Rex blinks. It seems the mention of his name stirred some talk and curiosity among the Longneck Biters. While some continued with their welcoming roars and growls others approached the kid in curiosity, some of them eyeing his wings while others eyed his face and arms. Heck, even some Longneck Biter pups weren't spared of the curiosity as they scrambled up to him and began sniffing around his feet and tail.
Chomper and Yu aren't even spared of being looked at by the adults and sniffed at by the curious pups.
Rock Rangers' Home
"Is this really him?"
"He looks rather cute."
"I thought he would be bigger than this."
Chomper and Yu could only giggle at the comments and how swamped Rex is of Longneck Biter pups and adults examining him.
"Gee Rex; you seem quite popular with them." Yu smirks.
"I guess…" Rex replies uncomfortably as he tries to avoid the pups scrambling about around him, lifting his tail a bit to keep from hitting the little ones or anybody in that matter.
He turns his head to Stone as he heard him chuckle at the rather popular dinosaur, and before he knew it his eyes narrowed, who exactly is this kook? How does he know his name and more importantly, why are all these young Longneck Biters interested in him?
"Rex…?" Yu begins as he notices the glare in Rex's eyes, but he didn't have a chance to continue as the kid makes his way to the Longneck Biter who gave them the welcome. Yu could only wince as he already expects Rex starting a scene.
Stone would watch calmly and coolly as Rex approaches him and stand by at the end of the boulder he, Tree-star and Doovan stand on, his dark blue eyes looking up at Stone's gold eyes.
"Something troubling you?" Stone coolly asks.
Rex just crosses his arms while looking up at Stone, "You could say that. I just got here, first time I meet you and your pack here. And then all of a sudden this whole pack acts like they've heard of me and you, especially you, know my name." Rex arches an eyebrow at Stone as he slightly turns away his face, "Now, I'm paranoid and frightened right about now, how DO you know my name?"
Stone just laughed full-heartedly before responding to the child. "Ahhh…Rex my boy, the whole pack knows and has heard about you." He smiles at Rex and turns his head to the pack present in the chamber. "We fully know what you are, and in return we have kept a watchful eye on you ever since Littlefoot found you as an egg."
"What!?" Rex suddenly spits out, getting closer to Stone. "Littlefoot!? You know Littlefoot!?"
Stone grins. "Littlefoot, his grandparents, Cera, the Threehorn and his mate, Petrie, Spike, Ducky, the question is who do we NOT know."
Rex is flabbergasted, his mind trying to register the shock an disbelief that this pack, this whole pack, is familiar with his friends and apparently everyone who lives in it, clearly proof that this pack watches over the Great Valley and its inhabitants with great care.
But what kind of scares him is the fact that he knows his friends and family by name, just how close do they get to the Great Valley to catch wind of their names?
"So how do you know their names?" Yu inquires.
"Patrolling the valley." Donovan answers for Stone. "You'd be surprised at how much you can learn by just doing your job keeping the valley safe."
Chomper looks around the chamber, overwhelmed by the sheer number of the Longneck Biters in the area. His mind is still on those Longneck Biters that attacked them back at the cave. The Longneck Biter that hurt the three of them pretty badly until the others showed up…Hold up a minute…
"Hey!" Chomper cries out, getting the attention of his friends and the Longneck Biters nearby. "You say you're all protectors of the valley and show hospitality and friendliness toward us. But a while ago we were nearly killed by four of your own!"
Chomper narrows his eyes at Stone and Donovan, a look which made Donovan react to stand in front of Stone to protect him. Chomper continues with his speech, "What's the deal! Why did those four Longneck Biters attack us out of pure desire while you're all showing us hospitality and no desire to slaughter us like those others did!"
Donovan growls a warning, but Stone places his paw on Donovan's shoulder, getting the Longneck Biter to stop his growl and step aside, allowing Stone to step forward, his expression serious and his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
Rex and Yu gulped as they took a step back, believing Chomper's accusation got them on their bad side, getting them into more trouble that could possibly mean their life. Chomper didn't seem faced though, but Rex and Yu were already standing behind Chomper to get as far from the approaching Longneck Biter as possible.
"These Longneck Biters," Stone starts, his gaze now on the trio, "They had a scar on their left shoulder, did they not?"
Yu looked at Rex, who in turn looked at Chomper. The three of them nod and turn to Stone, Rex speaking out, "Yeah, a strange scar on their shoulders, each of them."
