Chapter X: New Friends
The ground was hard. There wasn't much else to say about the area where Star was walking. Rarely a tree in sight, barely a weed here and there, all that stretched out before her were some mountains far off into the distance and the occasional dirt mound, some small, some large enough to be considered a hill. The bright light of the sun seemed very out of place in this dismal area. Small, flat stones lied scattered about the ground, and the dirt was an ugly grey color. Small cracks were strewn throughout the area from lack of water. However, while the bright circle was a misfit here, Star's mood was not.
"I wonder if he misses me," she thought to herself as she plodded along. She was kicking a tiny stone as she walked but not looking directly at it. When she got deeper into her thoughts, she forgot to kick it and kept moving on past it. Finally realizing that her foot was no longer hurting with every step, she stopped, turned around, and went back to the rock to resume knocking it ahead of her. The mild burns from the hot sun made her flesh itch, so she stopped on occasion to scratch her sides with her back feet and nibble on her legs. She snorted. "Probably not with Ali around." She hated being like this. She preferred to let her mind relax and wander. It was so comfortable, despite making her hyper and a bit slow, but jealousy and obsession were taking over instead of her preferences.
Ow!" she suddenly cried. She slowly lifted her front foot to see a thorn sticking in rather deeply. There was almost no blood coming out, but that would change if she removed it. Not that she cared. She sighed in aggravation and ripped it out with her teeth, spitting the antagonist of nature onto the ground. Unfortunately, it had stuck into a very tender spot, forcing her to limp in pain as she moved along. If she wasn't hurting and so lost in her thoughts, she might have noticed that someone was behind her.
"Okay, Star, I think we just got off on the wrong foot. Let's just be friends, okay? No, too simple. Hey, Star, I think you're a really nice girl, so let's just forget what happened and go back, alright?" Now it was Ali's turn to be dismayed. She couldn't decide on what to say to her. She chewed on her lower lip in contemplation. Star was going to be a much harder task than Cera was back in the day. Maybe she tried too hard to be friends with others, she wondered. She wrinkled her nose at what she had actually considered saying. Star had been anything but nice to her, so saying that she was would clearly mean she was lying to smooth things over. She struggled to piece together a good choice of words while keeping her distance and not making much noise.
The two girls were each oblivious to a degree, but one thing they shared was a blindness to their rears. Following without being noticed didn't stop with Star. Ali too was being tailed.
A figure stood perched on the limb of an old tree. He was standing a little too far out, so the branch was moving up and down slightly until he finally moved closer to the trunk. "Hm," the figure said, rapping his wingtips together. "Two girls, I think we can handle."
Two other flyers, a bit lower on the tree, nodded while keeping their eyes on them.
"There was no way we could take down five of them together earlier," Rinkus began like before. "But now, yes, I think you're right. I can't help but wonder, though, what the residents of the valley are doing. Do they all want to die of thirst? It's not like there's some magic plant that can clean up the poison or anything."
"Yeah, we should have followed those kids earlier," Ichy said with a sigh.
"Who cares what those five were doing? Let's just eat these two!" Sierra exclaimed impatiently.
"We may be able to catch one of them. They're just kids, but longnecks are stronger than flyers, so trying to get both might be a bad idea," Ichy explained. "If Dil wasn't so far behind, it would be different."
"We may be able to get both, just one at a time. I could be wrong, but it looks like the one in front doesn't notice she's being followed. We could grab the one in back then go for the other later," Rinkus suggested
"Hm..." Ichy and Sierra said in unison. They all looked with watery mouths at Ali.
Star decided to take one last look at the Great Valley walls before they were out of sight, so she turned briefly. The bright circle was just barely over the stone barrier, almost as if it was resting on top. Light shone down in little beams that scattered in downward motions across the fertile ground, though Star only saw the tops of them from the far distance that she was. The clouds were few and moved very slowly, only noticeably when staring at them for an extended period of time. A distant planet was still visible in the daytime sky, giving off the appearance of a star. The young longneck seemed distant, and her lips were flat. Her eyes glanced down for just a moment before resuming the grand spectacle she was leaving.
