(The Land before time belongs to Don Bluth and Universal. This is for show, not dough.)

Blood Stone belongs to Kittybubbles1998. COMPLETE CREDIT TO THIS AWESOME AUTHOR, SHE IS SO AWESOME THAT SHE LET ME USE HER MOST AWESOMEEST (in my opinion) CHARACTER.

Chapter Six: The Deinonychus

I sniveled, tredding along the edge of the ridge I currenty trasvered on. The storm had died down a while ago. I had began my lonely trek, following Mama's instructions, fueled by our promise. Guilt gnawed on my heart with every step. It felt as if I could never shake the scenes of... them all perishing. I was plagued by the memories of their wails for help and the screeches of Opaque, Incisor, and Slant. I had never felt such terror, hopelessness, guilt, and despair all at once in my entire existence. I was beginning to doubt my purpose on being in the body of an oviraptor/troodon hybrid with memories of my human past up until the age of fourteen. And now I was facing consequences and larger-than-life problems that were harsher than what I had faced when I was still a human. It was wearing my demeanor down day by day, causing me to rethink many of my actions. This was a game of surivival. There was no technology, no 'Help Buttons', no playing favorites. It was either learn how to survive or die trying. Carnivores were appearing left form right, the terrain very foriegn and hard to travel on. Weather and natural disasters also played a major role. There was also territorial herds and other threatening creatures lurking around at every bend. And I was only in the body of a young, puny sexless oviraptorid/troodontid theropod, barely able to cope with loss and my wrongdoings. I wasn't the greatest hunter or foraging for food. I even let my curiosity to...

I squawked as I lost my footing and was sent sliding in circles down the steep slope. Pebbles scraped at my filthy cerulean and indigo down, nipping at some of the skin under it. I was flung on top of a rough boulder as I tried to heave myself up, but found myself useless. Why even bother? I felt so vulnerable and weak. Anything from disease to blood loss could end me right here and now. I just let myself lie there as I suddenly let the boulder shift. I inwardly gasped as I was thrown off, landing to the rocky ground with a thud. I sniffled as more tears fell from my face, soaking the already drenched and soiled cobalt feathers. The 'boulder' was revealed to be a deep muddy green sceliosaurus, wrinkles edging his aged face. I whimpered as his stern brown eyes dug into me. He glared as the ankylosaur turned to look at me.

He sniffed the air, "Hm? What's this?" I only stared in humiliation. His expression dimmed, "What's the matter with you? You're not hurt."

I suddenly shot a glare back as words exploded from my teal mandible, "It's not fair!" My bravodo faltered as I frowned and sniffled, "I should've known better! Those were carnivores... I... Nambi... a-and Mama... and Pip and Pop... and Nia... and Sabin... It's all... It.. It's all..." I trailed off in shame as I stuttered.

"It's all what?" the sceliosaurus demanded, obviously growing more irritated.

"My fault!" I cried, glaring. "I led them all into danger! And now they're all... all ... " I sealed my puffy eyes as I crumpled to the ground.

I perked up as I heard the elder's voice soften, "Oh... I see.. I see..."

I sniffled, "Why did wander so far away from Mama and the herd...?"

"Hey, now you listen to old Rooter." the old ornithischian settled in front of me. "It's not your fault. It isn't. It is nobody's fault. The great circle of life has begun. But you see... not all of us make it together at the end."

"What'll I do?" I inquired as a sloppy tear rolled down my face. "I miss them all so much..."

Rooter smiled, "And you'll always miss them. But just remember the things they taught and shared with you. In a way... You'll never be apart; for you are still apart... of each other."

I sighed, clutching my chest, "My chest hurts..."

The elder chuckled, "That'll go in time, little fella. Only in time." He stood, "Now, I must be on my way. And you must too."

He turned away, "Remember what I told you. You'll understand someday. I promise you."

With that, he began lumbering away. I only stared, taking in his advice.

We would always... be part of each other?

The day drew on as I trekked, my mind heavy with foreboding, taunting thoughts. I found myself growing tired as something kept whispering to me...

You're a murderer... You killed the same family that raised you. So what if you didn't directly kill them... You still disobeyed your mother and caused your siblings to go after your sorry ass.

I sagged as my frown deepened, my dead eyes glazing over with gloom. I soon found myself collapsing to the barren ground as I felt hopeless to go on... At least for a while. Grief continued to overwhelm me, along with rue. I perked up as I suddenly spotted quite the interesting scene in such a desolate, dying environment. Up on a small incline near a small, gnarled fern tree, a small blue dimorphodon hatchling flapped up to a round, red cherry-like berry. He licked his beak as he lurched for it, trying to fit his blunt beak around the berry, yanking it from its stem on the frail branch it was hanging from. The young pterosaur pulled and pulled at the berry until he was sent flying to the ground, the berry now plucked from its branch. As he tried to hop off with his prize, one of his siblings, a teal hatchling, swooped in and nabbed it from his beak. He squeaked after his sibling as she flew into one of the holes of the tree, then only to be shoved out by a purple hatchling and orange. The three fought over the berry as they all juggled for it. A pink hatchling flew in just as the berry was flung into the air, in which he caught with his beak. The four others zipped after him as a cerulean hatchling bumped into him, snatching the red berry for herself, only to be intercepted by a yellow hatchling. A russet hatchling nipped at her yellow brother's tail tip, taking off with the berry. The others chased after her as they passed the berry on as each fell into a hole, only for it to be snatched by a taupe colored oligokyphus, a ferret-like rodent-mammal creature with a wispy tail and round ears.

