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NIGHT 6: STRUGGLES AND SACRIFICES
Chapter 20: Difficult days
"Malka! Where can she be?"
Ali awoke with a start at the sudden exclamation. The bellowing wail from the distant swimmer sent shockwaves of terror to rampage through the longneck's body. Operating out of pure instinct she quickly turned towards her eggs.
All of them are here... they're safe, she registered immediately, then that must mean...
"Sauria?! Sauria, where are you?!"
Ali closed her eyes upon hearing her mother ask the question she had heard many times before. She did not need to wait for confirmation. She already had a good idea where Sauria could be.
"Mom, I think we all know where she is."
She looked over at her mother with a compassionate expression as Sauria's brothers and sisters muttered amongst themselves around their sleeping area. They had been through the aftermath of their sister's adventures more than once before. Thankfully for Bron and Utu the other children were far more cautious than their adventurous sister. It seemed that only Sauria had been born with the wanderlust that ran in Bron's lineage.
"Momma, are we going to get Sauria back?"
It was the innocent question of one of Sauria's brothers that finally broke Utu out of her fear-induced trance. With a stern resolve she shook her head.
"Our best and strongest are already out the valley, children..." her mouth trembled as she contemplated her own words, "We can have some of the flyers tell your father and the others... but Sauria will have to get through this on her own."
Ali sighed as she observed her mother's drooping neck. With more than a little effort she rose from her position and nuzzled the elder longneck.
"I'm sure that Sauria will be alright, Mom. She and her friends have gotten out of worse."
Utu did not meet her eyes as she looked towards the rising Bright Circle, "I hope you're right, Ali... I hope that you're right..."
"There she is... Hanging Rock."
Bron resisted the urge to tease Servine for referring to the inanimate rock as a female. It was one of the threehorn's quirks, but he knew that now would not be the right time. After all, Servine had already a female of his own...
But not his son.
The longneck admired the distant rock for a moment as it jutted into the air like a finger thrust into the unknown. It was both inviting and foreboding. Welcoming but never welcome. Much like the omnivorous fast runners that called the rock home.
"Good! The sooner we get to it then the sooner we can get our children and leave!"
Bron cracked a smile at the Topps's gruff response.
"In case you don't remember, we do have to wait on our children to get to Hanging Rock first," Bron noted with some amusement as he mentioned their carnivorous offspring, "We may have to wait a while..."
Topps took the bait just like the longneck had anticipated, "Well our children will have no excuse to be beaten by us. They are fastbiters, after all!"
Bron was about to continue the banter when the sound of fluttering wings interrupted his thoughts.
"Well, if you two want to argue all day then I am quite sure that our children will beat us!"
Bron crossed his eyes in order to focus on the flyer that hovered in front of his face. The comedic expression caused Topps to burst into light laughter, and odd sound coming from the usually stern threehorn. Despite his slight irritation at being the loser in this battle of wits, Bron found himself laughing as well.
"Speaking of children, shouldn't Petrie be giving us an update soon?"
Volant allowed herself to land on the back of Ali's mate as she considered her response. Somni, for his part, did not seem to mind. He seemed fixated on something in the distance.
"That is what I will be doing today. I think that is time that I pay my son a visit for a change."
Bron tilted his head, "Will your children be alright?"
Volant smiled, "They should be fine. Besides caring for their younger brothers and sisters will be good practice for my older children." she allowed herself a bittersweet smile at that thought. Two of them had departed the valley in order to seek out mates of their own, but several still remained. She knew that sooner or later they would have to depart as well. "Several of the other flyers should be here soon to help you all keep watch."
Servine deadpanned, "Watch what? I don't think the big rock is going to be going anywhere."
Volant snorted, "Perhaps not... but it never hurts to have a head start on any threats..." she quickly turned towards Bron before the threehorns could make a boast about their fighting prowess, "I take it that you all will be alright?"
Bron smiled, "We will be fine, Volant. Tell our children that we will be waiting for them."
The assembled dinosaurs watched the flyer head off in the distance for several moments before Topps finally got restless. He prepared to give the order to head out and resume their journey for the day when he noticed Somni's distracted expression.