Ali had her head down in thought during this time. All the possibilities of what to say were rushing through her mind, giving her a headache followed by a mild frown. Her face reflected that what lied behind it was lost, searching, yearning. Her lips were moving occasionally as a potential line crossed her mind, but all were dismissed fairly quickly. She barely saw the physical, only the emotional realm in turmoil inside her. This was her mistake.
Star's eyes travelled down from the sky until they rested on her stalker. She did a slight double take but quickly pretended not to notice. Resuming her march was all she ended up doing.
"Humph, has she come to ask me to return so she can show off how much Littlefoot likes her more than me?" Star thought to herself. She didn't think in literal words, but she answered her own question as she scowled. She exhaled slowly through her nose. Once again, she hated this whole thinking thing. She had so much more fun and dinosaurs liked her a lot more when she just let her mind wander. But she was too young to battle a foe as old as jealousy.
Those two had enough troubles, clearly, but things went from bad to worse. Their true enemies had run out of patience.
"That first one seems far enough ahead. If we nab the one in back, the front one'll never notice." Without waiting for a confirmation from his subordinates, Ichy ordered, Come on!" The three flyers swooped down from the tree with great haste leaving a few feathers behind as they glided swiftly and silently towards the pink longneck. They stayed low to the ground and soon had Ali surrounded. She screamed, but Sierra covered her mouth the moment it opened. The other two helped to restrain her as she struggled as best she could. Ichy couldn't help much, but Rinkus and Sierra had enough strength to overpower one. However, while they had unity in the capture, the following action was not so organized.
"I gave the order, so I get the first bite!" Ichy exclaimed, licking his beak and looking tenderly at one of her front legs.
"Givin' the order's easy. I got to 'er first, so I get first pickin's," Sierra argued, yanking her closer to him and away from the feathered flyer.
Ali made "Oomph" noises as she was pulled back and forth between the two.
"Since we got separated from Dil while we were being chased away, there is plenty for all. Does it really matter who eats first? Can't you two bite at the same time?" Rinkus suggested. It wasn't so much that he didn't want fighting within his ranks. He was hungry.
They both turned to him at once. "No!" they answered in unison. Rinkus sighed.
Farther ahead, Star was crouching behind a large dirt mound watching the argument unfold. Though it had been muffled, she had heard Ali's yelp. Star looked off into the horizon then turned back to Ali. Despite the danger Ali was in, Star smiled with satisfaction. Even though she knew Ali wouldn't see it, she mouthed the word "Bye" with a devious expression. Then, turning around, she walked away with her tail hung triumphantly in the air. She vanished from sight as the fight continued.
"I saw her first, so she is mine. End- of- discussion," Ichy was saying.
Sierra finally caved and folded his wings. He didn't know when that bellydragger friend of his might come back. Ichy smiled in victory and opened his mouth to take a bite, his drool sliding down his beak onto Ali's foot. She gagged a little from being grossed out but could do nothing else. Oh, but she tried alright. With a burst of adrenaline, she began struggling more than ever, but three grown flyers weren't going to lose hold of a child, longneck or not. Tears filled her eyes, and she swallowed as Ichy's mouth opened wide. However, his dinner was interrupted.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Star told him.
"Star!" Ali thought with relief. She instinctively tried moving towards her but was abruptly held back.
"What are ya gonna do about it?" Sierra asked her. He wasn't really curious. None of them were. What could a little longneck do against three full-grown flyers? Although they were expecting the exact answer that she gave them, it still caught them by surprise.
"Why, not a thing. Go ahead and eat her. Surely you aren't stupid enough to think I can overpower you."
They all wore an "Uh…" expression. This was a pointless scene. Someone comes along to the rescue only to say she can't rescue? It felt like one of those times when your mother calls your name when you're in the middle of something, then, as soon as you get to where she's at, she says, "Never mind." They had no response to this whatsoever, so they simply paused for several seconds before disregarding her completely and going back to eating. Once again, Ichy opened his beak. Once again, he was interrupted.
"I just, you know, wouldn't do it so close to the Great Valley. Some of the flyers there may see you," she explained.
