Chapter 7: New Things
While they both had valid reason to be afraid, they continued on to Death Canyon to get the blood leaves for Chompless. On the way out of the massacre, a Fast Biter covered in bleeding cuts grabbed Chomper's foot, "Be wary of the Beta!" it said. Chomper looked at it, "The what?" he asked. The dino said it again, "The Beta! Don't look at the Beta!" His father turned around and saw what was happening, but he wanted to hear what the Fast Biter had to say. Chomper tried to get free from the dino's grip, but it wouldn't be necessary in a few moments.
"What is the 'Beta'?" he asked. The Fast Biter gave no answer because life then left it. It exhaled its final breath sharply before its arm and head went limp. Chomper casually moved his leg out from there, "You okay?" he asked. Chomper was perfectly fine, although very curious as to what the Beta was, "I'm fine. But he was talking about something called the Beta. And I'm wondering what that is. Wait, you don't happen to know, do you?" he said.
Chomper had a feeling that the chances of his father knowing the creature were most likely infinitesimal before he even asked, but it couldn't have hurt. His father shook his head, "No. I have never heard of anything called a 'Beta' before. Unless it was speaking about the secondary leader of a pack of Sharpteeth in the event the alpha is killed. But in a pack, the second-strongest would just become the new alpha, and it isn't called a beta. Although it didn't seem like the Fast Biter was talking about ranks in a pack." he said.
Chomper could've guessed that, "Let's just get those leaves and get back, okay?" his father said. Chomper nodded, and they continued on. When they reached their destination, there was a small river flowing through it. They both decided to take a drink. But, as they were drinking, Chomper saw the water turning red. He stopped and told his dad, "Dad. Look." he said. He saw it, too, "That's definitely blood. Something probably got killed upstream. Best we don't go up there." he said.
Then a corpse floated past them, and it was an adolescent Fast Biter. Now, they both looked at each other. His dad thought he knew what he was thinking, "Chomper, don't you even think about going upstream to see what killed that Fast Biter. You hear me?" he growled. The thought actually hadn't entered Chomper's mind before he said this, but now it did. He nodded, but as soon as his dad's back was turned, he left. He knew Chomper would instantly defy him, and he immediately looked back, "Why do I bother?" he said to himself.
He followed Chomper, making sure to keep him unaware of his presence. When Chomper stopped, his father hid in thick bushes and watched, "Hm. I'm stalking my own son. Should this feel wrong? No. Not if you're just keeping an eye on him." he thought. Chomper saw two large footprints that were very slimy. Not wet. Slimy. He looked around, and then he heard the growl, "Oh, no. I think it's that abomination." he thought. Then, he heard something stop behind him, "Oh, boy. This is probably gonna be bad." he said to himself. He slowly turned around, and there it stood.
It didn't seem very hostile. It just stood there and looked at him. When Chomper cocked his head, the dino mirrored him, like it was curious. It didn't last long, though, because his father realized the danger and ran in. He grabbed Chomper and got him out of there. The dinosaur didn't bother to chase them. It just watched as they disappeared from sight. Then they were in the clear, Chomper was placed on the ground, and they both heard a voice this time, "Nickie, it was right there! You could've taken him! Why'd you just stand there? That dino alone is going to be valuable to have with us. You need to get them alive somehow. Otherwise, Tyranto will not be very happy." it said. The dino then turned back and left, along with the owner of the voice.
"That's the voice I told you about after we saw that dinosaur. I think whoever it is must be friends with it or something along those lines. And, who is this Nickie? Or Tyranto?" Chomper said. His father was unsure, "I don't know. Neither name sounds familiar. I can tell that whoever was speaking, they were talking to someone. But the chances of it being to that abomination are probably very unlikely. But I can't say for sure." he said.
Then, they took a few more steps forward when something fell onto Chomper's snout, "What the..?" he said. He started looking up, and he saw 3 Fast Biter corpses hanging from some high branches. One had been completely skinned, one was completely gutted of muscle and organs, and the third had its limbs completely torn off, and it had a sharpened double-edged rock connected to a stick lodged in its face and one in its chest.
Chomper had never seen anything like that before. Sure, he just saw the mass grave, but dinosaurs being hung on a tree? Let alone what was done to the bodies? He never could've imagined why something would do this, "Dad. Look. Something hung these Fast Biters on this branch. And each body has been...I don't even know what to call that, but it's almost as bad as the mass grave." he said, pointing. His father looked up, "Oh…my. I definitely have not seen that before. What would do this to a dinosaur? Or anything?" he said. Chomper was scared to imagine what would, but he didn't need to because he saw what they were after, "Over there. There are the leaves." he said.
His father looked and nodded, "I'll get them and then we're going right back to your friend." he said. They walked over, but as Chomper was halfway there, something was thrown at him. It would've hit him had he not heard the whistling of it flying, which got him to stop in confusion. The object flew right in front of his face and hit a tree.