Stone turns around to the boulder behind him on which he stood. Lifting a paw up, he presses his claws against the boulder and grind them down, carving a symbol on the boulder's surface. He repeats the same process again, finishing the carving in shape of an X on the boulder, a symbol which sent chills down the trio's spine.
"That's the one!" Yu cries out, "That's the scar they had!"
Stone sighs as he looks at the symbol he just clawed onto the boulder, "Of course…The Rebellion."
"The what?" Chomper echoes.
"The Rebellion." Donovan growls. "They are a pack of Longneck Biters who have grown tired of our ways and believe we are degrading ourselves keeping our tradition of protecting the Great Valley for generations."
He growls more ferociously as memories come back to him of the first Longneck Biters who started this rebellion years ago. "They believe we should abandon the laws our ancestors set down generations ago and take what it's rightfully ours, becoming cold blooded assassins and slaughtering everything we see just for the enjoyment."
"They believe that's our natural way of life," Stone continues, "To become nothing but monsters and strike fear into anyone who mention our names."
Rex, Chomper and Yu are shocked. The Longneck Biters that have attacked them were part of this so called rebellion, a pack of Longneck Biters bent on converting their species into what they believe they are: The ultimate killing machine and slaughtering everything that gets in their way, just for the pleasure and enjoyment of the hunt.
Yu snarls in anger, the idea of them betraying the laws and ways of life set by their ancestors just boils his blood. He knows the laws are there for all intent and purposes, he knows the laws are to keep them from destroying the balance of life and nature, to keep the peace.
Judging by the way these Longneck Biters look, the laws have helped them live the good and comfortable life; it wouldn't make sense in destroying such a sacred sounding tradition and law just to turn, in a way, evil and wicked.
'Sharpteeth only hunt for survival, never for pleasure or sport.' Yu recited such wisdom in his mind.
Rex thought back on Donovan's explanation, suddenly sparking the urge to ask about one thing that got his attention. He opens his snout and begins, "When you said 'take what is rightfully ours,' what did they mean by taking what?"
"The place where you were born," Ken'ichi answered.
"What!?" Rex, Chomper and Yu cry out at the same time.
Ken'ichi nods, seeing that horrified look on Rex's face. "We've been protecting it for generations. The Rebellion believes the Great Valley is our property for protecting it all this time; they want to take control of the valley and slaughter everything inside as the cold blooded assassins they believe we are."
The trio looks at each other and thinks about this, this rebellion can't be serious, can they? To destroy such a beautiful haven for Leaf-Eaters just for their bloodlust, why would they do such a thing? Sure, they have protected it for generations, but does that really give them a reason to jump in and take over the place, slaughtering everyone inside of it?
"They're fools, all of them." Donovan snarls, "Their vision won't last. They might gain an abundance of food at first, but soon the Leaf-Eaters and Meat-Eaters will steer clear of the valley, destroying the valley in a wasteland of death and blood."
"Enough." Tree-Star demands after seeing the horrified and anguished expression in Rex's face, feeling sorry for the kid. "Talking about the Rebellion now won't accomplish anything. We have guests among us, we should make them feel welcomed and relief them of their injuries and stress."
Stone could only smile at his mate, indeed she was right, after having a close call with the Rebellion these children should not be stressed out even more by them, they are in their care and they shall do their best in helping them relax from such a deadly encounter before letting them go on their way from wherever they came from.
"Correct as always, Tree-Star…" Stone complements, he then jumps on top of the boulder and turns to his pack present in the chamber, "Longneck Biters! Show some hospitality toward our guests as they explore our homes! Help them unwind from their strenuous lives!"
Rex, Chomper and Yu flinch at that comment; their lives aren't that strenuous…Is it?
Stone looks down at Ken'ichi, "Lead them around and show them Cliff's Edge."
Ken'ichi bows his head in respect, "I will, Stone."
"Good." Stone nods before roaring out to his pack dismissed. Soon the chamber comes to life as all the Longneck Biters return to their work and homes, some of them staying behind for one last look at the trio while others return to their homes.
Stone glances at Chomper and grins as he turns around to leave. "And find the blue Sharptooth a mate!" He suddenly shouts.
"Huh!?" Chomper retaliates at the comment; his only response is Stone's sudden laughter before the Sharptooth realizes he was just kidding. He stares as Stone, Tree-Star and Donovan leaves while Ken'ichi is chuckling to himself.