"Good point," Ichy said thoughtfully, wing on his chin. However, he eyed her with great suspicion. What she sick or something? She was acting like someone in a dream, not at all how he expected a child to behave in a situation like this. Still, she gave good advice and could cause him no harm, so he relaxed.
"Wh- what are you- you doing!" Ali exclaimed in confusion and fear, starting to cry all over again. Her tears were so prevalent that she could no longer see no matter how much she blinked.
While Ichy was not concerned, however, he was alone in that state of mind.
"Yes, that is a good point…" Rinkus cut in. "But why would you help us eat your little friend here?" He cocked his head to one side and eyed her with one closed. His beak hung slightly open for a few seconds, but he shut it soon enough.
Star looked behind her as if she thought he was talking to someone else. "Y- you're talking to me?" she asked in disbelief.
"Yes, yes, I'm talking to you!" Rinkus exclaimed, now getting riled. "Who else could I be talking to?"
"I dunno," Star answered thoughtfully. "I guess you were really were talking to me." Then, in lower and more bouncy tone of voice, she added, "But listen, bub, try and get your facts straight. I mean, they're all curvy and, well, not straight. This girl here ain't my friend." Finally, in a whisper (even though everyone present could hear her just fine) she added, "Eating her is doing me a little favor."
Ali's body lost most of its strength.
"Yer up to somethin', kid. I'm sure of it. Explain yerself," Sierra told her.
Star did not hesitate. "She does nothing but get on my nerves. I've had it with her." Then she sighed heavily. "Gosh, I'm getting impatient here! Just shut up and eat her! There's a big hill just over yonder." She jerked her head back as a way of pointing to it. "If you take her behind it, surely no one will see you."
Ali had no words.
The three flyers looked at each other then nodded in agreement. They knew full well how powerful hatred can be, and they almost liked Star at this point. Ichy even began considering asking her to join them. She could lure out unsuspecting leaf-eater kids only to get nabbed by them. Their future was looking glorious. But his dream was quickly cut short.
"Now, in exchange for me helping you, you have to let me go," Star declared firmly.
"Fine, fine," Ichy replied disappointed with a wave of his wing. "By the time we get her there and eat her, you'll have gotten safely away anyway." He knew it would take at least Rinkus and Sierra just to restrain one of them, and he also knew that she knew this. A gentle wind picked up on the warm day, making them shiver slightly. But the true spine tingler was what Star said next.
"Uh, wrong! I wouldn't miss her getting eaten for the world. I'm coming to watch." Her cold but eager eyes made even the flyers uncomfortable, especially after she licked her upper lip.
The trio exchanged glances for a moment then grinned inwardly. "We'll eat her next," was on all their minds.
"Very well, we agree," Ichy replied "reluctantly."
They started dragging Ali over to the hill along the hard, rocky ground, but she was struggling very hard, slowing down progress exponentially. Her bottom was getting scraped up pretty painfully as she pulled back, but she really wasn't in the mood to be devoured. However, Star, impatient, finally began helping by pushing her from behind with her head. Ali kicked backward, knocking Star down and giving her a bloody lip, but she got right back up and began shoving all the more violently. Finally, they reached the large hill.
It was pretty big, mostly dirt, but a few weeds were scattered about on top. Some beetles were crawling around in the some of the colorful ones, looking for food. For a hill, it was pretty steep. They didn't care though since they weren't going up it anyway. They began getting Ali to the other side so that the mound was in between them and the Great Valley. However, they came to a stop midway, exhausted, every one of them.
Star grinned evilly, and Ali took one look and shouted, "This is why Littlefoot likes me more! You're just a- a- jerk!" And with that, Ali stepped down hard on Star's foot. Star reeled in pain, falling backwards on her rear, but once again, in almost no time, she was back on her feet. Star moved her tongue around inside of her mouth for a few seconds then spit in her face.
"Come on! Don't rest now! Your dinner is nearly served," she coaxed them while glaring at Ali. She gave Ali another shove, this one so hard that she bruised her back leg. The flyers followed her enthusiasm and began to lick their chops as they neared the back.
As the five of them finally came to the other side, Star called out, "NOW!"
