Chapter IX: The Telltale Longneck

"How much longer?" Cera whined. She knew the way of course, but she'd completely forgotten how long it took to arrive. She emphasized her footsteps before continuing how she had been walking, looking down at each foot as she went in great pain. The ground was actually soft, brown sand, but the bright circle was beating down to make the grains nearly unbearable with heat. In all reality, when they stood in one place for only a couple of seconds, the sand beneath them would cool off, but the threehorn was in too much of a hurry to know this by accident. She had practically been dancing the whole way, her feet staying on the ground no more than an instant, very quiet "Ooh's!" and "Ah's" shooting from her mouth the whole time as she made up the rear.

They were passing the familiar boulders they had the last time they had travelled here. The large, grey stones hadn't changed, still decorating the field with an unattractive pattern that supplied no shade. Well, they did supply some blockage from the bright circle's rays, but the way to the Cave of Mists was very specific and easy to get lost from, so Ali had them moving in the direction that would have them heading straight there. As a result, the tempting shade was on the other side of the rocks. Cera kept glancing at the lightless blotches on the ground with great yearning. She didn't seem angry but rather sad, the pain taking too much energy for her to have the strength to keep hold of a temper tantrum.

"When we get there, I'll let you know," Asp answered. He glanced upward and away and placed his two middle fingers on the tip of the side of his chin as if he was trying not to laugh at his own words.

"Thanks, I-" Cera began then froze in realization of the sarcasm. "Argh!" she growled at him. But her frustration quickly faded back into pain from the heat.

"Here, Cera," Syn began quietly. "Um, if you don't mind a suggestion-" she paused, waiting to see if the threehorn was going to object in advance, but she did not. "Leave your feet down a bit longer. The ground will cool off quickly, and you'll get used to the heat too."

Cera tried, and the first time she just stood a bit on the hot ground was nearly unbearable, but she adjusted quickly and each step afterwards had less of an initial heat shock until there was no pain at all as she moved along. Gratefully, she turned to smile at Syn, but a large leaf blowing in the wind blew right over her mouth, and the image was rather silly looking. Asp chuckled all the more. Cera growled with her mouth muffled, trying to get the leaf away, and Syn gave Asp a sharp poke on the shoulder, stopping any more laughter from him the remainder of the journey there.

Littlefoot and Ali would have been kind enough to tell Cera the sand trick much earlier, but they were too distracted with their conversation to have noticed. They were catching up on each other's lives, and he was fascinated by some of her stories. Since she was last at the Great Valley, her herd had defeated a large group of sharpteeth that attacked one night, destroyed a number of carnivorous eggs they'd come across, and crushed a mother fastbiter hunting too close to the valley. He felt a little sick as he heard all of the meat eater killings that came from their herd, but he could not forget how much the Old One despised sharpteeth, and a herd that size didn't mess around or hold back with anything that posed a threat like that. Members of his home had killed sharpeeth before, but to hear about a regular slaughter fest gave him a few chills and a queasy stomach. He had a new fear of their leader. Jerking his mind back to his task, he recalled something he had heard in the background of his conversation, so he changed the subject.

"The waterfall just in front of the cave is right around the next bend, Cera. We're just about there," Littlefoot told her. His voice was unsteady, and Ali was no fool. She realized she'd sickened him somewhat with all her gory details so went and leaned on him just slightly. He gave her a weak smile, and she rubbed her cheek against the side of his neck as they both closed their eyes for just a moment.

"Thanks," Cera replied at the information.

The children walked a bit farther, and none of them had anything to say for a time. Asp stared hard at Littlefoot and Ali then frowned. He wasn't frustrated about anything, but instead, had a combination of realization and dread. Whispering in Syn's ear like he had much earlier back in the Great Valley, her eyes took on that widened form once again.

She mouthed an, "Are you sure?" to him which no one noticed.

In response, he jerked a thumb towards the two longnecks and silently mouthed the words, "See?"

Syn squinted her eyes and looked closely at Littlefoot and Ali then they opened more. She pursed her lips, gulped, and looked back at Asp with a questioning look. He just shrugged and flipped his hands out, palms down at a loss. Finally, Cera, who had been walking beside the yellowbellies, noticed their gesturing. Saying nothing, she bided her time to ask about it sometime after their adventure was over.