"Same ol' Stone…" Ken'ichi chuckles, "Always with the jokes."
Chomper growls, "I didn't find it funny one bit!"
Rex and Yu couldn't help but laugh as well; Chomper's expression was just priceless.
Vlad walks around in the woods of Crescent Valley, trying to find his friends Kedem and Shino. Their parents said they were around the valley, but he wasn't expecting to have such a hard time finding them.
He checked the lake, nothing there. He checked around the caves they like to hang out, no signs of them there. He looks around the forest sniffing the air, trying to catch their scents, but so far he's not having such luck in finding them.
"Where are they…?" Vlad whispers to himself. He suddenly hears some commotion in the bushes to his right, causing the child to turn 90 degrees to his right, "Who's there!?" He calls, but to no answer comes back.
His eyes narrow slightly as he waits for another sound, but to his dismay silence settles down instead, which starts to make the kid nervous of staying there waiting for something to happen.
He shakes off the fear and continues along his way, taking in a deep breath to calm down his beating heart. "Calm down, Vlad…It was probably just the wind…"
He suddenly hears more rustling, this one sounding so close it made Vlad jump and drop to the ground with his belly pressed against the ground, a stealth position any creature walking on four legs would position itself when being stalked.
Vlad narrows his eyes to the direction the rustling came from and slowly approaches it while actually walking on all fours like any Longneck, Three-Horn, even a Longneck Biter would walk. His kind may have the ability to walk upright, but even his kind has the ability to walk and run gracefully on all four like any feral creature.
Vlad sniffs the air as he approaches the spot carefully, readying himself in case of an assault or attack. He sees a bush rustle in front of him. Perfect! He has it now…
"Got you…" Vlad mutters as he slowly gets up with his humanoid paws ready for the catch. He was, however, taken by surprise as a small creature jumps from the bush and onto Vlad, making the dinosaur shriek as he fell down onto a leaned back sitting position, breathing heavily as the creature stands on his chest.
It was nothing more than a little mouse, its cute face and whiskers looking up at his face, slightly tilting its head as it keeps staring at Vlad's face. He sighs in relief and growls at the mouse, scaring it and getting it off his chest and scrambling back into the woods.
"Little creep…" Vlad mutters as he gets up, dusting himself of that little scare and fall. "I don't need this…Kedem, Shino, where are you guys…"
Vlad flinches as he hears more rustlings, already speculating that little mouse is back again roaming about. He growls as he picks up a scent; no, this isn't the mouse, this is something else. What is it, he doesn't know, but it's not that mouse or his friends.
"Who's there!?" Vlad calls out as he gets ready for his pounce, making sure he doesn't get surprised by a little rodent again.
The creature stalking Vlad shoots out at him, catching Vlad by surprise at the size of it; the creature strong enough to topple him down and pin him to the ground.
Vlad gasped and froze as he stared up at the creature pinning him down. The creature's yellow skin with brown coloring its nose, between its brows, back of neck all the way to tip of its tail along with red violet skin from its top lip, underside of its neck, chest, belly, and halfway under its tail. His eyes froze as his gaze looked right into the creature's eyes, its blue sclera and light blue irises glaring right down at him.
Vlad choked a gasp; this creature is a Longneck Biter…One he remembers from his early childhood…
"A…Axel…" Vlad breathes terrified.
"Awwww, Vladie boy remembers good ol' Axel!" Axel taunts with her scary grin, pressing her snout against Vlad's, "How's my ol' friend doing these days!?"
Vlad growls, how he wishes this Longneck Biter would just die or leave him alone. Axel has been making it a habit to 'visit' her 'ol' friend' recently. Though the encounters are very rare, every time she shows up it spells trouble for Vlad; whether it's an attempted murder or just merely toying with his mind with the horrible memories from his early childhood.
Either way it spelled danger for Vlad…
"I'm not your friend…" Vlad growls, "And you're not my friend either!"
He throws his arms up to push Axel off, but the Longneck Biter simply jumps off of him before she would get tossed off. Vlad quickly rolls over and picks himself up, backing away from Axel on all four in a feral position, not daring to waste any time in getting up onto his humanoid position. Against a Longneck Biter, every second counts.
"My my, you're up on the wrong side of the cave today," Axel teases as she circles around the kid, her tail wagging back and forth slowly as if trying to hypnotize the child. She stops and grins maliciously as Vlad, exposing her razor sharp teeth. "What's wrong? Your friends ditched you?"