"What is it that you see, Somni?" Upon looking out into the distance he could clearly see the fluttering figure of a distant flyer, "Oh! It looks like Volant wasn't joking about other flyers coming shortly."
Bron's face darkened immediately, "They are going awfully fast..."
Caw!
Topps closed his eyes upon hearing the alert call. Of course there just had to be trouble!
As the assembled dinosaurs waited for the report from the flyers, they had no idea that the danger was not focused on them, but rather their own mischievous children.
And the danger was a lot closer to their children then they could possibly imagine.
Outside Hanging Rock:
"I thought that you said that you knew the way!"
The pink threehorn's frustration finally erupted into the open as they once more came across the same piece of rocky terrain. They had been going in circles for the better part of the morning
"I do!" The flyer protested. He also was frustrated by his inability to see a way up despite, or perhaps because, of his aerial vantage point. It was hard to see anything in the confusing jumble of boulders and bushes. "The way up is around here... somewhere..."
Malka merely walked behind them in a mixture of frustration and exhaustion. If this continued any longer then she was tempted to tell Flip to fly back to the valley and get help. However, much like her threehorn friend, pride was stopping her from taking that step. They had resolved to see the reunion with their own eyes, and nothing was going to hold them back.
She just hoped that Axiom was somewhere safe. Because she certainly wasn't anywhere in this gorge.
Far above them, hidden by an outcropping of rock, the trio was being watched by three pairs of eyes. The slightest hint of pink and purple from their beaks were the only possible sign of their presence. After nearly half a day of journeying they had finally found their targets.
"They certainly seem lost, don't they?"
Arial nodded at her father's words. It was obvious that the two dinosaurs and one flyer were not accustomed to wandering in the Mysterious Beyond. They were like swimmers out of water.
"I would help them... if that wouldn't hurt us."
She knew that her affirmation was not news to her parents, but she felt compelled to protest their predicament. Even though no one could blame the sharpteeth for taking advantage of the available food, and no one could blame her family for doing what was necessary to keep them safe, there was something that felt utterly wrong about this. She was an omnivore, and as such she usually had a choice... she could spare eggs and younglings unless she was starving.
But that was not a choice now.
"As would we, Arial," Arial felt her mother's hand on her shoulder, "...but until your brother comes back with help we need to do what we must. This territory is too safe... too plentiful for us..."
"To throw it all away. I know." Arial spoke with more bitterness than she intended. She still focused on the younglings below instead of looking at her parents. She did not want her parents to see her weakness.
Pearl reached for her daughter's arm again, only to earn a slight shake of the head from Detras. He realized what she was trying to do and did not want to provoke her emotions when she had a job to do. The tears and regrets could come later. Right now it was time for necessity.
"Are you ready, daughter?" He asked with all of the assertiveness of a pack leader. It was an appeal to her sense of duty and pride.
It was successful.
"As ready as I can be, father. You will gather our 'guests'?"
Detras nodded at the bitter tone of the word guests. He had to admit that Dein and Terri's welcome was running out in his mind as well. "They will be gathered." It was only know that he placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder, a gesture which her mother repeated.
"Good luck, Arial! Remember why you are doing this. Remember what is at stake."
Without further word Arial heard the quick footsteps of her parents darting away from her crevice. She was now alone. Alone with the reminder of her duty echoing in her ears. She was doing this for her territory, and for her family's future. She could not show mercy here. She could not go back on what she had decided. Her family had decided to keep their territory until it became dangerous for them to stay. She had placed her hand in the pile along with everyone else. Her brother had agreed to risk his life in getting help, while she had agreed to risk her innocence by doing the unthinkable. Now it was time to pay the price.
Her mind perfectly summed up what she had agreed to. Time to be the villain.
She did not hesitate to make noise as she climbed down the crevice. She knew that what was being conspicuous to her would still seem like stealth to the younglings down below. They were valley residents and would not know the ways of the Mysterious Beyond. She could use its secrets to her advantage.
"Hey, guys! Did you hear something?"