It wasn't long before they all arrived at a large waterfall, and the way the sun was shining, two large rainbows were arching near its center. Littlefoot and Ali looked triumphant, Cera relieved, Asp impressed, and Syn in awe. She stopped walking for just a moment. She absolutely adored pretty things, and her eyes lit up at the beautiful sky colors.

They were reflected in her big eyes as she remarked, "Beautiful."

Asp walked over to the edge of the overhang and looked down at the bottom of the waterfall. He wasn't as appreciate of nature's beauty as Syn was, but he did admire his surroundings on occasion. The loud "SHHHHH" from the water splashing on the ground was so loud that none of them bothered to speak, and it created a mesmerizing ambiance. For a moment, all of them forget their mission and were entranced by this incredible scene. The male yellowbelly's eyes suddenly got comfortable, so he stared off into space as his muscles relaxed. His arms hung loosely at his sides, and he unknowingly began leaning just slightly closer off the platform.

Littlefoot glanced in his direction. "Asp, you might not want to stand so close to the edge," he warned. He hadn't noticed his body moving, just saw that he was pretty far out.

He jerked back to reality and tried spinning around to get away from the end but the heel he was putting pressure on was resting atop some loose gravel. He started falling back first off the side, but Syn grabbed his wrist, yanking him back around so hard they both flew backwards. Syn landed on her back with a small cry of pain as she closed her eyes instinctively, and she opened her mouth slightly. When she opened them, she saw Asp lying down on her breast. Their faces were so close that they were practically touching, and they lied like that for a moment, stunned. His breathing tickled her upper lip just slightly enough to make her body shiver, and he jumped off of her fast when he regained his senses. Back on his feet, he quickly offered his hand which she took, and she broke the silence. The other three didn't ask if they were alright because it was clear that they were and seemed to be having a moment.

"Your debt to me is really starting to pile up, Asp. Better start saving me soon," Syn joked in a gentle voice, poking her two index fingers against each other a few times while her face was looking down but her eyes were looking up. She giggled a bit when she finished speaking.

"I just hope you never have to be saved," Asp replied, still wishing he could repay her but not enough that he literally wished to see her harmed. He was annoyed, but not with her. It was with himself because he felt that this friendship was more often than not one sided. Hating that he needed her to save him all the time, he nearly frowned. He felt not only that Syn was always helping him but also that he was never there for her when she needed it because she seemed to never need a helping hand. There was truth in her almost never needing physical help, but he was still mistaken. How blind he was to the fact that he helped her far more than she did him.

His mood now dampened, he replaced the subject with initiative.

"Come on, guys. I see opening to the cave is just up ahead," Asp told the group. "Time to stop wasting it."

The others nodded in agreement and fell in behind the fast-moving yellowbelly. Syn detected something was on his mind and cringed, fearing her debt comment had offended him. She caught up with him and took his hand. He squeezed it back but did not look at her, and this made her feel worse. Still, she said nothing. If he wanted to share something, he would without any prodding from her.

The path to the cave ascended, but it was not very steep. Tiny bits of water splattered onto the ground, but the fluid was so minute that not even Asp was at risk of slipping. The hard ground was very cool to the feet, almost cold, and Cera found great relief in it, almost uttering a dizzy "Mm" before collecting herself and keeping up with the others. The kids moved along the path with a spring in their step. They didn't waste too much energy on the climb, but the thirsty families back home fueled their minds and in turn their legs. When they finally reached the opening, Asp and Syn were huffing, but just barely, and Littlefoot gave them all a warning.

"The Old One said that there are sharpteeth here now. We all need to be very careful." That being said, he entered first, treading lightly and looking around very thoroughly. The rest followed him in, eyeing every bit of their surroundings; they saw no one.

"Should we split up?" Asp asked, a little too loudly. To emphasize that he realized the error on his own, not wanting anyone to shush him, he quickly repeated himself only much quieter.

Littlefoot bit his lip. Separating would definitely make the search faster, but it would make them more susceptible to a sharptooth attack. His eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at Ali. He had a questioning look in his eyes, but she had no more idea than him on what would be best. Therefore, he decided to go with his feelings.