He went over to get a closer look at it, and it was very similar to what he saw in one the hanging Raptors. He grabbed it and called to his father, "Dad. (Looks back) Something just tried to throw this at me." he said, showing it to him. He got concerned for his son's safety, "Stay close. We're going to get these leaves and get out of this place." he said. Chomper had no better ideas, so he stayed right next to him. They got the leaves and very quickly headed back.
They didn't see any new Sharpteeth corpses on the way back. Nor did they see the abomination. Once they got back, though, Chomper's mother could easily tell that they were both spooked, "Tell me what happened." she said. Chomper and his father explained everything, "You saw that dinosaur again? (Both nod) And the same thing happened when you looked at it? (Nods) Whatever that thing is must be avoided at all costs. We cannot risk Chomper or his friends' lives. We need to keep them safe, too." she said.
She began tending to Chompless' soon-to-be infected wound. "It will take a few hours before the ooze in these leaves sinks in and counteracts the oncoming infection. But, it will go away, and she's going to be fine." she said. Chomper, Littlefoot, and Cera all breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay. Now, I can calm down." Littlefoot said. Then, it was time for them to leave, "We've got to go home, now. See you tomorrow, Chompless." Littlefoot said. She waved goodbye. The next morning, about an hour after Littlefoot & Chomper woke up, it was unusually hot.
The next few days were also hotter than normal, and Littlefoot noticed this greatly, "Chomper has it been unusually hot these past couple days? Or am I going crazy?" Littlefoot asked while standing in the middle of the watering hole a few days later. Chomper had taken notice, "It really has been. If we didn't have the Thundering Falls constantly supplying us with water, I feel that all the watering holes would dry up." he said. Littlefoot nodded, "Yeah. And we might have another fire. But, at least I know I'm not going crazy about this. Unless we both are." he said.
Chomper chuckled. 4 more days went by. That night, when the trio went to meet Chompless, Chomper had spotted a small lizard and was chasing after it. Cera & Littlefoot both knew he'd eventually catch up with them, so they kept walking. Chomper did eventually catch the lizard and ate it, but then something fell onto his head, "(Muffled) Hey! What the…? What is…? Get this thing off me! Cera! Littlefoot! I need some help!" he said. The object made it so he couldn't see anything. He walked into about 5 trees before he walked into Chompless and fell onto his back, "Chomper, what's that on your head?" Cera asked.
He was trying to pull it off, but it wasn't working, "I don't know! I think it fell onto me, but I can't…get it…off!" he said. Chompless then reached over and pulled it off with no problem. Chomper then looked at her, "Thank you. It feels so good to see again. Now, what is this thing?" he said, picking it up. It looked hollow, but it had a handle on the top, "Seriously, what is this?" he said, completely clueless. Chompless then gestured for him to give it to her, so he did. She looked inside of it, and she recognized its design.
She gestured toward the river Littlefoot always got the fish from, "The Fast Water? What about it?" Cera asked. Then Chomper's dad looked at it, and he also recognized it, "Son, I recognize that thing. Go to the water and hold that under it. I think it can catch the water. I think it's called a bu…buck…bucket." he said. Chomper tried to picture how this bucket could catch water, but he couldn't. So he went to the water, held it under it for a few seconds, and pulled it back up. It was full, "Wow. This is…weird. I've never thought carrying water like this was possible. (To Chompless) Chompless, are you thirsty?" he said. She looked and licked her lips as she nodded.
He carried the bucket back to her, and she started drinking like she hadn't seen water in a month. He had to refill the bucket a few times over before she stopped drinking, "I feel like something must've made this, too." Chomper said. Chompless tried to sniff it, but all she had been able to smell since they got her back was her own blood. Then the sound of heavy footsteps became audible. Both adults were on their feet, and their guard, "All of you, stay here. We'll take care of this." Chomper's father said.
They all knew, but they stayed very close to Chompless, "Everybody keep quiet." Chomper whispered. Cera, even though terrified of hostile Sharpteeth, which was just about all of them, managed not to let her fear show. Both adults disappeared from sight, and then there was a mega roar that practically shook the ground, "Good grief! What possesses that powerful of a roar?" Littlefoot whispered. When Chompless heard the roar, her eyes flew open because she recognized it, but she still wasn't saying anything.
Then, they started hearing something cracking, "What's that sound?" Cera said. Then they heard crumbling, and they looked at the walls of the Valley,
Rocks were crumbling, "Earthshake!" they all yelled. They turned to run inside, but Chompless couldn't get up, "We can't just leave her!" Littlefoot said. Cera then saw trees around them start falling, and one was about to land on top of them, "We don't have a choice! Run!" she yelled. Littlefoot looked and saw the tree, "Aaaaaaaah!" he yelled. They all ran back into the Hidden Canyon.