It was odd, she noted, how familiar some of them seemed. The pink threehorn that just spoke almost looked like an older version of Tricia. She quickly shook her head at that thought. It was just her nerves getting the better of her. She had a mission to accomplish.
She smiled as the trio looked over at her advancing pink form. She answered their surprised expressions with a kind wave.
"It looks like all of you are lost. Need some help finding your way up?"
She forced cheerfulness into her face and voice, despite the knowledge that she was leading them to their doom.
"Oh, thank you!" Malka spoke before the others had a chance to respond, "Flip here has no idea where we are! And we can't find our friend!"
Flip bristled at her insinuation, "That's not true... It just be a long time since Mama show us this place." He relented after a pause though, "But I'm worried about Axiom. She fell but wasn't where we thought she would be... so we went down here to look for her."
Aria kept held back the bile in her throat at the mention of his mother. She would not just be leading them to their death, she would also be taking a child away from its mother.
"Is your mama nearby?" she inquired cautiously.
Flip looked embarrassed at that question as the others likewise averted their eyes, "Um... we actually kind of ran away."
"We wanted to see our brothers and sisters when they get back, but our mommies and daddies told us to stay home..."
Arial waved them off out of fear that any further mention of their families would make her lose her nerve, "Well, once you get back up out of this gorge then you all can work it out... but you all need to stay close to me... it is dangerous in the Mysterious Beyond. Once we are out of here... then we can look for your friend."
The danger is in front of you.
Malka was unreserved in stating her opinion, "Thank you very much! We could certainly use your help."
Tricia eyed Arial cautiously for a moment, as if she were sizing her up. As if there was something about the fast runner that caught her eye. But then she relented, "Thank you very much for helping us... do you by any chance know the fastrunners who live by Hanging Rock? They are friends of the valley."
Arial ignored the pounding in her chest and the chill that ran up her spine. She now knew that these were children from the valley. The same valley that had protected her and her family. The same valley that they owed a great obligation towards. This greatly complicated things in ways that she could only begin to think about while responding quickly enough to maintain her cover.
"I'm sorry, I don't know any of them. I try to avoid the territory of other families." she lied quickly, "But it is not a problem at all to help all of you... please follow me."
She knew that there was the possibility that the children could escape from any hunt, and if that happened she wanted to make damn sure that the valley did not know of her families' unwilling partnership. For that reason she knew that she had to avoid being asked any more questions.
"By the way, what is..." Flip asked before he realized that the fastrunner was already several lengths ahead of them.
"Hurry, everyone! We need to get out of this gorge before a sharptooth finds us! We can talk later; now we run!"
She didn't wait for any of them to agree as she broke into a steady jog. She could hear the sound of sprinting feet shortly thereafter as she led them speedily through the gorge. She would not give them a chance to ask any more questions. She would not give them a chance to make her second guess what she had to do.
As her head ached and her chest burned, she tried to force her misgivings to the back of her mind. The suspicious familiarity of the dinosaurs... the fact that they were from the valley... the fact that by leading them to their doom that their friend would be lost somewhere out there... it was all too much for her to even begin to contemplate. She had to choke back the idea that these dinosaurs could have been her friends under different circumstances.
I hope they make it quick for all of you.
She continued to run in silence as her footsteps echoed across the walls of the gorge like the thunderclaps of a distant storm.
Damn it! Count on me to fall down slick rocks!
Axiom resisted the urge to call for help as she knew that might attract predators. It reminded her of something that her mother used to say.
When the fastbiter hears the youngling yell, he comes running... but not to help.
The young rainbowface sighed. She would have given anything in that moment to have her parents beside her. They always seemed to know what to do even when things seemed hopeless. Though they had told her many of the tricks they had learned, she lacked their years of accumulated experience. The most that she could do right now was analyze the situation. Just like her parents had taught her.
Okay... mommy and daddy always said the first step was to observe your surroundings...
She quickly looked around herself. Some distance above her was another gorge. She only knew this because she had slid across that gorge and then went through a crevice before she had finally landed in this one. She could not see any hint of how to access the slick rocks above her, however. So going back out the way she came was not an option.