"Maybe we should stay-" he began, but Cera suddenly cut him off.

"We'll be fine, we'll be fine," she repeated in a monotone voice, tired of always taking things safe when time was of the essence. "It's easy to hide from a sharptooth in a place like this, and I want to get this over with. The Great Valley needs us. Not in ten days- NOW!" Even though she greatly emphasized the final word, she made sure to keep her voice barely above a whisper.

Littlefoot sighed with his eyes momentarily closed. "Fine."

The cave was as Littlefoot, Cera, and Ali remembered it: dark and damp with a musty smell. There were several constant dripping sounds that played out like a song rhythm, and Syn had found herself moving her body in sync with her eyes barely open until everyone turned to her, and she stopped, looked down, and turned very red in embarrassment.

The ceiling was far above them, not even reachable by a full-grown longneck, and the spaciousness made the cave even more ominous. Large, stone teeth hung from overhead. They were large enough to kill adults if one landed squarely on one's head. The children tried not to look up, but thoughts of a possible earthshake made them glance upward instinctively to get an early look at the possible threat. Cera and Syn shuddered.

At last, the kids drew up their courage and all moved in different directions as they started to search for fire moss. The cave grew exponentially darker as they walked inside, so the kids looked very intently as they went along. Syn was looking on walls, the ground, even above for this cleansing plant. When she was certain that no one was watching, her body started to move with the water droplets again. She couldn't help it. The beat just made herself itch to follow. Even starting to hum, she found that she was not only calmed during this dangerous task but also enjoying herself to a degree. Feeling very silly now but unable to control her impulses, she began hopping from one foot to the other as she went along.

The cave wasn't so scary now. It was like it was playing a special song just for her to welcome her inside. She was smiling now, and her little dance made her forget why she was there for a minute. When her eyes caught a tiny vine, her mind seemed to be telling her something, but she couldn't make it out at first. Finally, the plant before her eyes snapped her back to the task at hand, and she decided to walk normally. She suddenly stopped, however, having felt something beneath her foot. It tickled her immensely, creating no small amount of giggling. Lifting her foot up to see what was down there, she grinned from ear to ear at the bushy, orange plant she had found. She knew exactly what moss looks like, so there was not a shadow of doubt in her mind of what this was. It was a fairly big piece, and upon closer inspection, there were more patches of it farther ahead. They did look a little like fire.

In her delight, she exclaimed, "Yes!" and thrust a fist into the air, but then she quickly covered her mouth. She shut it so fast that she bit her tongue, causing a tiny drop of blood to form. She pressed it against the roof of her mouth then swallowed hard, gaping in horror at what lied before her. What she had thought was another wall was actually a giant sharptooth sleeping in front of her. She was red with black stripes lining her back, and when she exhaled through her nose, little puffs were visible. Syn backed up slowly, hand still clutching her mouth tightly with wide eyes, and bumped into another wall. At least, she thought this was another wall. Same mistake. A second sharptooth was lying nearby, a bigger one. This was also red but much lighter, and there with no stripes on her back. Her mouth was hanging open as she drooled, and her breathing did not come from her nose. This time, Syn could not control her fear and bolted ahead- only to run head-on into a third sharptooth. He was the only male, much smaller than the other two, and his flesh was dark green with little, light green speckles scattered randomly on his face. He had been lying on his belly, and he felt the force of the yellowbelly hit his snout and opened his eyes, slowly at first then jerking awake. Seeing a snack right before him made him roar excitedly and scramble to get up in such a hurry that he only flailed around on his side for a bit before getting to his feet. The striped female awoke from the noise, but the other was not so lucky, getting jerked into consciousness by a kick into her open mouth. She coughed and spit instinctively then stood up.

If the trio had acted calmly, Syn would be dead. But no, the striped one didn't understand why the boy had screamed, the other female was angry at the boy and snapped at him, and he was roaring too fast for them to understand. Finally, he pointed at the little yellowbelly running away. The girls looked down and smacked their foreheads in unison at their little cousin for not just grabbing her but instead trying to show them. Quickly, though, they all gave chase. They were hungry, and they knew that only one of them was going to be less so, so they shoved and yanked each other as they scurried to get their teeth on Syn.