Vlad growls, "What's it to you!? They haven't ditched me! They're just somewhere in the valley playing or something…"
"And they leave you behind? Some friends…" She laughed, clearly seeing how ticked off Vlad is getting at her taunts. "You keep losing everyone, you haven't changed a bit."
Vlad snarls and jumps in for the attack, swinging a paw to slash at his offender. But Axel, being the fast Longneck Biter that she is, jumps aside and skillfully dodges the attack, almost leaving Vlad to slam headfirst into a tree.
Vlad turns to Axel with a snarl, his own sharp teeth exposed as he glares at the Alimon that he despises.
"You really need to work on your anger." Axel teases coolly, enjoying in getting on Vlad's bad side.
"I hate you so much…" Vlad growls, taking notice of the slash wound on Axel's muzzle, she must've been in a fight some time ago.
Axel puts on a shocking face just to mock the kid, "Awww, don't tell me you still hold a grudge."
"Drop dead!!" Vlad threatens as he charges in and jumps for a pounce.
Axel allows the pounce to connect as she is knocked to the ground and pinned by Vlad, who brings up a paw and sends it down to her face. Axel however brings up a paw and grabs Vlad's paw, stopping it from slamming on her face.
Axel just grins as she holds up Vlad's paw, "The face again, Vlad? How predictable."
She begins squeezing Vlad's paw in hers, sinking her red claws into Vlad's paw. The kid cries out in pain as his paw is being squeezed along with her claws being thrusted into his flesh, blood starting to ooze out.
Axel lets go and pushes Vlad off of her, chuckling maliciously to herself, "You're just like her in her last moments."
Vlad's eyes widen and his growl soon intensifies. How dare she get her into this? How dare she taunt her? Vlad glares at his injured paw as it bleeds; he wants to rip her apart in every way imaginable, after what she has done to her…
"You leave her out of this!!" He shouts as he turns to her, fire in his eyes.
Axel just didn't seemed faced, she just grins in a very evil way as the memories come back to her. How she made her suffer before ending her life.
To Axel that was her best hunt ever, and how she wishes to go through the same again. "Hahahahahah…" She laughs, "Ahhh, Vlad my boy, how I enjoyed that day…"
"Shut up!!" Vlad screams and charges in to shut her up, but Axel jumps to the side and slams her powerful tail against Vlad's stomach, knocking the wind out of the kid and tossing him back against a tree, leaving the kid to cough and gasp for breath as he clutches his stomach.
"You really miss her, don't you?" Axel asks in a rather pitiful manner as she slowly closes in on the kid, but it is clearly obvious Axel is just toying with him, guilt about what she had done is nonexistent with her, she would love to do it again as her sudden grin can tell. "Maybe I should grant you that wish!"
Vlad coughs again as he slowly picks himself up, but his efforts are in vain as Axel slams him again to the tree, this time pouncing him against it and pinning him. Vlad cried in pain as the slam was powerful against his back, Axel's red claws threatening to sink into his shoulders.
"Oh how I enjoy the taste of your kind…" Axel whispers to Vlad. She then opens her mouth, salivating at the thought of killing this child and tasting the flesh of his kind once more…
"Leave him alone!"
Axel yelps as a rock hits her point blank on her head, shaking her head from the sting, the distraction long enough for Vlad to kick the Longneck Biter off of him and get away from his pinned position.
Axel snarls as she gets up and turns, spotting two more kids, one holding another rock while the other is picking up another. One of them is green while the other is black with a red underside from under his jaw down to the underside of his tail.
"Get away from him if you know what's good for you!" The black one cries out.
"You mess with him, you mess with us too!" The green one adds.
Axel scoffs, she can easily take down all three of them; after all they're just kids. She looks over at Vlad who's already standing and backing away from her. Her plan of another meal was just once again cancelled, but maybe this was for the better. After all, she has to report back to the leader of the Rebellion, also she can't forget why she came to Crescent Valley for.
She starts laughing, confusing the three kids.
"What's so funny!?" Vlad inquires.
She stops laughing, smirking at the kids. "You three. Hahah! Your kind is unaware of what's happening around here, are you?" She starts laughing again as she takes note of the kids looking at each other, of course they don't know what's going on. "Soon your kind will find out, and when you do…Well, you'll be thanking us!"
