Chapter 8
The bright circle lit up the usually dark and grim Mysterious Beyond, casting the shadows of dead trees and bones from deceased dinosaurs. Red Claw, Screech and Thud had agreed to grant Chomper and Strut safe passage through the Mysterious Beyond and back to the Great Valley. Red Claw took point and led the group with Screech close to him and Thud not too far behind them. Strut stayed very close to Chomper so the young sharptooth could translate everything he said, but more importantly to stay away from Red Claw and the fast biters. He could see out of the corner of his eyes fast biters and other sharpteeth cowering behind boulders and tree trunks, more than likely afraid of Red Claw. Even in the Mysterious Beyond, Red Claw is feared. At least we won't have to worry about fighting anybody trying to get out of here. Strut had to give Chomper credit. For being so young and small, he certainly was not showing his fear of the giant sharptooth. "How much farther until we reach the Great Valley?" Strut anxiously asked. "The sooner we are out of this nightmarish place the better."
"It shouldn't be much farther," Chomper replied. "I remember most of this area, and it looks like we're getting closer."
"Good," Strut nodded. "Once we return to the valley we can go after my brother and rescue your friend."
"I guess I owe you an apology," Chomper added. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you. I should have listened to you when you tried to warn us before."
"Don't worry about it," Strut replied. "I don't blame you for being skeptical of my intentions. Our last encounter didn't really end on the friendliest of terms."
"Yeah, how about we don't bring that up," Chomper suggested. "I'm only now starting to trust you, so let's not ruin that." While they walked, he turned his attention towards Thud who was remaining silent. "Just out of curiosity, how did you manage to convince Thud not to eat you?"
"Believe me, it wasn't easy," Strut answered. "He was about to kill me, but then I mentioned you and he stopped."
"That's strange," Chomper admitted as he turned his head over towards the fast biter. "I would never have expected Thud to come looking for me like this."
"Well he did mention that day the two of you were stuck on the cliff quite a bit," Strut explained. "It seems like he felt obligated to save you after you helped him."
"Did he really say that?" Chomper asked in disbelief.
"That's what I gathered," Strut answered. "From the sound of it, his pride is preventing him from letting go of it." Strut looked up at Thud and could tell the cliff was still on his mind. The fast biter's walk carried a sense of burden, remorse and pain. Strut couldn't help but pity him. "I think you should talk to him about it. Try to help him let go of it."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Chomper shook his head. "He doesn't seem to be in the talking mood."
"True, but sooner or later you need to confront him about it."
"You really think he'll listen to me?"
"It can't hurt to try."
"Ok, I guess I'll give it a shot." Chomper quickened his pace a little until he was walking next to Thud. The fast biter seemed very deep in thought, as if something was troubling him. "Thud?" Chomper spoke up in sharptooth.
"What do you want, little biter?" Thud replied, not even glancing at him.
"I... uh... I wanted to thank you for saving me from those fast biters," Chomper said. "They would have killed me for sure if you hadn't shown up."
"Save your gratitude," Thud closed his eyes. "I didn't save you because I wanted to."
"Then why did you come for me?"
"Because I had a debt to pay."
"You mean after the cliff?" Bringing this up caused Thud to glare at Chomper "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you still remembered that day."
"How could I forget it?" Thud asked. "I was pinned down on that cliff by rocks. I almost died that day, but I didn't." He turned his head away from Chomper in a sense of disgust.
"You say that as if it were a bad thing." Chomper couldn't tell at first, but it started to seem like Thud didn't want leave the cliff. "Thud, you sound like you wanted me to leave you to die."
"How very astute of you," Thud growled. "Now shut up and leave me be?"
"Why?" Chomper asked. "Why are you mad that I saved you? Why do you hate me so much for it?"
"Mad? You think I'm mad?" Thud was becoming angrier the more they talked to the point where he was now yelling with rage. "I'm more than mad! I'm disgraced! Disgraced by the fact that a fierce fast biter such as myself was saved by a little hatchling like you."
"He brought up the "little" thing," Chomper muttered in leaf. "This sounds familiar."
"Besides, you and your group of hatchling friends are the enemy," Thud ranted. "We are not supposed to help each other out! We are not supposed to even speak with each other! Do you know how it feels to be saved by your enemy?"
"Well now I do," Chomper replied. Hearing Chomper's response caused Thud to curl his claws together tightly and grit his teeth a bit. He then relaxed, realizing how pointless it was to get upset.
"Forget it," he said. "You will never understand anything."
"Why?" Chomper protested. "Why can't I understand how you feel?"
"I said drop it!" Thud shot back. "Bring it up again and I will make you regret it!"
"Thud, we both know you won't do that," Chomper replied without an ounce of doubt in his voice.
"Oh really?" Thud gritted his teeth. "What makes you so sure about that?"
