Chapter VII: Forgetfulness in the Face of Death

In which Coaley develops a loss of memory, and some Rainbow Faces meet a tragic end.

The mostly-Sharpteeth group stopped to rest at a waterfall. They sat at the water's edge, cooling their feet in the cold liquid. A sign stood nearby with words etched into it, but none of them could read. The six dinosaurs bent over and took a drink from the stagnant water on the ground. Coaley drank much more than anyone, then burped slightly.

"Ah! Excuse me," she said quickly, very embarrassed. The others just laughed. Coaley then sat down and put a hand on top of her head. At first, they thought she was just still embarrassed, but then she groaned.

"Coaley, what's wrong?" Menta asked her.

"How do you know my name?" she asked in return.

"Coaley, you never did have a good sense of humor. Give it a rest," Agu told her.

"My name is- Coaley?" she wondered aloud.

Dusk and Menta exchanged glances.

"I think you're just tired," Dusk said. "The bright circle is nearly out of sight. Let's get some sleep."

"Are you a friend of mine?" Coaley asked Dusk.

Chuckling, he replied, "I would hope so."

"Then, do you know where parents are? I should be getting home."

"Coaley may be sick," Dusk announced. Kneeling down before her, he said, "Your parents are dead. They died in a Three Horn fight."

"No! My parents can't be dead!" she shouted, starting to cry.

Dusk wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He was very concerned but couldn't figure out why Coaley had forgotten about her parents and who her friends are.

"I promised to care for you, and I will. Let's just get some sleep. I think you'll feel better after a full night of rest," Dusk assured her.

Tears came to Coaley's eyes, but she lied down to get some rest as Dusk had suggested. Most of them slept soundly as the night circle began its shift in the sky. Coaley, however, was too distraught to stay asleep and got up quietly. She walked away from the waterfall and down a dusty path, her way being lit by the stars in the sky. Then she quickly turned, hearing footsteps.

An old, female Rainbow Face was heading her way, riding atop a furry beast with four legs. Seeing Coaley, she pulled back on the reigns, easing the beast to a stop. She looked down and asked gently, "What are you doing at this hour all alone?"

"I- I'm looking for my parents."

"Aw. You poor thing. Hop on, and I'll help you look." And with that, the Rainbow Face reached down and pulled Coaley up onto the saddle. They continued on down the path, looking all around as the night began to end.

Dusk woke up before anyone else, and his first thoughts were about how Coaley was doing. He got up and glanced around him. She was nowhere to be seen. He spotted a set of footprints in the dust and he followed them. After a short hike, her prints stopped and four big ones took their place. Dusk feared the worst but tried to remain calm.

Returning to the others, he said, "Coaley is gone. We'll have to break from our quest and look for her."

Agu was conscience stricken. "You don't think I made her mad, do you?"

"Don't worry, Agu," Ali comforted. "Coaley was never one to take offense easily. She must still not be feeling well."

"Her footprints end where larger ones begin. She may have been kidnapped."

"Or eat-" but Agu stopped after getting a glare from Menta.

"There is no blood on the ground, so I don't think she was attacked. Let's just follow this trail, and we may find her," Dusk explained. "Ceit, want to fly ahead and scout out the situation?"

"On it, ma lord."

xxxxx

"Wow. Dusk's group sure gets separated a lot. First Agu gets lost, then Menta, now Coaley," a young child pointed out. "Getting split up is starting to become a trend."

His father chuckled. "That's one of the things that makes this story interesting. If Dusk's group always stuck together, doing nothing but getting closer to their goal, this story would be a lot less amusing. These little side adventures give the story some extra depth."

"I guess so."

"May I continue?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

xxxxx

Chomper had finally given up on trying to scream and break his bonds. The cloth tied around his mouth was just muffling his voice too much to make enough noise.

"Finally settling down, are we?" a young, male Rainbow Face asked him. "It's pointless to struggle. The rope I tied you to that chair with is the strongest quality around. Our business isn't with you though, so you won't be killed. The king, on the other hand, won't be so lucky. I'll bet your stand in has already finished him off."

"Not Rey!" Chomper thought desperately.

