noticed that I wasn't the only one in the uncomfortable position.
Cera was being carried by our brother Dema, Thera by our sister Dora while a whimpering Tessa was being held by our mother.
As for me, my carrier was... our grandfather?!
I was surprised that it wasn't my father until I overheard my papa release an audible, bellowing call of his own. A bellow that told much to me after a short moment of thinking.
That call which echoed along the dry plain told a clear message: '' RUN! RUN! DANGER! SHARPTEETH!
The sound of stampeding feet became even louder as our own herd immediately picked up the pace in front of us.
I uttered a terrified gasp once I realized the other herd's stampede wasn't anything to laugh about; and just then another bellowing roar sounded somewhere at the very back where the other dinosaur herd's feet were kicking up a dust cloud.
A shiver ran down my back! If you've ever seen the movie 'Jurassic Park' and 'Land Before Time' you would no doubt understand what I was ranting on about!
The human being in me recognised that telltale roaring sound and was instantly terrified by the sound of it.
The chilling, blood freezing noise of a fierce apex predator of the 'Dinosaur World'.
A TYRANNOSAURUS REX!
And if that wasn't enough...
I pinched my eyes shut, shuddering when a high-pitched sound of terror and agony ripped through the air before whoever had made that awful sound fell silent; but the predator couldn't silence the voice of a male dinosaur bellowing out his mate's name. Or the tearful screams of a hatchling continuing to call out to his, or her, mother.
Tears dripped down my face before falling to the ground.
The apex predator had made a kill, and a family had lost one of it's members to the carnivore that had attacked. Either a male that had hunted to spare it's own life in the world that was '' kill or to be killed'', or it could have been a female T-rex hunting to spare its hatchling's life.
Whatever the reason for this hunt, I wept quietly for the male leaf-eater that had lost his mate and for the young child that had lost a mother.
….
END OF CHAPTER 7