The kids blink at that statement. Thank them? Who's them? "What are you talking about?" Vlad asks.
"Why waste my time telling!" Axel spits out, backing away from them into the shadows of the forest. "Soon everything will be in motion, and then you'll end up with a choice that'll determine whether you die or not. And when that time comes…" She grins at Vlad, "I'll be looking forward into killing you and the rest of your kind!"
Vlad is confused, staring at Axel. "Huh? Wait!"
But it was too late; Axel has already turned tail and left the scene, leaving behind those confusing words for the kids to ponder and decipher.
End up with a choice? Whether they'll die or not? What did Axel meant? Just what is she up to? What does she mean?
"Whew…I'm glad that Longneck Biter is gone…" The green one, Kedem, sighs.
"Who was that Longneck Biter?" The black one, Shino, asks as he approaches Vlad.
Vlad, however, was just silent, staring at where Axel left. He soon starts growling, unable to hide his anger and hatred toward that Longneck Biter.
He will never forgive her for what she has done, never forgive how she always mock and toy with his mind and sanity, never forgive how many times she has tried to kill him and hurt him.
"I'll make you pay, Axel…"
"Boy, these tunnels are long…" Rex comments as he journeys through the tunnels of the Longneck Biter home with his friends. He has never been through such long tunnels, stretching practically thorough the whole valley mountain walls, just how huge is this pack?
"Too long if you ask me…" Yu breathes, growing tired of such long walks. "Just how far is this Cliff's Edge Stone mentioned?"
"Just a bit further…" Ken'ichi replies.
The trio sighs, their legs growing tired. They're not used to walking this far without even taking a break. With the bright circle hitting down on them in the Mysterious Beyond they would always stop for breaks every once in a while to cool down, but now in the cool caverns of the Rock Ranger's home they thought they could go on without breaks, but they were wrong.
These tunnels are practically hills going upwards and some of them going downwards, pebbles and rocks here and there to slow them down and hurt their feet. Rex shakes his head, how can Longneck Biters live like this? They can't be that strong and capable, could they?
Chomper starts to sag on his walk until he drops down onto a sitting position, panting. "Could we take a break?" He pleads. "I'm beat…"
"Ahhh, I thought you'd never ask." Rex comments as he too falls down onto a sitting position on the ground, his back resting against the cave walls. Yu also didn't waste time in lying down to rest, at least they don't have the Bright Circle zapping their energy with such temperature, and they'll be all rested up and ready to go in no time.
"Pfeh, amateurs." Ken'ichi smirks.
"Yo, Zitro!"
Ken'ichi's blinks not at the voice, but at the name he was just called. Rex, Chomper and Yu turn their heads toward the direction of the voice, seeing another Longneck Biter approaching them from the darkness of the cave.
While difficult to see, the trio can tell the Longneck Biter's red skin with green stripes from just above his nostrils up his head and down his neck and spine to the tip of his tail. 6 and a half feet tall with black claws and four green feathers with the remaining two red, this Longneck Biter is one tough and brave creature to take on, his name is Tanner.-
"What's up, Zitro!" Tanner greets with a smirk, acknowledging the company. "I see you have some friends over. Going to Cliff's Edge, huh?"
Rex, Chomper and Yu look at each other before turning their heads to Ken'ichi, inquiring in unison, "Zitro?"
Ken'ichi's eyes shift back and forth before settling on his friend with a soft glare, lowering his head a bit. "Tanner…Ex-Nay on the Ames-Nay…"
Tanner chuckles as he approaches the group, nudging his friend with a smirk. "I like calling you by your real name. Sure, 'Ken'ichi' is a great sounding nickname, but why abandon your real name?"
"I didn't abandon it." Ken'ichi defends. "I just prefer being called 'Ken'ichi' rather than my real name."
Rex, Chomper and Yu look at each other, not really understanding what's going on here.
Apparently Ken'ichi's real name is Zitro, yet seems like Ken'ichi is trying to avoid being called by his real name for some reason. They shrug it off; maybe he just prefers being called Ken'ichi rather than Zitro.
Tanner smiles as he shakes his head, "Whatever floats your boat." He turns his head to Rex, Yu and Chomper, his smile fading a bit. "So, who are you three?"
"Uhhh…I'm Yu…" Yu informs uncomfortably.
"I'm Rex." Rex goes next with a nod.