The clutch of dimorphodons whined as they peered despondently at the mammal, just for their mother, a brown dimporphodon, had a large leave with just enough for all of them. She dumped the berries into their waiting maws as she flapped happily and flew away with her clutch following. The one blue dimorphodon's flight wavered as he suddenly noticed the still, lifeless form of me. He began flying back towards his family only to glance sadly at me. He flitter near me, landing on a small rock in front of me. He stared at me, but I took no notice to him. He set his berry down in front of me, letting out a small chirp as he waited for my reaction. I only ignored him. I didn't deserve his pity. He only nudged it further, looking offeringly at me as he took eager breaths. When I only tilted my head and sighed, closing my eyes, I heard him whine in disappointment. I heard him gradually skitter back to the berry and take off.

I only sighed again.

I kept trekking along the rocky terrain as I suddenly stumbled. I twisted backwards as I clashed with the ground. Hearing a sickening crack followed by searing agony. I trilled in pain as I writhed on the ground. Blood began flooding out of the broken limb as I fought to stand. This only ended in me collapsing to the ground, letting out a pathetic caw as I just lied there all sprawled out. My tail continued to bleed. I heard faint calls in the distance, but I simply disregarded them. I had killed them... I deserved this. I was only one hopeless theropod. I wasn't worth it. I sealed my eyes as I waited for whatever came my way. I nearly leaped out of my feathery down as I heard a scratchy feminine voice.

"What's your problem? Why are you just laying there? You have two legs, so use them!"

I opened my eyes to gaze at a sideways world. I glanced over to the source of the sound.

An elderly blood red deinonychus with black tipped forelimb, tail plumage, scruff, and head feathers. Her agitated brown orbs bore into my lifeless brown and green ones.

"You heard me right, Hybrid. I know you aren't deaf. Go on and get up!" she snarled.

"Mama... Please... Get up..."

"I believe... I no longer can... Wayward..."

"Yes you can! Get... up!"

"I don't deserve to..." I rasped. "Just leave me here. The predators can have me."

"What the hell are you rambling about? You can protect yourself. So go on and get up!"

"You don't understand... I killed them all..."

"Killed who?"

"My family..."

"How?"

"... It doesn't matter... Just leave me here to die... you can claim me as your prey if you need to. I'm not stopping you..."

There was a long silence.

"No. You know what? You're coming with me," she growled, leaning down. The elderly deinonychus slid her head under me, soon sliding me behind her neck and onto her shoulder blades. "You need to be taught about life and death."

"Whatever..." I droned.

She only grumbled before running off with me in tow.

She set me down on the ground, the cave walls dripping with condensation. I simply lied there as she suddenly began putting two sticks on both sides of my tail. I disregarded what she was doing until she suddenly backed off. I stared up at her as I sat up, staring at her work. My tail was curled around with flexible tree bark, two sticks, and surrounded by two sticks. She had made some sort of splint bandage.

"That should keep your tail safe for now," she told me.

We sat there as she suddenly stood.

"Stay here," she mumbled.

And off she went.

I only settled onto the ground.

A while later, the dromaeosaur came back with something limp and reeking of blood in her maws. She dropped it, revealing it to be a russet quilled parksosaurus youngling, her neck snapped. I cringed at the sight. It reminded me too much of...

"Sabin..."

"Hm?" the deinonychus glanced at me. "What was that?"

"I'm so sorry, Sabin... I let him snap your neck..." I maundered absentmindedly to myself.

"... Youngling, you need to snap out of that and listen to me," she settled down.

I only stared at her. She kept a steady gaze.

"You see this parksosaurus?" she tapped it with her claw tip. "I killed her... but only to benefit from her death. She is dead to feed me. I did not kill her out of vain. Death is natural, just as birth and life is. There is nothing wrong with it, it happens. I learned that as I grew. Everyone lives. Everyone dies."

"The Great Circle of Life?" I inquired.

"Yes," she nodded. "Who told you that? Your mother?"

I shook my head, "No... a sceliosaurus did... but murder and natural death are two different things."

She glared, "Then you didn't listen to what they told you. You need to stop saying you killed... whoever you're claiming to ha-"

"I murdered my mama and siblings! That's who!"

"No you did not! Quit claiming to have done something that obviously was an accident!"

I swallowed my next words back, taking in what she had said.

"An... accident?"

"Yes! Don't you understand what you're being told about!? Death will always happen, no matter what you claim. Obviously you don't see what that earthquake has done to herds and families alike."

I stared at the ground. The deinonychus sighed.