The next thing that she noticed was the sharp rock that she had kept attached to her arm with a vine. This was something that her parents always kept with them in order to break open hard-shell sweet bubbles, to cut vines, or to make marks for their silent language that only the rainbowface family knew. Knowing that she needed to keep the invaluable tool she quickly grabbed the sharp rock and retied it to her arm. Then she resumed her observations.
In front of her seemed like the only possible path, and it offered little in the way of detail. Only many boulders and a lot of suspicious caves and crevices greeted her vision. If she had to use trial and error to find her way out then she would be here all day.
This is hopeless! How am I supposed to find my way out of here? There is nothing to see... nothing to hear..."
"So... led... down... here..."
Axiom froze before instinctually throwing herself behind a boulder. The disjointed echoed words from the gorge wall were in leaf-eater, but their pronounced in an odd way. She recognized those voices from somewhere... but where?
"I know, dear... but can sharpteeth kill... children might flee..."
Axiom's eyes went wide. She knew who those voices belonged to. See had not heard them since the days of her childhood after she was first hatched, but there was no doubt in her mind. It was Detras and Pearl. She rose from her position in order to yell in their direction when she heard words that made her hesitate.
"I know you aren't happy with this, dear. Neither am I. But if we are going to hang on to this territory then we need to keep our guests happy until help arrives or they decided to leave. It isn't like we haven't done this before."
What are they talking about?
"But only when we were starving before the kids were hatched! We are talking about helping Dein and Terri kill kids, Detras!"
Axiom's mind went blank. She simply couldn't process this new piece of information. She found herself beginning to shake out of fear and confusion.
"You know that we have to do this, dear. That is why you didn't try to talk Arial out of it. It is better them than it is to risk all four of us."
"We might still lose Orchid."
"All the more reason to do this, dear. We can't let his mission be in vain. We have to hang on to what we have while he gets help. We all agreed, remember?"
"I know but it is so hard... the children don't deserve this."
"None of us do."
As the footsteps trailed off slowly, Axiom finally allowed herself to breathe again. The fastrunner family was in league with sharpteeth? They were leading younglings like her to their doom? That was when a realization hit her.
They're probably talking about my friends.
The rainbowface's body shook with a ferocity that she had never before experienced. It was more than mere fear. It was an anger that could only come from the heat of betrayal. She did not care about the fastrunner's predicament in that moment. She did not care about their sacrifices. She only cared about keeping her friends safe.
Before she realized what she was doing she had grasped the sharp rock in her hand.
And ran in the direction of the voices.
Many miles away from Hanging Rock:
"There it is, children! Can you see it?"
Littlefoot suppressed a chuckle as his children climbed up his back in order to get a better view. The other children were doing the same to their parents as they squinted their eyes towards the horizon. Finally the excited form of Swipe confirmed what he suspected.
"I can see it! It looks like the rock is just hanging there!"
Littlefoot could feel the sensation of Biter nodding on his back, "Well duh, sis, that is why it is called Hanging Rock."
Littlefoot rolled his eyes and Ruby chuckled at her children's antics. With Swipe's playful attack in Biter's direction, her brother quickly hopped off of his perch on his father's back. Littlefoot did not need to look behind him to know that Swipe was strutting in order to provoke her brother.
"Alright, Swipe, down you go!" Littlefoot lightly bucked her off of his back in order to let the children get their play fight out of the way, "But yes, that is indeed Hanging Rock. We should be there by the end of the day!"
Cheers erupted from sharptooth and leaf-eater alike at Littlefoot's pronouncement in the leaf-eater language. It seemed that their long journey was finally coming to an end.
"We can finally see our mommies and daddies!" Sauria exclaimed happily.
"My sister..." Datum added, "...and our friends. I wonder how Tricia and Flip are holding up."
"Probably wondering what is taking us so long. This journey never ends."
Littlefoot suppressed a chuckle at the grumpy response of the little threehorn. It seems that the cheerful demeanor of threehorns starts early! He noted to himself, Stern Claw still hasn't grown out of hers.