Syn was running as fast as she could, but that isn't saying much for two scrawny, little legs. A large puddle was coming up, and she stuck out her tongue in determination, licking the right section of where her lips met, and she leaned to one side when she hit the water. She skidded across quickly, almost losing her balance but managing to stay on her feet. It barely saved her time. The three sharpteeth were more organized now, running together. With their speed, they closed in on her fast. A drop of water was added to the beat in the cave, only this one came from Syn's eye. She was going to die. She just knew it. The chances of getting away were almost none even if she kept running as fast as she could go.

Syn fell.

That was it. That was the action that ended any hope of her getting away. Trying to get up and outrun them would be like trying to escape a boulder dropped ten feet above you on a flat surface while sitting down. The male get their first, clearly the nimblest of them all, and his teeth dug down into the ground, and Syn vanished from sight.

Suddenly, there was another loud roaring from not far away. The three sharpteeth stopped dead in their tracks and jerked their heads in the direction of the noise. If this had happened two seconds later, the boy's powerful teeth would have closed and crushed every bit of the yellowbelly called Syn. But it wasn't two seconds late. It was perfect timing.

Syn survived.

This fourth sharptooth sounded furious. Syn assumed it was their father or something. They started backing away in fear, looking this way and that, and finally turned around completely and ran, leaving Syn frozen in her tracks and trembling. Had this new one only delayed the inevitable? She couldn't help but think so. If she stood no chance against those three, what could she possibly do against one they were all terrified of? She was on pointy seeds and ground pricklies. If she bumped into a leaf, she would have jumped out of her skin. Then, as quickly as the noise came, all was nearly silent. The water droplets, her deep breaths, and her pulse combined into an orchestra that played a song of her doom. All three sources got faster and faster. The lack of roaring actually made things worse. She could not tell if the source was near or far or which direction it was going. Her eyes got blurry from an overload of terror, and she slumped backward. She felt warm flesh before she passed out completely.

When she came to a few seconds later, all she saw were teeth- nothing at all but teeth. She screamed. The image suddenly veered back, and she realized that they belonged to someone small who had simply had its mouth open near her face. She scooted backwards fast, her hands supporting weight from behind her. When her eyes adjusted, she saw a figure approaching her, silhouetted in the darkness. Silence. Movement. That was all her brain was processing right now. After a few more seconds, Syn learned that the body belonged to someone who could speak.

"Did you have to scream? Ugh, oh, my ears…" a familiar voice said.

Syn was on her feet so fast that she nearly fell back down. Her eyes widened at the figure as he stepped into a beam of light from a hole overhead.

"Asp!" Her mind was moving so much faster than her mouth could keep up, so the words shot out in a clutter that was barely audible. She even coughed, having choked on the sudden burst of air from her lungs. Then she silently hiccupped as he stepped in front of her.

"Who'd you think it was, silly? Heh, I scared those sharpteeth good," he said in a self-congratulating voice, arms folded as he looked around casually as Syn took a quick glance behind her. Finally, his eyes came to rest on Syn's. He was suddenly confused when she didn't look too happy.

"Um, Asp? Thank you for saving me, but-"

"Yeah?"

Syn cleared her throat nervously. "You should have waited a little longer to come out… Those sharpteeth, uh, weren't completely gone yet."

Asp quickly looked back and saw the three carnivorous beasts looking right at them from the very end of the passageway. The roaring was gone, so they figured out pretty quickly that they'd been deceived. Asp looked rather dissatisfied with this turn of events.

"Hm... Well this is- eh- unfortunate," he remarked in a nonchalant voice with a hand on his chin. Suddenly taking Syn's hand, he then screamed, "Run!" as he started dragging her with him as fast as he could go. Once again, the sharpteeth closed in on them fast. They both managed to stay on their feet even when they had to dodge puddles and leap over stones. The rumbles in the cave from the massive footsteps certainly made it hard though. The two yellowbellies soon came across a large body of water that was dark just a little ways in. "Quick, into the giant puddle!"

They waded across, slowed by the liquid, but the sharpteeth were practically on top of them now.