But before they could get in, rocks from the walls on either side fell and blocked them, "No!" Cera yelled, skidding to a stop. Littlefoot & Chomper tried to stop but bumped into each other. Then rocks started rolling toward them, "Get out of the way!" Cera yelled, running to the left. They ran with her, "We need to find somewhere safe to wait this out!" Chomper said. The earthquake lasted a few more minutes before it stopped. Then they could stop to catch their breath, "Wow. (Panting) That was…a powerful one. It almost…felt as power…ful as the Great…Earthshake." Littlefoot said. Cera agreed, "You got that right. It felt like…the ground was being pulled…from under my feet." she said.
Then, they heard a weak groan, and they all gasped, "Chompless!" they said in unison. They went back to where they left her, and of course, she was still there, but there may or may not have been a tree on top of her, "Oh, no! Is she dead?" Cera asked. Chomper sniffed the air, "No, she's alive. But I don't exactly know how we're going to get her out from under there. This tree is massive." he said. That was relieving to them, but what was not relieving was that there were heavy footsteps that stopped behind them, "Oh, no." Chomper said.
They slowly turned around, and looking down at them was teeth. They looked up to see what said teeth belonged to. They belonged to a Rex with a scar going from its eye to its claw, "Not Redclaw." Cera said. He looked at them, and they were expecting him to eat them, but he didn't. Then, Screech & Thud showed up, "Oh, great. At least it should be quick." Littlefoot said. Redclaw then sniffed them.
Screech picked up Chompless' scent, "Red, There's something underneath that tree." he said. Redclaw looked to the tree and also sniffed, "That smells familiar, but I can't put a point on it. You two, help me move this." he said to the Raptors. Then Chomper's parents ran back, "Redclaw…" his father growled.
Redclaw continued staring at the tree, and he replied without looking away, "Calm down. I'm not interested in you, or your son, or his friends." he said. Chomper and his parents all looked at each other in confusion, "You know he has friends?" his mother said. Redclaw snarled softly and then looked at them, "Yes. They were quite a bundle of trouble for us back then." he said. Both of them looked at each other, then to Chomper, "Chomper. I thought you promised to stay within Ruby's sight." his father said. Chomper shrugged, "I did and I was when we encountered them. But when I found out about Chompless, things have changed. I don't trust that Ruby will be able to keep this a secret." he said.
Redclaw then looked at him, "Chompless?" he said. Chomper looked at him, "She's a friend we've been seeing for the past few months. She's underneath that tree." he said. Redclaw then moved his head under one end and lifted it up. Once it was off, he saw Chompless and gasped, "A Mystery Tooth? I thought they were just a myth. I'm glad I was wrong." he said. Chomper was surprised, "How does everyone seem to know about a Mystery Tooth when we've never heard anything?" Chomper said.
Redclaw knew and he told them, "The Mystery Tooth is usually never spoken about among Flatteeth because none have seen them before, except for one. I suppose more may have encountered one and survived, but from what I have heard, only one ever saw a Mystery Tooth and lived to tell the tale. But, I always thought that his story didn't get around much because nobody seemed to believe him. Among us Sharpteeth, though, there are many stories about them, most being scary. But a majority of these are about things that their kind has done to us. The first ever story told about them, at least that I remember hearing, was that one apparently was seen leaving the area of a mass grave of Sharpteeth that had been slaughtered in horrible ways I never could've imagined at the time, and that's what initially gave them the notoriety we associate them with, now. But, the next story I remember hearing was when one apparently killed a whole pack of Sailback Sharpteeth, only to let the corpses go to waste. Not eating them, in other words, killing for sport. Most of the stories I've heard are about them killing us. I haven't heard anything else than that about their kind." he said.
Chomper realized something, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a second. That first story…one was seen in close proximity to a mass grave of Sharpteeth? (Redclaw nods) Aye-aye-aye-aye-aye. Wait, what we saw couldn't have been Chompless. She's too hurt right now, plus she doesn't hunt. At least I don't think she does. But still, that doesn't make any sense, if it was her, as to why she'd kill so many Sharpteeth. She's quite docile unless it's an instance like when me or Cera found out about her, or she's defending herself. (To Redclaw) I've seen one of those mass graves before, but the one I saw was not the work of a Mystery Tooth. Not by a longshot. There was another dinosaur close by when we got there. I saw what it was, and, I have to say, it is not like anything you've ever seen before. Trust me. Also, don't look it in the eyes." he said.
Redclaw had a feeling, and started asking him a few questions about the details of the dino, "Did it look like it had 6 eyes?" he asked. Chomper nodded, "Yes. One was red with a black pupil, another was orange with a green pupil. And the rest…" "Were solid white?" Redclaw said. Chomper nodded again, "Yes! That's exact- Wait. Have you seen the same thing before?" he asked. Redclaw nodded, "Indeed I have." he said. Chomper then looked back to everyone, "Can you recall anything that happened when you saw it?" he asked.
Redclaw sighed, "Some parts of it. It was a horrible experience that I never want to go through again." he said. Chomper then asked, "Would you mind telling us?" Redclaw looked at him, "Sure." he said. He sat down, and the kids did the same.