"Look... it obviously wasn't your fault. Now, if you calm yourself... Tell me exactly what happened."

"Yes... I know who those are. Underlings of the Great Demise... or known as the Great Sharptooth to the herbivores. I got in some skirmishes with them in my youth. They are quite the pack, yes... Yet... Demise is starting to kill for sport... just to show his sister Red Claw and her underlings Screech and Thud who's in charge. It's wrong of him to abuse his skill as a larger theropod. He should have only assembled a pack to help feed them, not let them help him kill for show. Red Claw isn't any better. She uses her underlings as tools for greed. You see... Opaque was merely toying with you and that shunosaurs and parasaurolophus. She was plotting to kill you in mock, so she and her two companions, Slant and Incisor could use you as bait for getting to your herd. Apatosaurs are very large prey... and taking them out would score Demise great status and fear among other carnivores, especially outclassing his sister. I'm surprised that Incisor killed your sister... even though he knew that he couldn't get through to your herd with that earthquake occuring. Opaque really did a number on your mother... I can tell that the monolophosaurus wanted to make an impression on you to watch your back. She was hoping to get you to murmur about her pack to others so she could get recognition for mortally wounding your mother. I am truly sorry about your loss, but please understand it was not your fault for wandering off... Things like that... just happen, Wayward."

Blood Stone, who had introduced herself after I explained what had happened, was explaining to me on why Demise's pack had suddenly hunted me and my family and friends.

"Now, Wayward... Do you understand the difference between murder and death now?" she asked, nudging the now cold parksosaurus youngling. "Pip, Pop, and Nia all died because of the earthquake. Your mother and Sabin were killed by predators in vain. You did nothing. You did not cause their ends, fate did. And I killed this parksosaurus to feed us."

I nodded... taking in all of what she had told me.

"If you really were a murderer... you would have killed with ambition, a motive... Not because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time," Blood Stone licked her lips. "I am a murderer because I am a hunter, but I only kill to eat. And I cherish the life that was given to me to feast on. Now... help me with this parksosaurus before it begins rotting."

I nodded lightly, before carefully tearing into the ornithopod, torn between disgust for eating another dinosaur and gratitude for having a meal. After we finished off her remains, Blood Stone took the remains and disposed of them properly. When she returned, she settled down beside me.

"Now... You need to rest."

I already was one step ahead. Everything seemed to lift from my heart and shoulders.

I wasn't a murderer.

I blinked, "Wait... y... you're not gonna wonder why I look funny for a theropod?"

The elderly deinonychus arched a brow, "Why would I have to? I've been long enough to tell what a hybrid is and not to just bombard others with questions on how and why they are that way. Especially in a circumstance like yours as of now. It wouldn't be right for me to."

I smiled, beginning to pick at a few of my feathers lining my chest, which used to be almost completely covered in pinfeathers.

As the days drew by, my tail gradually healed. Right before the sun rose, I was sauntering towards the mouth of the cave.

"Wayward, I know what you're doing."

I whipped around to see Blood Stone still curled up with her eyes closed, but I could tell she was awake now.

"Sorry... I just-" I began.

"I know what you were doing, Wayward," Blood Stone chuckled. "I was your age too once."

I watched as she stood, "Now... How about we go hunting? I think it's about time you learned."

We stalked the protoceratops herd through the dead bushes, making sure I was following Blood Stone's lead. I glanced at her as we were crouched to the ground. She lightly tilted her head, giving me the signal. I went the opposite direction as her as we cornered a sickly taupe protoceratops. I tensed my hindlimbs as I felt adrenaline rushing through my blood as I saw Blood Stone give a gesture with her eyes. And then we attacked. The protoceratops was caught off guard as we clung to him. He wailed as his bristle-like hairs stood on end. I dug my hind claws into his foreleg and side as Blood Stone sunk her killer claws near his throat. He bucked wildly as he suddenly toppled backwards. His beak dug into Blood Stone's shoulder as she let out a screech. We latched off as The ceratopsians began surrounding us. Blood Stone crumpled to the ground as I felt faint pain shooting through my tail. I quickly acted, sliding Blood Stone the same way she did for me when I was wounded. I bristled and screeched at the protoceratops, ordering them to back off.

"This isn't over," one growled to me in flattooth.

They all began stomping off as I began carrying Blood Stone with me.

"Why are you doing this, Hybrid?" Blood Stone inquired as I wrapped her shoulder with a leaf. "I've lived a full life, it'll be okay."

"No," I simply repiled, tying a knot with the leaf's stem.

"It's nearing my time anyway," she insisted. "So why not?"

"Because you kept me alive, so I'll do the same for you," I bit back. "There's no way I'm gonna let you die after all of what you've done for me."

I stepped back to face her, "You protected me while I healed, now it's my time to protect you."

She chuckled, "Perhaps... You have taught me something as well, young one. I learned to let death come and go so easily... but now I see that there is more to it than I thought... Thank you... Wayward."

I only nuzzled her.

As I waved good bye to my old friend, I began traversing on my way once more.

I needed to keep Mama's promise.

And I kept Blood Stone's.

I was going to live on.