"You have a debt to pay," Chomper answered. "You said so yourself. You saved me because you owe me after I helped free you from that cliff. If you killed me, you would never be able to repay it, and then you would be nothing more than a weak fast biter that was saved by an even weaker hatchling."
"How...dare...you..." For a good ten seconds, Thud really wanted to lash out at Chomper, but he restrained himself from doing so. Proving Chomper's suspicions right, Thud simply continued walking and didn't that moment, Chomper knew what Strut had said before was right.
"You hate me because you think I hurt your pride when I saved you," he concluded.
"When you are a fast biter, one of the most feared sharpteeth in the world, you can't afford to look weak," Thud muttered to himself, as if he was in his own world, detached from the group.
"He sounds an awful lot like Cera right now," Chomper murmured in leaf.
"Why did you do it?" Thud questioned. "Why didn't you leave me to die on that cliff? Why did you save me?"
"To teach you a lesson," Chomper explained. "You kept calling me little, but in the end a little hatchling was able to help save a larger fast biter."
"That can't be the only reason," Thud pressed on. "There's more to it, isn't there? You must have thought saving me would convince me not to attack you ever again. Maybe you thought we would form a truce after you freed me."
"I don't know," Chomper answered. "I mean at first, those were running through my mind, but in the end neither of them were why I saved you." Chomper hesitated before continuing, as this was something he had never really given much thought to. It seemed so simple to him before, but now he wasn't sure what to make of it. "I guess I couldn't walk away if I knew I could help you. If you had died and I didn't do everything I could to save you, I don't think I would ever have been able to forgive myself." Chomper turned his head away from Thud and looked back forward. "Even if you consider me as your enemy, I am still a sharptooth just like you, and I don't want to see another of my kind die."
Thud wasn't exactly sure how to respond, nor was he sure how to feel. Part of him felt disgusted that the hatchling showed an ounce of concern for him, and another part felt the need to scold him even more. At the same time, a small part of him felt something he never thought he could. It took him by surprise, but it was at this moment that Thud started to respect Chomper. It was really strange, but at the same time it felt right. Thud then did something else he didn't expect to do. To both his and Chomper's surprise, he smiled. "You are a very strange sharptooth, kid," he said. "I don't think I've ever met any like you."
"That's because there are none like me," Chomper responded. "I'm not like you. I'm not like Screech. I'm definitely nothing like Red Claw. I am who I choose to be and I am not ashamed of it."
"So I see," Thud muttered. He didn't say anything else after that. He only pondered in silence what Chomper had told him. From behind them, Strut couldn't help but smile a little. Even though he couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, seeing Thud smile filled the egg eater with a sense of hope and relief.
"That's great," he said to himself. "Maybe Thud is finally learning to let go of that incident." He closed his eyes and chuckled a little as the group continued to trek through the Mysterious Beyond.
...
Back in the Great Valley, Littlefoot was approaching the meeting spot near the Great Wall, with the full intention of giving himself in to the egg eaters. He continued to tread through the trees towards the clearing, pondering if he in fact was making the right decision. "I have to do this," he continued to assure himself. "I have to give myself in. If I do, then he will let Cera and Chomper go." As he stepped out from under the trees near the Great Wall, Littlefoot couldn't help but take notice of the beauty of the area. He could feel the warmth of the bright circle and a breeze gently brush the back of his neck. It was actually one of the more peaceful days in the valley, and it almost made Littlefoot forget all of the happenings from the night before. "Beautiful," he mused and smiled a little. "I wish it were like this every day." Littlefoot stopped moving and stood still, embracing the atmosphere around him. For a second, it seemed like all his problems vanished instantly, leaving him with nothing but serenity. For the first time in a while, things seemed right. There was no fighting. There was no fear for his friends. There was nobody coming after him. There was nothing, but tranquility. It was amazing, and he didn't want it to end.
"So you decided to show up after all." A cold voice broke the peaceful setting, and Littlefoot remembered why he was there. He turned towards the source of the voice and saw two egg eaters approaching him, grinning devilishly. "You've come to your senses then?" one asked.
"I.." Littlefoot knew what he had to say, but he hesitated before saying it. Come on Littlefoot, you have to do this. For Cera and Chomper. For everybody else in the valley. "I'm here to turn myself in."
"Smart boy," the other egg eater commented. "You have made this very easy for Ozzie."
"I don't care what he does to me," Littlefoot shot back. "Just as long as he holds up his end of the deal." One of the egg eaters knelt down and placed the tip of his claw under Littlefoot's chin.
"You are in no position to make demands brat," he threatened. "If you don't want anything to happen to your precious friends, then you'll do exactly what Ozzie says."