"Our plan couldn't have been more perfect. When we heard you guys were going to see the king, I grabbed you and made my partner look and sound just like you. He'll be able to march right up to the king and make the kill without any suspicions in the process. When he finishes and runs off, I'll change him back and we'll claim to have caught the killer- you. You can try explaining what happened, but they all know a killer will say anything."

Chomper began trying to free himself again, shaking the whole chair.

"I told you that it's pointless to struggle. Ah well. Wear yourself out. It makes no difference to me. I'm going for a drink at the tavern. See ya." And with that, the Rainbow Face got up, walked up the stairs of his basement, then headed out the door.

"If only I still had my strength power from before. Speed can't get me out of this. But I just have to warn Rey! What can I do?" Chomper wondered.

He managed to get one of his claws on the rope and tried moving it back forth in an attempt to slice through it. Unfortunately, he had so little room to move that he didn't make any progress. He stopped trying and hung his head dejectedly. Then he quickly raised his head back up and his eyes widened. "Maybe I can use my speed to get out of here." He put his claw back on the rope and concentrated. He started moving his claw back and forth at an incredible speed, and the rope started to get cut through. A few seconds later, his hands were free. He repeated on the rope holding his legs and in a very short time, he was no longer bound. He rushed up the stairs then outside towards the castle at an incredible speed. Very soon, he reached the entrance.

"Quick, you have to let me in there! The king's life is in danger," he said in a panic.

The guards did not hesitate but quickly opened the doors and followed him inside. Chomper rushed for the throne room and opened the door there. Upon entering, he saw Rey and Reina sitting at a table, eating.

"Hey, Chomper!" Rey called, waving him over. "Hungry?"

"No time for that. Someone who was made to look like me is trying to kill you. He's with my friends, and I don't think they know it isn't really me."

"Hm. Do you know where your friends are right now?" Rey asked him.

"Last night, they were on their way here to ask for a place to sleep. You mean they never arrived?"

One of the guards that had let Chomper in answered that. "A group of eight came here last night. They were trespassing in the throne room so were arrested them."

"What does arrested mean? Did you hurt them!" he demanded, getting worked up.

"Arrested means they've been locked in the dungeon," Rey explained, getting to his feet. "Now why didn't anyone come and get me? They are good friends of mine."

"We didn't wish to disturb the king's sleep," he answered. "After barging in, it is understandable why we took them as foes."

Rey sighed. "Yes, yes, duty to the king and all. I will overlook this since you had good intentions. Now we must quickly get down there. One of them is an impostor."

"Never a dull moment with Littlefoot and company," Reina grumbled.

Rey, Reina, Chomper, and a few guards hurried down the steps to the dungeon. When the Chomper who was locked up saw the real one, he started to fidget. The noise from bursting through the door woke them all up.

"We're in luck," Ace told them.

"Ohhh, my head…" Littlefoot moaned.

"Wait, how can Chomper be over there if he is in here with us?" Ruby asked. The others looked at the Chomper in the cell, then at the one with Rey.

The one outside shouted, "He's a fake! He was made to look like me to get close to the king and kill him."

The one inside called out, "Don't listen to him! A killer would say anything to fool you. I've been with you guys the whole time."

Rey ordered, "Release them all."

One of the guards opened the two doors, and the kids came out.

"If the fake one was locked up, he may try to escape now that he's free, then I'll be ready," Rey thought to himself.

However, neither Chomper made a move. They simply glared at each other.

"I have an idea!" Ruby exclaimed. "Let's ask them a question that only the real one would know." The others nodded, liking the idea very much.

"Okay, Chomper," Cera began, "when you lost your first tooth, who was the one who explained why it happened and made you feel better?"

"Ruby!" one of them said quickly.

The guards quickly grabbed the one who didn't answer, but he screamed, "Wait! I don't know how he knew that, but I'm the real one!" When no one seemed moved, he added, "When Rhett came to the Great Valley, I pretended to be mean to scare him."

His friends were shocked and didn't know what to say. Eventually, Reina's eyes widened.

"Lock them both up," she instructed. The guards led them back to a cell and latched the door. "Now ask them a question. Only the real one will know the answer this time."

The kids didn't understand, but Littlefoot stepped forward and asked, "How did we get off your island when we first came to visit you?"