"I am ready to be done with this journey as well. It is hard to run fast when you have three stragglers." Cera added sardonically at her less-than-swift leaf-eater counterparts.
"Are you calling us slow?" Charger asked arrogantly, momentarily forgetting that he was addressing a full-grown Utahraptor.
Cera puffed out her chest as if she had been mocked by Taunt himself, "Well, you all certainly aren't fastbiters!"
Charger retorted under his breath, "Thank the Bright Circle for that..."
As was the case on most days, Taunt decided to use the most awkward time to ruin Cera's moment.
"Ah, so that is where you get it from, dear. Did the little threehorn show you up?"
Littlefoot rolled his eyes as Cera turned towards her mate with an expression that Littlefoot could not see. He knew that it was time to wrap this up before Taunt or Stern Claw made further fools of themselves.
"Alright, everyone, I have an idea... how about we sing the rest of the song as we travel? That way our leaf-eater friends here will not miss out on the song."
Silence fell over the adults as they considered this, whereas the children were more enthusiastic.
"That's a great idea!" Pouncer exclaimed.
"We can finally hear how we came along!" Came agreement from Petrie's son Dive.
"And how our mommies and daddies survived being alone." Swipe added more somberly. It was that reminder of the darkness of the song that made the children quiet down.
They are getting the seriousness of the message... that is good. Littlefoot affirmed to himself. He was about to begin the refrain of the next verse when Petrie interrupted.
"Um... Seeker? Maybe me should go to Hanging Rock? To let fastrunners know."
Littlefoot considered this for a moment, before Ruby answered for him.
"The adults should be there by now, Spotter, and I am sure that the flyers in the valley already told them. With an entire herd with them what could possibly make them late? What could make them late if they have an entire herd?"
Petrie nodded after a pause, "You have point there, Ponder. Me sure they be fine."
Littlefoot smiled, "Alright then. Let's get a move on, everyone, and we will start up the song. Finder, I think it is your turn again."
Spike nodded his agreement, "Indeed it is... It all began with a misunderstanding."
In my territory cold and bare,
we tried to protect our food and lair,
But as the day turned into night,
others would often try to chance a bite
Several years ago:
Spike watched with concern as Breeze's chest rose and fell with each breath. Below her were the now covered eggs. Six fragile shells which contained their hopes for the future. Six new lives.
Assuming they were given a chance to hatch.
Spike sighed. Breeze had laid her eggs several days before, but yet she still insisted on performing the daily hunts. He had tried to protest, only to nearly be rendered unconscious by the irate female. From her perspective it was the male's job to watch the nest and the mother's job to hunt while the eggs had still not hatched, then it was the opposite after the children had hatched. This was yet one more little cultural difference that had surprised Spike. He was expecting the leaf-eater way of handling the situation.
It is a father's duty to provide.
However, now that Breeze had returned once more without anything to show except a few ground fuzzies, Spike had finally gotten her to agree to let him do the hunting. She had to sleep, after all, there was no reason for him to sit idle.
Perhaps it was her fatigue, or her own doubts about her solo hunt that day, but an exhausted Breeze had finally agreed. He would try to do what Breeze had been unable on this long day. He would try to provide some badly needed food.
"Then go! Just make sure that you are here when I wake up... we have to protect the children!"
Being careful not to wake his snoring mate, he quietly exited the sleeping area and emerged into the fading light of the clearing that made up much of his territory. The shadows from the trees seemed to mock him as his eyes darted back and forth for any sign of movement. Any sign of the absent meal that his family badly needed.
Hmmm... I see and smell nothing... except for those swimmers in the forest. His thoughts took on a dejected tone, not that I can go there without a fight...
The forest to the right of his clearing was mainly the territory of Seeker and Ponder. The only exception was a small portion up to the sweet bubble bushes which was in his territory, and the area by the stream which was claimed by Chomper. The large sharptooth would allow them to scavenge from his left-overs, not that he left much, and would allow them to drink from the stream. But in all other contexts it was a forbidden zone for the fastbiters. Chomper had decided to keep the water source open to all in the only way that he knew how.