A large longneck emerged from the back of the hill. Ali sprang forward in the confusion, quickly understanding what was happening, leaving the baddies standing in shock on the ground. With one swoop of his tail, he had them pinned onto the ground. They struggled but could not break free, nor did their biting phase him at all.
"Thank you, sir," Star told him with a smile. He winked in response.
"My pleasure," the old longneck replied. He seemed very old, easily at the age to be a grandfather. He wore a gentle smile on his face that was very inviting, and a bad tooth hung up from his lower jaw. "Always like to help when I can." When Star nodded in their direction, he pressed harder until it was hard for them to breathe.
Star strolled over to them and looked down with an emotionless expression, but that only made her more fearsome. "You're done causing trouble for me and my friend. Now kindly get lost." They gulped at the sight of her wide, unblinking eyes. She then nodded to the grownup who lifted up his tail in compliance. The flyers quickly took to the skies and were gone in barely a minute. When he asked if they needed anything else, Star shook her head with a smile. The adult grinned at the kids, said good-bye with a polite nod, then turned and left as well, leaving the girls alone. For the longest time, the air was deathly silent.
As the two girls looked at each other, a lot was said between them, but no words were exchanged. It was one of those moments were eyes did all the talking. They looked very serious at first, then slowly, Star broke into a grin, and Ali did the same. Now- mouths did their job.
"I- I am so sorry for saying that to you. You know, about Littlefoot liking me more," Ali began slowly. She paused, trying to recover everything she had done. "And kicking you and stepping on your foot, too. Are you okay?"
Star nodded.
"Thank you. Thank you for saving my life," Ali finished. Her head lowered a bit, but her eyes stayed at the same level.
"Well, you're most certainly not welcome!" When Ali lifted her head, she added, in a much more serious tone, "You coming out here saved me. If it wasn't for that, you'd've never been endangered in the first place. You have my thanks."
Ali smiled and nodded as a reply. The two of them started to head back to the valley, side by side, and then Star formed a crooked smile and shot her eyes in Ali's direction without moving her head. "So, how long have you known Littlefoot?"
Ali too put on a coy grin and eyed Star back. "We've met once before."
"Nice, nice," Star replied, a bit too casually. The girls stopped, glared at each other for a moment then burst into laughter. The two friends travelled in silence for a moment, and with the danger gone thus making her mind clear, Ali noticed something a bit off about Star. She was limping.
"Hey, what happened to your foot? Are you limping because I stomped on it?" she asked guiltily.
"Heh, I don't think so. You're not that strong. I just stepped on a thorn earlier, and it was easier to ignore the pain before."
"Be sure to wash it when we get back."
"Yes, mother."
"Really, it could get worse off if that wound isn't cared for."
"Okay, okay. If I remember, I'll clean it."
The two of them made their way back to the Great Valley, entered, and heard loud stomping. They were amply greeted upon their return- Ali, at least.
"I just can't trust you at all, Ali!" her mother exclaimed. She loomed over her daughter with a solemn expression, and her tone was high. "You leave once, I scold you, and then you leave again the very moment I take my eyes off of you! I think the children of this valley are a bad influence." She paused then finished, "Perhaps we shouldn't visit here anymore." Her words stung Ali in a way that silenced her. Never return to the Great Valley? The thought was so horrifying that the moment seemed surreal. But Star wasn't done saving her new friend just yet.
"Miss," Star began, "I ran away and could have been seriously hurt, but Ali followed me and saved me. I owe your daughter my life."
Ali kept her mouth shut. Her mother turned to her in surprise and embarrassment, and her face and tone immediately softened. The adult longneck lowered her head and nuzzled her daughter's face for a few seconds. "I'm sorry, Ali. And I'm so very proud of you." Both mother and daughter beamed. When her mother straightened up, her young one had a request.
"May I go and play with my friends now?"
"Of course. You've earned it." Her mother had a proud voice when she said that. The two girls looked at each other excitedly and cantered off to find Littlefoot and the others. The pain in Star's foot had died down, ending her limp, so washing out her cut was quickly forgotten. They ran underneath an overhang of small trees and random patches of weeds. (The area was on a decline, and with all the trees blocking the sky water and bright circle, not much grew there.) Little puffs of dust shot up around their feet as they ran. They got to the bottom and made their way to the Thundering Falls, not only at the chance of their friends being there but also because they were quite thirsty. As they lapped up the cool water that trickled down their dry and cracking throats, they heard a noise of recognition from a familiar longneck. They had been spotted.