"And I'm Chomper." Chomper is last with a firm look and a slight smile.
Tanner nods, "The name's Tanner; a pleasure to meet new faces during these hard times."
"Speaking of hard times…" Ken'ichi starts as he approaches Tanner. "What else have you uncovered from the Rebellion?"
Tanner shakes his head, "Nothing else. Their numbers invading the valley have decreased dramatically lately, it has me worried…"
Rex's eyes widen at his report, gulping as he felt his heart take a dive. He didn't expect that gang of Longneck Biters already made their way into the valley.
What about Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, Ducky and Petrie? Have they fallen prey to this gang of Longneck Biters as well? Rex just can't live with himself if that happens, not after all they went through last year and his promise he did to Littlefoot. He would be crushed if he couldn't keep his promise.
Tanner noticed Rex's horrified face and slightly tilts his head. "You alright?"
Ken'ichi looks at Rex, him too noticing the expression even though the kid was quick in hiding it with replacing it with a slight grin. Ken'ichi's eyes narrow and turns his gaze to Tanner, "He's afraid the rebellion has preyed upon his friends in the valley."
"Oh," Tanner responds with a slight smirk. "The Longneck and his friends."
Rex gasps, "What? You know him too?"
Tanner chuckles. "Of course I know him. I'm one of the spies and assassins of the Rock Rangers, one of my jobs is to keep an eye on the rebellions that enter the valley and gather as much information as I can."
Spies and Assassins are those carefully chosen Longneck Biters who are in charge of keeping an eye on enemy packs and gather information on whatever they are told to gather information from. As for the latter, well, the name speaks for itself.
Tanner smiles at Rex reassuringly, "Don't worry, they're fine."
The trio smiles and sighs in relief, happy to hear their friends aren't harmed.
Soon after a roar echoes through the tunnels, a roar that makes Ken'ichi flinch and growl, "Oh you got to be kidding me…" He shakes his head and continues, "They want me to report to the troops for more training…Guess I won't be showing them Cliff's Edge like Stone told me to…"
"Bummer…" Yu sighs disappointedly.
Tanner lowers his head, "What luck…"
For the moment it seems as if the group befell in a state of silence as if the world's biggest disappointment has dawned on them. While Rex, Chomper and Yu don't have a clue what Cliff's Edge is about, they're pretty sure it must be quite something for the leader himself to recommend Ken'ichi to show it to them.
Suddenly Tanner had a brainstorm, and with a slight grin he opens his snout, "Say, since you guys are already almost there, why don't I show these guys Cliff's Edge for you."
Ken'ichi lifts his head and looks at Tanner, starting to smile. "Will ya?"
Tanner nods, "You can count on me."
Ken'ichi smiles, "Thanks buddy." He turns around and starts to head down the cave. But before he does he looks back at the group. "Fellas, just stick with Tanner and you'll have the best view ever. Have fun."
Rex, Chomper and Yu watch as the black Longneck Biter takes his leave for his duty, the question of why he refuses to being called his real name still lingering. They look at each other, best not to touch that subject with him; it sounds and looks rather personal to him.
"Well," Rex, Chomper and Yu turn their heads to Tanner, "shall we get going then?"
The trio nods and gets up, following Tanner through the tunnel and, once again, question themselves how could Longneck Biters live in such rough terrain to walk, pebbles and boulders everywhere along with up hills and sudden down hills.
Rex yelps as he stubs his toes against a rock and trips, falling belly first onto the ground, slamming his chin on the cold, hard ground.
The group stops to look at the kid on the ground, who just growls and shouts irritatedly: "How do you Longneck Biters live in this!?"
Zebulon was at a loss. He sighed heavily as he sat on the corner of his cave, deep in thought. On one paw he has his brother to follow, but on the other…
He shook the thought away. No, he's destined to follow the Darkarians. He cannot betray them now, no matter what he feels about their objectives. He can't let his mind rip him away from where he belongs, his destiny.
And yet…His heart is telling him to go, to go back to what he really believes in…Back there with the Rock Rangers…
Zebulon is a Longneck Biter. Black with grey skin from under his jaw down his neck, stopping right above his chest; two feathers on his head are black while the rest are grey. His eyes are a pair of ruby red. This is the same one that gave Rex, Chomper and Yu trouble some time ago. The Longneck Biter who feared seeing Donovan again for whatever reason he holds.