Through fear and intimidation. It was enough to strike some sense into his and his packmate's instinct-addled minds.
She can get water when she needs it, but we can't count on Path to have enough left-overs for us... but what if I got some food while getting some water... Path said it was open to all...
Spike took on a slight smile as the thought came to his mind. Yes, he could hunt fish under the guise of drinking from the stream. If anyone asked then he could just claim that he was bathing.
Well... if Path asks... the others won't get close to me if they know what is good for them!
As had been commonplace in the days since the pack split, his thoughts of the others had split into an odd dichotomy. He viewed them as his closest friends at the same time that he also viewed them as his adversaries. Every part of his instincts told him to protect his territory until the children were hatched, and to support his mate. The worst part was that he was having trouble even telling the two opposing drives apart in his mind. He could only hope that clarity would come once his children were out of their eggs.
Shaking his head, Spike tried to force the errant thoughts from his mind. Regardless of when his senses returned to him he had to provide for his mate now. All other considerations were irrelevant by comparison. With his mind made up on catching some fish, he proceeded to take the path which would lead him to Chomper's territory. That was when he heard it.
Footsteps.
He froze as he lay on the ground like a snake. His ears strained for every little reverberation that echoed in the distance. Within moments his mind confirmed what he had suspected. There were footsteps in his territory.
Someone has made a mistake that they will regret.
He clinched the spear at his side as he proceeded to sniff the air. That was when he came to a realization.
They were downwind. That meant that they could smell him, but he could not smell them. They had a tactical advantage.
He seethed. He would make whoever it was pay.
No one invades my lands! No one!
Seeing a flash of green behind some distant bushes, he quickly reared back and proceeded to aim his spear at the unknown threat. He had four more spears beside him if the need arose, but he was going to make sure that whoever it was knew that they were not welcome. He did not hesitate as the spear left his hand.
Thud!
The spear landed just in front of the bush as the sounds of footsteps stopped. Spike cursed himself under his breath as he grabbed another spear and began to aim once more. That was when the sound of something whistling in the air caught his attention.
Thud!
A spear impaled itself on the ground mere feet away from the fastbiter's pile of spears. The intruder had the nerve to attack him on his own territory.
"Die, you worthless pile of spiketail dung!"
Now in an unthinking frenzy due to his rage, Spike clawed at his vine armor as if to confirm its presence on his chest, and sprinted away from the bushes he had hid behind. In the torrent of exploding leaves and dirt, it almost looked like Spike had arisen from the ground itself. He knew that his opponent was expecting another spear and was zeroing in on his location, so he would instead take the fight to the enemy. His strategy worked better than he could have hoped.
In a flurry of movement, his body crashed into the body of his unseen opponent. Instantly, vine collided with vine, and flesh collided with flesh as a torrent of feathers erupted from the melee. It was only when the scent of his adversary reached his snout that he broke off his attack in surprise.
"Haven?"
The other fastbiter stared at him with equal surprise, as her vines covered her ruffled feathers. Only a small amount of blood dripped from her back, a product of her brother's unexpected assault. The only hint of her reason for entering his territory lay some distance behind her.
The dead body of a longneck. She had been searching for food as well, and unlike him and his mate, she had found it.
Ducky noticed the shift in his gaze and bowed her head in anguish. With an anguished cry she proceeded to retreat back into her territory, conceding her prey to the victor.
"Haven, stop!"
Ducky reluctantly froze at the sound of her brother's voice. She did not turn her head, but he could see its slight tilt. She was awaiting his response.
Spike closed his eyes. Damn it, Haven! You nearly made a murderer out of me!
"You made the kill, Haven. I was going to get fish, so I wouldn't have seen it anyway..." he gritted his teeth as he fought against his instincts, which were telling him to take his prize and to mock the loser of this battle of wills. But there was enough food here for both families. This gave his reason the strength to overpower his chaotic emotions. "Take the legs and head for you and your mate... leave me the rest."
Only now did Ducky turn with deliberate slowness. Her eyes had a softness to them, despite the glare on her face.