"There you guys are!" Littlefoot exclaimed with great relief. "We've been looking everywhere for you." Asp, Syn, and Cera followed behind in silence. They were curious where they'd been. However, a new thought quickly broke Asp's speech hesitance as he looked at the two girls' mannerisms.
"Wait, something's wrong," Asp said. He didn't sound all that serious or worried. It was one of those right wrongs. "Is it just me, or are those two being friendly with each other?"
The two girls laughed. "You can say that again," Star replied.
"Thank you," Asp told them. He cleared his throat. "Wait, something's wrong. Is it just me, or are those two being friendly with each other?"
Cera rolled her eyes, and Syn poked him playfully before he laughed. Littlefoot, Cera, and the yellowbellies couldn't imagine what had happened, but they were relieved that it did.
"Oh!" Star suddenly said, remembering something. "What happened with the poisoned water?"
"We put some fire moss in all the watering holes. The Old One said that they're all already safe," Cera explained, looking behind her at all the dinosaurs drinking happily throughout the valley. The sudden, new tension in the air was immediately vanquished. Star and Ali gave a little "Whew" in unison. With nothing dire going on and still having energy to spare, the reddish longneck was quick to change the subject.
"Anyone up for tag?" She bent the front section of her body down and wagged her tail.
Most of them grimaced at the thought of doing that again, but to their surprise, Ali answered, "I am!"
The kids played for a good, long while with no trouble at all. Littlefoot went first and ran around, going for Syn then Cera then Star. When Star was finally tagged, she went after Asp and caught him quickly to his dismay, but he laughed, having a good time as was everyone. This was a game. Fun. Relaxing. Friendly. They all loved it and each other. Then, just as they began to tire, Ali's herd approached. The rhythm of footsteps gave a peaceful echo throughout the valley, and it was clear why they were coming in this direction. Well, it seemed clear.
"Aw. You have to go already?" Star whined, turning to Ali.
"I don't think we're moving out yet. We usually spend the night when we arrive at a safe place," Ali explained, a bit unsure but mostly confident.
She was right. The herd had only gathered to get some rest, walking past the children as the bright circle's shift in the sky was nearly over.
"Come, Ali," her mother called softly.
"On my way! See ya, guys," Ali called before running over to the mother. She lifted her onto her back, and they went together to a large patch of grass.
"Cera!" a loud voice bellowed across the valley. It would be hard not to hear.
"Coming, daddy," she replied unenthusiastically.
Littlefoot knew that his grandparents would call at any moment, so he saved them the trouble and headed back on his own. Star, Asp, and Syn followed. Seeing their grandson, the two old longnecks smiled. His grandfather actually had had his mouth open to shout when he had come into view. The three longnecks lied down in their usual spots, the adults together and Littlefoot not far off in his own special place. He turned twice and yawned so hard that his cheeks grew sore before setting his body down to rest.
"Good night, grandpa, grandma," he told them sleepily, his eyes already closed.
"Good night, Littlefoot," his grandmother replied. The two of them smiled at their grandson one last time before shutting closing their lids as well.
Asp and Syn walked over to where they'd slept the night before and cuddled up beside each other for warmth, and Star moved against the great wall, again believing that no one would hear her snore from there. They all drifted off to sleep in almost no time, and the Great Valley experienced peace and quiet for some time. However, deep in the night, Littlefoot awoke. He had heard a low noise coming from Star's direction, and he lifted his head and squinted in her direction. At first, he thought it was her snoring, so he laid his head back down and closed his eyes. Then he opened them once more in her direction, concluding that it was definately something else.
Star was shivering and her teeth were chattering. She emitted a low noise from her mouth, one Littlefoot recognized from when it's the cold time. He looked perplexed because it was a warm night and no wind was blowing. Nevertheless, he got up to see if she was alright. Her whole body was trembling, and he was very concerned. He went back and woke up Asp and Syn, explaining what he saw. They knew what had to be done. They scattered and began gathering dry leaves from various trees they could reach and the ground and brought them over, covering Star's chilled body. She seemed more comfortable but still shook.