"Asp!" Syn screamed desperately.

"Don't worry. I see dark water, so it must get really deep. Come on!" he urged her, yanking her wrist.

They jumped forward and dived. The sharpteeth were in the water and hurried through, but they didn't see the deep part in time. They tried to stop but instead made things worse by slipping from the reduced traction, and they fell face first into the dark water. They splashed around, trying to get out, but only managed to repeatedly slash each other's faces. They finally tired and sank into the bloody water. Syn resurfaced and looked around. She saw no one. She looked around more frantically, tiny cries coming from her mouth. Nothing. Then her eyes widened and she gasped in realization as she took a deep breath and went back under. Seconds later, she pulled out a coughing and sputtering Asp. He clutched her in terror and struggled, making it hard for her to swim to the shallow part, but she managed. Finally, his feet could touch the bottom, and he let go with great relief, falling to his knees.

"Asp, you big goof! You don't know how to swim!" Syn exclaimed, bending over to see if he was okay.

"Heh heh cough. I don't need to know when I have you around," he replied, looking into her eyes, smiling and still breathing hard, but his breaths were slowly down.

Syn looked at him intently. He could have drowned, but he just trusted her that much.

"Looks like we pulled it off, and there, I've done it: We're even now," he interjected into her thoughts. He wore a big grin.

"Eh? How do you figure? I saved you three times before coming to this cave," Syn argued, but they were not really fighting, just playing around.

"Correct, and I just saved you from three sharpteeth, each of which could have killed you. Basically, I saved you three times just now." His smirk was not hesitant in the least.

Syn grinned and closed her eyes for just a moment. She helped him up and moved her index finger in circles on his belly for a bit while giggling mysteriously. Finally, she explained, "I said that I saved you three times before coming to this cave. Don't forget, I saved you from drowning just now too."

Asp's mouth dropped open. Then it opened more. Then some more still. Falling right back on his knees with a splash, he put his hands on his head and screamed, "Nooooo!" Then in a much quieter voice finished, "I was so close…"

Syn laughed heartily and poked his belly button.

More noise flooded the cave, but the two yellowbellies grinned. It was pretty obvious what all was making them. Littlefoot was the first one to arrive at their location. He was panting hard and looked very fearful for what had happened to them. Asp raised a hand slightly to signal that they were just fine, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Ali and Cera, who apparently hadn't been searching too far from each other, arrived at pretty much the same time with the same worried looks.

"They're okay," he quickly told the girls.

"Phew," Ali replied, finally able to relax her muscles. "We heard the sharpteeth and Syn screaming."

"What happened to them anyway?" Cera wanted to know, glancing around nervously as if they might jump out at any moment.

Asp and Syn looked at each other for a moment then back at the others, saying in unison, "Dark water."

There was a silence in the air for a few moments save the constant dripping. The kids generally disliked anything that tried to kill them, but death was never something they took lightly.

It was Littlefoot who finally broke the silence with a very pressing question. "Did anyone find any fire moss?"

Three of them shook their heads then hung them. Littlefoot gritted his teeth slightly in anxiety. The Great Valley needed safe water and fast. Then it dawned on him that Syn had not shaken her head. He looked at her expectantly as she shyly fumbled with her fingers.

When she caught his eyes, she swallowed and said, "I did." The others looked at her in surprise.

"Awesome!" Asp exclaimed, patting her on the back. "Lead the way, please."

The others followed her and arrived at the horde of foliage. They grinned with delight and felt a great comfort wash over them. They valley's water supply had been saved. They all plucked a bunch and headed for home, the four walkers carrying on their backs, and the yellowbellies keeping their arms full. The kids were tired so moved somewhat slowly, occasionally losing a plant as the wind blew, but Asp quickly picked up what fell. There was an elated drive that kept them pressing on without stopping through the sandy ground, but their energy was nearly depleted, so trudging described their actions best. They were far too tired to talk, and Syn leaned against Asp midway home. At least the bright circle was setting, so everything was cooler. Finally, with great relief, they saw the great wall and strode through the entrance with looks of triumph. No sooner had they made their way inside though when a large longneck approached them. Ali gulped at the sight and slowed her step, causing the others to walk past her. It was her mother.