"We are even then? No reprisals?"
Spike held his breath. This was exactly why Chomper had split up the pairs, to avoid these petty territorial disputes from turning into full-blown vendettas. Knowing that his instincts were pushing him in a direction that only lead to tragedy and death, he nodded and responded in kind.
"No reprisals. But mind my territory from now on!"
Chomper watched the small green fastbiter take her share of the prey with some difficulty under the supervision of a watchful Spike and an exhausted, but somewhat better spirited, Breeze. He had only arrived after Ducky had made her anguished cry. The slight bleeding on her back and the embedded spears in the ground were the only signs of what had come before.
I was nearly too late.
He was pleasantly surprised by this turn of events, however. The act of mercy by Spike was a sign that the drive for separate territories was finally coming to an end, to be replaced by the time of hatchings.
The mothers and fathers protect their lands and nest, but after hatching only the babies test.
The pack might be able to do joint hunts after the children hatched, but there would be uneasiness as far as the children were concerned. The ancient instinct would be operating in the background, poisoning everything when the children were present. The children of another male could be subject to violence if emotions ran too high. Until the children reached the Age of Safety, only those families that shared relations could meet together. Otherwise the risk was too great.
Better to avoid a problem then to face it head on. If any of them hurt the other's children then they would never forgive themselves... and I wouldn't forgive myself for allowing it.
With a final glance at the retreating fastbiters in the distance, Chomper returned to his sleeping area that he had prepared. He would see to it that the pack did not join back together fully until the children were at the Age of Safety. In the meantime he had seen the first act of mercy and friendliness towards others that he had seen since the eggs had been laid. This made an emotion appear that he had not felt for quite some time.
Hope.
"Hey, little ones. Don't worry your mother will be back soon."
Littlefoot shifted uneasily as he repositioned himself over the four eggs. It was an odd experience trying to keep the eggs warm, but yet it also seemed right in some odd way. Everything from his feathered arms to his warm body seemed adapted for just this very purpose. He could feel the heat radiating off of his body to the smooth shells on the nest below. It was something that he would have never experienced as his old kind, even if he had been female.
A longneck can't exactly lay on the eggs... I hope that I am doing this right.
Despite the inherent 'rightness' of the sensation, he still worried about his mate. She was out in the territory hunting, which seemed to him to be a job that he should be doing, but Ruby had insisted. From Littlefoot's perspective it seemed that she had a hard enough job of making and laying the eggs, but yet she was out there insisting on doing even more.
He looked over at the fish bones at the other side of the nest. The only remaining signs of the most recent hunt, which he had performed while she slept. The ability to hunt large prey was no longer available to them with the lack of available help. The risk was simply too great to hunt such beasts alone. One wrong move would leave his unhatched children as orphans.
But not as risky as having us all together, Littlefoot noted dejectedly, I really messed things up.
In the intervening days since the packmates had split their own ways, Littlefoot had had a chance to contemplate his choices in those final days. The irrationality of it all horrified him, but not as much as what that implied.
I am not angry anymore, but what will happen when the pack comes back together? Will my children be safe from... well from what my kind can do... He growled in annoyance, Why would they even want to do that to my kids?! Why would I do it to theirs?!
He wanted to protest the claims that Thud had made over a month ago. He wanted to tell himself that he wouldn't dare hurt a child just because it wasn't of his line. But recent events confirmed to him that he could not afford to overestimate his willpower. If recent events had taught him anything it was that if something could go wrong then it would go wrong.
Littlefoot closed his eyes for a moment and let his mind wander from such unhappy thoughts to the pleasant sensation of roosting on the nest. He was not aware of how much time had passed until he heard a familiar voice.
"Sorry, dear, I could only find a longneck leg."
Littlefoot jerked his eyes open. He hadn't realized that he had dozed off.
"That's... alright, dear, perhaps I should hunt now?"
Ruby merely gave him a glare, "Eat first. You are not going to go hungry like you did last night."
Littlefoot raised his arms in a placative gesture, "I know... I know... you told me last time. But you still need the food more than me..."