"You two can go back to sleep. I'm going to stay with her," he told them, eyes on Star.
The yellowbellies yawned and complied. Asp rested a hand on Littlefoot's shoulder as he walked past, saying, "Just take it easy, alright? It's not good to miss sleep."
Littlefoot nodded and shot Asp an appreciative smile before setting his body up against his friend for the night. Star's shivering kept him up for a while, as it moved his body as well, but the power of sleep overcame him about an hour later.
The following day…
Star opened her eyes and sat up. She was confused as to why she was covered in leaves, but her attention suddenly shifted as to why Littlefoot was asleep right beside her.
Nudging him gently awake, she asked, "Hey, Littlefoot, what are you doing?"
"Huh? Wha?" he replied lifted his head in a drowsy stupor and looking around aimlessly. "Star…? Oh, that's right." His mind suddenly came into focus. "You were shaking last night, so I was worried. Asp, Syn, and I covered you with those leaves, but it didn't help much."
"You slept with me- because you were worried?" Star asked slowly. She was very touched.
"Yeah." Littlefoot looked up to see that Star's face was very red. He was sure that she was blushing, so he added, "Well, you know, it's just what friends do for each other, that's all." He was replied to by a kiss on the cheek, causing him to turn red as well and look away.
"You're sweet," she told him. Then she shivered again. "Ugh, why is it so cold today?" she wondered aloud.
Littlefoot turned to her. "It's- it's not cold at all, Star," he replied, bemused. "It's actually a very warm morning." He looked at her closely unsure if she was fooling or…
Suddenly, some Great Valley flyers flew overhead, and their shadows passed over the children, alerting them to their presence. Star looked up at them, and her eyes widened as she cocked her head to one side and opened her mouth slightly.
"Since- when can swimmers- fly?" she asked in a very curious tone.
Littlefoot raised a brow and then looked up. Then he chuckled and replied, "Nice one, Star. You made me look."
"You didn't see them?" she pressed further. She didn't sound like she was joking.
Littlefoot emitted a tiny sound from his mouth. "Come on, Star. I'm still tired, but you won't get me twice. Swimmers can't fly."
"But, but I just saw them! They flew overhead a few- a few seconds ago." She insisted so strongly that Littlefoot was getting uncomfortable. He took a deep breath and repeated himself.
"Star, those were just flyers." Then he paused in thought. "You must still be tired. Try and get some more rest. It is still early, after all."
"Maybe you're right," she replied, laying her head back down. The sound of footsteps suddenly approached, but only Littlefoot was interested enough to look; Star kept her eyes closed and tried getting back to sleep. The owners of the noise quickly arrived at their location.
"Hey, is she alright?" Asp asked her in a whisper, seeing she was trying to sleep.
Syn nodded in agreement and quietly said, "We've been worried about her."
Star's eyes suddenly slowly opened at the voices, but then she quickly jerked her head up in surprise. "Whoa!" Star exclaimed in a frenzy. "When did you two get taller than me?"
The yellowbellies exchanged glances.
"Uh, we're not," Asp said slowly. He could tell when someone was joking. Star was not. "You're just lying down."
"Oh. I suppose that I am at that," as if she really did just realize that. Then with sudden frustration, she asked again, "Why is it so COLD!" She began shivering again.
The other examined her closely. Littlefoot's eyes narrowed when he noticed that her face was still red. Surely if she had been just blushing, her face would have went back to normal by now. Then it dawned on him. He gulped and fumbled with his words for a few seconds before telling her straight out.
"Star," he began, nibbling on his lower lip, "you're sick."
Chapter End
"Okay, and I thought leaving the Great Valley to help that herd of yellowbellies long ago was pointless! Here's the stupid preview of what's to come next time on Familiar Love: Star isn't feeling well, and that's a shame, but that isn't an excuse to have us leave on some journey into the Mysterious Beyond for the silliest- reason- ever! Oh well. When the friends of Cera the great threehorn go somewhere, expect her to stay by their sides."