She marched right up to her daughter, almost crushing one of the trees in her way, with a look that said, "I am going to scold you. Get ready." When she was towering over her, it began. "How many times have I told you not to go off without telling me?" she said with a raised voice. "We went over this many times after you went back to our old home last time we visited here."

"But mother, both that time and this one were really, really impor-" she began, but her mother knew the rest of her sentence which didn't change her feelings, so she had no reason to let her finish it.

"Not another word! You're not leaving the herd for the rest of the day." She stomped her foot once to show Ali that she meant business and that her mind was set.

"Yes, mother," she replied quietly with her head hung low. And with that, Ali sadly trekked back with her mother.

The others exchanged glances, not sure what to do, but they didn't have time to think for long. A familiar face quickly approached and wasted no time speaking.

"Hey, guys!" Star greeted them cheerfully. A little too cheerfully. "I figured you'd be pretty hungry after your journey, so I gathered a bunch of tree stars and sweets." She jerked her head to point behind her, revealing a large pile that made their mouths water.

"Gee, thanks," Littlefoot told her gratefully. His stomach suddenly growled as if to say, "Enough with the courtesy already and just feed me! I'm hungry here!"

"Where did Ali go?" Star continued. Asp was taken aback by her lack of a "You're welcome" instead replaced by a focus on Ali. He rubbed the tip of his thumb up and down the bottom of his chin.

"Oh, her mother found out that she left so took her back to the herd," Cera answered sadly, looking back in her direction.

"Aw, that's too bad," Star replied. The thing was, Star didn't sound sympathetic at all.

"About that," Asp began in an upbeat voice. "How many of us knew we were leaving?"

"Uh, I think just the six of us, I guess, maybe" Syn replied. She clearly left a lot of room for error.

"Exactly…" Asp trailed off. Then he turned to the female longneck. "So, Star, what was Ali's mother like?"

"Oh, she was really nice! Why do ya ask?" Then she bit her tongue, but it was far too late to say anything to save her. However, even at this point, the others didn't get it, but Asp was quick to rectify that.

He looked at her intently, his eyes piercing hers, and asked softly, "Why did you tell on her?"

The others turned to him in surprise then stared at Star.

"Star, is this- true?" Littlefoot asked in disbelief. He wanted so badly for her to deny it.

She backed up, at a loss for words at first. "I- just- just leave me alone!" she screamed as she ran off, her footsteps getting quieter at a rapid pace. Some children playing tag had to scatter to avoid getting hit by her as she blazed her way through the valley and away from her friends.

Littlefoot started to go after her, but Cera got in the way. "Let her go," she ordered. "Girls need some time."

"I knew that girl was trouble," Asp muttered, leaning back against a tree and folding his arms.

"Star isn't trouble!" Littlefoot shot back, getting right in front of him. Littlefoot bared his teeth, but Asp's look of complete indifference only made him angrier.

Cera hurried over and started nudging Littlefoot back, and Syn looked very sad. She hated fighting, especially between friends. It made her stomach hurt from worry.

"Easy, Littlefoot!" Cera shouted, almost in shock that she was stopping Littlefoot's aggression rather than the other way around.

Caught up in the drama, none of them noticed that Star was truly leaving. Not just away from them but completely out of the Great Valley. However, someone else did.

"Mother, may I go and get a snack please? I'm really hungry," Ali told her mom.

Her mother was trying to nap on a field of grass near the Thundering Falls but replied, "Alright, fine, but don't go too far. I didn't want you leaving my side at all, but I need to rest." She hated breaking her punishment already, but she was too exhausted from their journey and worrying about her daughter, and she didn't want her to starve, so she gave her one more chance.

"Thanks!" she called as she galloped off. Instead of going for food, however, she took off out of the valley again- after Star.

Chapter End

"Aw, here you guys are, as awesome as ever! What shall I give as a thank you for sticking around? A tree star? A hug? A bath? Ah, I know! How about a preview of what's to come next time on Familiar Love? Here we go! So yeah, I'm not the happiest longneck in this chapter, but I really turn things around when things get dangerous. Watch the epic mind of Stardipper at work! Oh yeah!"