"You rode on Dulcy's back," one of them answered.

"That's the real one then. Let him out," Reina ordered.

As a guard went over to unlock the cell, Ruby asked, "What was different about asking in that place or outside of it?"

"There is only one way an impostor would know things that only the real one would know. He'd have to be a psychic, and being in that prison blocks the usage of powers."

As the door opened, the real one slowly came out, but the fake leaped through the opening and shoved his hand forward. A psychic blast knocked all of them hard into a wall. He ran up the stairs and made his way to the exit.

"I got him! He can't run as fast as me," Chomper announced. He followed at a very fast pace and quickly caught up to him. The psychic did another mental shove but Chomper ran out of the way. The force knocked over a table, breaking the vase on top. Chomper kicked his speed up a notch and managed to get in front of the other. He held out his foot and the impostor tripped and came tumbling down the steps outside, twisting his ankle. After a minute or so, the others caught up with them. The guards carried the fake Chomper back to the dungeon and Rey patted the real one on the back.

"Excellent job, Chomper," he told him. The little Sharptooth beamed.

"What I want to know is, why was that guy after you?" Cera wanted to know.

"I can't be certain until I can see his true form, but a couple of thieves were arrested for stealing food," Rey explained. "They spent a short time in the dungeon. When they got out, they vowed to get revenge. Being such petty crooks, I hadn't thought much about their threat- till now."

"A couple of them? You mean there's someone else after your life too?" Cera asked.

"Yes. There was a pair of them- a psychic and an illusionist. Being as this one is a psychic and that he was altered by an illusionist, my best guess is that they're the same two from before."

"Isn't it kind of extreme to want to kill you for just being locked up for a little while?" Littlefoot wanted to know.

"Yes, it is," Rey answered. "I can't help but wonder if there's more to this than meets the eye."

"I know where they live. I can take you back there for the other guy," Chomper offered.

"Thanks, but no need. I know where they live and already sent some guards over there." Just as Rey was finishing speaking, two guards came forward, holding an unconscious Rainbow Face.

"He put up a struggle, so we had to knock him out," one of them explained.

As they continued to carry him to the dungeon where his friend was, he opened his eyes. He glared at Rey, then the king started to scream in pain. To him, it looked and felt like he was burning in fire.

"He's using his magic on the king!" one of the guards yelled. He quickly grabbed the illusionist by the neck and snapped. The Rainbow Face went limp and Rey stopped screaming.

"Gosh, those two must hate you guys so badly. But why?" Littlefoot wondered aloud.

"I'm going to find out right now!" Reina shouted. She marched back to the dungeon as the others followed. Reaching his cell, she asked in a cold voice, "Why did you and your friend try to kill Rey? Did you think stealing would come with no consequences? We brought you to justice, which is what you two deserved."

"Your meddling cost me more than you realize," he replied, tears coming to his face.

"What?" Rey asked.

"I couldn't find work so my family was starving. I stole only to keep them alive. While my brother and I were stuck in the dungeon, they starved to death. We were released- to be greeted by dead bodies!"

The entire room grew silent. Finally, Rey Spoke up.

"Release him, and see to it that he never misses a meal."

The psychic spit on the ground. "Is that your way of apologizing? Is that how you're trying to make things all better? I don't care anymore how hungry I get. You took everything from me, everything but my brother. He's the only reason I have to live."

The guard who killed him cleared his throat nervously.

"So, where is he?"

"He attacked the king. I was only doing my duty to stop him," the guard replied, trying to muster up a stern tone.

"You- killed him?"

"I was left with no choice."

The Rainbow Face suddenly bolted from the room. He ran down the hall and up the flight of stairs to one of the towers. The others had no idea what he was doing so followed him. When he reached the top, he went over to a window, then jumped out. He fell at a fast rate and hit the ground with a sickening thud. The kids, Rey and Reina, and the guards all lowered their heads in reverence.

In less than half an hour, guards could be seen traversing the town below the castle. They all carried boards with writing on them and a stand below. They set them up all throughout the area then returned to the castle when they had finished. The signs read, "To all who go hungry, come to the castle and ask for food. You won't be denied."