Zebulon sighs, thinking about what his pack is really doing. He was always a close follower of the rules and laws the Rock Rangers follow. Laws set down by the ancestors of all Longneck Biters, Shatki.
Zebulon shakes his head and buries his face in his paws, what has he become? All his life he was devoted to follow the Rock Rangers, he gained Stone's and Donovan's trust ever since he started being a Scouter. Heck, he was even considered in being ranked as an Assassin.
Scouters are the most common ranks of a Longneck Biter pack, the ones who are in charge of scouting for food and resources when told to do so. Assassins are the most trusted Longneck Biters in the pack, in charge of taking out dangerous adversaries.
He looks at the X scar on his left shoulder, immediately tempted to slash it off his shoulder and go back to the Rock Rangers. However, other thoughts prevent him from doing so.
He won't be able to just walk back to the pack; they would kill him for betraying them in the first place.
He snarls, hating himself for doing such a horrible thing to the pack he has known all his life. But he doesn't have to be worried of those thoughts anymore, for this pack is his new family now, the ones who watch his back now.
And he better be wise in not being caught in his thoughts of betraying them too to try to go back to the Rock Rangers…
"Zebulon!"
Zebulon winces at the voice calling out his name, for he knows to whom that voice belongs to. And how he dreads such fact…
"What are you doing in here!? I said I wanted everyone outside!"
"Apologies," Zebulon replies sternly, keeping his head up high as he tries to hide the slight fear in his face, which is easy to do with the advantage of having his back turned to the figure. "I was just…Um…"
"Just what!?" The voice spits, once again making Zebulon wince. "Not thinking of betraying us, are you!?"
"N-No…" Zebulon replies, his fear suddenly subsiding and his eyes narrowing. "I will never even consider that…"
"Good." The voice continues. The figure behind him looms closer to him, a Longneck Biter. "I'm sure you still haven't forgotten how they treated you after…Well, you know."
Zebulon growls, his claws sinking deep into the ground. "I will never forget…"
"That's right." The Longneck Biter grins, placing an arm over Zebulon's shoulder. "The way they shunned you…The brother of the Darkarians leader, just because of that connection they turn their backs on you immediately. Such a waste on their part…"
Zebulon lowers his head, while what the Longneck Biter says it's not one-hundred percent true, the pack did treat him a bit unfairly because of his relationship with the leader of the Darkarians.
They immediately expected he would betray them just because of that, and immediately they put him on surveillance and under a watchful eye, kept their cautions against him. He hated it, they stripped him from the freedom he had with them, everything just to be on the 'safe side' as they told each other. Zebulon couldn't take it anymore, so he jumped ship and went with the Darkarians to join his brother.
And while he couldn't make it as being an Assassin for the Rock Rangers, he certainly made the Commander rank in the Darkarians.
"Yes it was…" Zebulon replies, "They'll pay for such injustice…"
The Longneck Biter grins evilly, "And I know just how to do it."
"Ow…Ow…Ow…Ow…" Rex complained each and every time his injured foot touched the ground. The terrain of the tunnel has not been kind to his feet.
"Will you stop complaining!? I'm getting a headache!" Now it was Chomper's turn to complain.
"Sorry…" Rex apologized with a slight grin, but that was soon dropped as he began to feel tired again. "How much longer, Tanner?"
"It won't be long now…" Tanner answered. Soon they found themselves going up hill again, and soon their faces beamed as they saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
The trio cheered, they finally arrived! They soon made a dash toward the exit, feeling that Cliff's Edge is worth the torture they've been through in such tough terrain. Tanner kept in the lead, stopping and turning to the group at the foot of the exit, stopping them.
"Eh? What's wrong?" Yu inquires, "Why are we stopping?"
Tanner chuckles, "It's not called Cliff's Edge for nothing." He turns and slowly walks outside, disappearing in the bright glow of the Bright Circle.
The trio looks at each other and decides to follow his example, slowly walking outside toward the light. All three of them couldn't help but shut their eyes as soon as they got out, blinded by the Bright Circle after being so long underground in the dark. They slowly open their eyes and blink a few times, adjusting to the brightness.
"Welcome to Cliff's Edge." Tanner announces.
Rex rubs his eyes and slowly opens them again, blinking as his eyes begin to show the view in front of him.
"Whoa!" Yu exclaims.
"Awesome…" Chomper admits in awe.
Rex blinks a few times and his jaw drops, taken by surprise at what he sees…