"That doesn't mean I have to take orders from you," Littlefoot mocked. "You're nothing more than Ozzie's slave. All you do is his dirty work, and then you kiss up to him so he doesn't deem you completely useless." Angered, the egg eater grabbed Littlefoot's neck and lightly squeezed it.
"Don't push it punk. I could kill you right here, right now if I wanted to." Littlefoot glared back at him, not saying a word. The egg eater proceeded to squeeze his neck tighter, but the other egg eater grabbed his arm.
"Enough," he interjected. "He's not yours to kill. Only Ozzie has that right." Realizing what Ozzie would do to him if he didn't comply, the egg eater released Littlefoot.
"You're lucky Ozzie wants you alive," the egg eater hissed. "Otherwise, there would be nothing stopping me from strangling you."
"Lucky me," Littlefoot responded sarcastically. "Just take me him already so we can get this over with."
"With pleasure," the two egg eaters responded in unison. With that, they turned around and started heading towards the path around the Great Wall. Littlefoot sighed and began to follow them. He took one look back at the Great Valley as he walked away from it, knowing that he would more than likely never see it again, and a tear trickled down his cheek. I'm sorry everybody. I love you Grandma and Grandpa. I love you Dad. Ducky. Petrie. Spike. Ali. I'll miss you all. Goodbye. He closed his eyes in sadness, but before he turned his head around he thought he caught something in the distance. It was faint at first, but it continued to grow in size. It looked like one blob, but then it began to take the form of a figure. That figure looked like it had something else on top of it. There was another figure flying not too high above it. They kept growing and growing in size, and Littlefoot immediately gasped. No. What are you guys doing? Go back! Go back! Unfortunately, one of the egg eaters overheard his gasp.
"Enjoying your last glimpse of the Great Valley twerp?" But when he turned around and looked in the same direction, he saw exactly what Littlefoot was hoping he wouldn't. "We've got company!" he yelled.
"The kid's friends!" the other shouted. "We should have known he wasn't alone!"
"No!" Littlefoot pleaded. "I didn't tell them to come! I swear!"
"You thought you could trick us, huh kid?" one egg eater asked. "You thought you could lead them right to where we were headed. Then they could come back with help!"
"No! I didn't do it! Honest!"
"You miserable little hatchling!" The other egg eater backhanded Littlefoot across the face, causing the longneck to stumble to the ground. "The deal is off!" He turned to his partner. "We have no choice. Back to Ozzie! Now!" The two began sprinting towards the exit to the valley, and Littlefoot scrambled back to his feet.
"No! Wait! Come back!" Littlefoot chased after them, but he tripped and fell back to the ground. "Please come back!" he cried out. Unfortunately, it seemed like the egg eaters were out of reach. Then, out of nowhere, a giant tail whipped the egg eaters, launching them backwards and to the ground. A loud, booming roar ripped through the air, and Littlefoot was instantly stricken with fear. "Red Claw!" he screamed. Sure enough, the massive sharptooth broke through the trees and stomped towards the egg eaters. Littlefoot bolted for a nearby boulder to hide behind as the egg eaters stumbled and shuffled back trying to escape the vicious sharptooth. Red Claw raised his left foot and thrust it towards his targets. One egg eater managed to roll to the side at the last minute, but the other was too stricken with fear to move and was crushed. Terrified, the egg eater staggered back to his feet and attempted to flee, but the moment he turned his head he was immediately pounced to the ground by Screech.
"Going somewhere?" she hissed. The egg eater screamed in fear as the fast biter lunged for his throat. Littlefoot adverted his eyes, cringing at the sounds of the predator feasting on her prey, but eventually he peeked his head out from behind the boulder. Both egg eaters were very much dead, with Red Claw letting out a mighty roar of triumph. Littlefoot began to creep back into the trees when a voice called out to him.
"Littlefoot!" Chomper dashed past Red Claw towards the young longneck. "Littlefoot! It's okay!"
"Chomper!" Littlefoot leaped out from behind the boulder to meet his friend. The two caught up to each other and the sharptooth clung to Littlefoot's leg. Tears of happiness flowed freely from both friends' eyes. "Chomper, I thought I had lost you forever!" Littlefoot choked.
"I'm okay." Chomper assured him. "I'm back safe and sound."
"Oh Chomper, I'm so sorry," Littlefoot apologized. "All of this is my fault. I should have protected you. I should have saved you from the egg eaters."
"Don't say that," Chomper replied. "You did everything you could. All that's important now is that I'm alive and well." Littlefoot nuzzled Chomper's cheek and smiled.
"I'm so happy you are all right," he whispered.
"Me too," Chomper answered. The young sharptooth then turned back and looked up at Red Claw. "Thank you for bringing me back."
"Our deed is done," Red Claw replied. "Now we must return to the Mysterious Beyond."
"Consider this truce over," Screech added, but Red Claw glared at her disapprovingly. The fast biter snorted and Red Claw turned back to Chomper.
"Because of what you have done for Thud, we will keep out of the Great Valley, for now." Red Claw then shot a look at Littlefoot, who was still shaking in horror. "I advise you to make sure he and his friends never trespass in my territory. You are free to do what you wish, and should you venture in my area I will not attack, but I will never befriend leaf eaters." Red Claw turned back to Screech. "Take that egg eater and head back. We are finished here." Screech nodded and clamped her jaws on the tail of the dead egg eater and dragged it away, eventually disappearing from sight. Thud and Strut approached Littlefoot and Chomper, and Littlefoot looked at the two of them not with fear but confusion.
"Chomper, what's going on?" He asked in bewilderment. "Why were Red Claw and the fast biters here?"
"Well, Strut came to rescue me and he ran into Thud," Chomper explained. Thud agreed to help him, and Red Claw and Screech kind of just showed up." Littlefoot glanced over at Strut.
"Is that true? You really went to save him?"
"Yes," Strut nodded. "I saw my brother give him to fast biters and followed them. Unfortunately, he took the threehorn elsewhere, and I have no idea how we would be able to find them."
"Maybe I can sniff him out," Chomper suggested. "I may still have his scent. It can't be that hard can it?"
"You'll never find him on your own," Thud interjected. "Your tracking skills have not fully developed yet. I however can pick him up using his brother's scent."
"Wait, are you coming with us?" Chomper asked.
"You're going to be running into lots of egg eaters, and you'll need my help to get through them."
"But you've already saved me," Chomper pointed out. "You don't owe me anything anymore."
"Perhaps," Thud commented, "but maybe I still do." Chomper couldn't explain it, but something about Thud seemed different. This wasn't the same fast biter that had chased him and his friends for so long. Chomper wasn't sure how to feel, but he nodded and smiled a little.
"Thud, thank you." Chomper turned to Littlefoot and Strut, both of which had remained silent during their conversation, apart from not being able to understand them. "Thud is going to help us save Cera."
"You can't be serious," Littlefoot replied. "Why would he help us?"
"I don't know," Chomper answered, "but he seems like he really wants to help."
"How do we know that he won't try and eat us?" Strut questioned.
"Maybe I'll only eat you if you continue to annoy me," Thud muttered.
"He won't," Chomper assured them, ignoring Thud's remark. "I can't explain it, but I trust him. Call it a sharptooth thing I guess."
"I don't know," Littlefoot uneasily said.
"Look, he's a better sniffer than I am," Chomper admitted, "so he's our best chance of finding Ozzie and Cera. Besides, he can protect us." As much as Littlefoot didn't want to admit it, he knew Chomper was right. If they were going to find Cera, they would need all the help they could get.
"Okay," he conceded. "I trust you're judgment." Littlefoot then turned in the other direction. "Ducky! Petrie! Spike! It's okay to come out now!" The three of them poked their heads out from behind their hiding spot.
"What you mean it safe?" Petrie asked. "Mean fast biter still here!"
"He's going to help us find Cera," Littlefoot responded, "but you three are going back.
"No!" Ducky pleaded. "We're coming with you! We are we are!" Spike nodded his head in agreement, but Littlefoot shook his.
"Not this time. I don't want any more of you getting involved with this."
"But Cera our friend too!" Petrie argued
"I know," Littlefoot sighed, "but this is between me and Ozzie. I don't want you guys getting hurt."
"We'll be fine," Chomper added. "Thud and Strut are going to protect us."
"Why you even go?" Petrie asked. "Why not grown ups go?"
"You should have talked with your grandparents before leaving like this," Ducky agreed. "They will be very worried about you. They will they will."
"I can't wait any longer," Littlefoot replied. "We need to save Cera now."
"If we don't go now, Ozzie may do something terrible to her," Strut joined in. "I won't allow that to happen."
"Littlefoot, please let us come with you!" Ducky begged again. "We want to help! We do we do!" Before she could say anything else, Littlefoot lowered his head, lightly latched on to her back with his jaw and placed her on Spike's back.
"I'm sorry," he answered. "Spike, take them back to the grown ups." Defeated, Spike hesitantly nodded and turned. Ducky looked one last time at Littlefoot and yelled out to him.
"Please be careful!" Littlefoot nodded as Spike started running back to the Great Valley with Petrie following close by.
"I'll be back," Littlefoot whispered, "and I'll bring Cera back with me. I promise."
Well, writer's block sucks big time. I've been away from this for a long time now, but I've finally gotten the inspiration to finish this trilogy once and for all. I apologize to those who have been waiting patiently for this and thank those who may have stuck around for it. I will continue to work on the story every chance I get so I can bring the trilogy to a proper conclusion. Just so we're clear, this chapter is not the actual end of the story. Hope you guys like it and let me know what you think!