Ruby merely resumed her glare which brokered no disagreement. In response Littlefoot rose without any further protest and sheepishly walked up to the dismembered leg. That was when he caught the scent of the catch.
"Haven's scent... where did you get this?"
Ruby shrugged as she took a bite from the foot. In between chews she answered her mate's question, "Where Haven left it. It isn't my fault that she and Leap do a poor job of guarding their kills."
Littlefoot closed his eyes in exasperation, "Dear..."
"I know... I know... but we need to get food. Food we need to get."
Both fastbiters stared at one another as the reality of what had happened registered in their minds. Ruby's expression showed no hint of regret, whereas Littlefoot's only communicated concern.
"This opens us up to reprisals."
Ruby nodded sadly, "I know."
Their conversation entered another pause as Littlefoot considered their situation. They had food for the day, but they had opened themselves up to further problems in the future. Could they really attack Leap or Ducky if they tried to steal Littlefoot and Ruby's food? Would they even realize that it was Ruby who stole the longneck leg? Would they react with anger? There were far too many questions and not enough answers. Worse yet, he had not interacted with any of the others since the pack had split. He had absolutely no idea how they would react.
"I will need to make amends."
Ruby looked at Littlefoot with utter horror, "No, you do not! They may not even know that we took the leg!"
Littlefoot looked into her eyes, "Maybe not, but if they find out..."
"...then we will deal with it." Ruby finished for him, "Don't do something stupid like you did with Taunt."
The look of horror appeared on Ruby's face as she realized exactly what she had said. This look was joined by a look of shock from Littlefoot which promptly turned into one of regret. The criticism from his own mate seemed to make something break in the brown fastbiter. It was confirmation of his own dark thoughts from earlier.
"Dear... I didn't mean..."
Littlefoot shook his head, "You're right. You're totally right. That was all my fault."
"Dear..."
"And you paid for my mistake... just like how I am going to pay for yours."
Ruby blinked, "What?"
Littlefoot frowned, "I gave into my instincts back then, and you gave in to them today. You went into our friends' territory and stole their own prey. This will keep us fed tonight, but what about in the nights to come? They will find your scent in their territory, and when that happens they will put the facts together," he took a deep breath, "When that happens I want to limit the damage. Our kids deserve to be safe."
Ruby bowed her head sadly, "I never intended..."
Littlefoot nodded as he gave his mate a slight nuzzle, "Neither did I, but we have to live with our choices. I think the safe way to do this would be to give the proper call by the stream."
Ruby looked up, "In Path's territory."
Littlefoot nodded, "I will meet them on neutral ground and we will decide on how to resolve this."
Ruby paused as she considered her mate's words, but then she opened her mouth to speak. Littlefoot knew this was coming and preempted her offer.
"I will go. Not you," Littlefoot asserted in a tone that forbid any disagreement, "They have not smelled my scent in their territory, so they will be less inclined to be unfriendly with me."
Ruby looked down as she leaned into her mate's embrace. She could not argue with his reasoning, but yet she trembled with the knowledge of what would soon come.
"I will keep the children safe while you are gone." Ruby affirmed.
Littlefoot nodded, "Of that I don't doubt, Ponder." seeing that she had a noticeably frightened expression he continued, "Now don't you worry, I will get back to the nest safely."
Ruby sighed as she closed her eyes, "You'd better, Seeker. You'd better."
The two fastbiters embraced for several moments as the reflected brilliance of the Night Circle illuminated the mysterious forest around them. Much like the shadows in the forest's depths, neither of them could know what would lurk in the shadows of the future. All that they could do is silently question what the consequences of their actions would be.
The morrow would bring them the answer.
The present, just outside of Hanging Rock
"How dare you hurt my friends?!"
Pearl covered her bleeding shoulder as she looked at the rainbowface in shock. Detras had taken position in front of her in order to defend his mate, but even he seemed transfixed by the enraged youngling. That was when Pearl finally put the pieces together. A female rainbowface youngling using a weapon confirmed who her attacker was.
"Ax... Axiom?" She inquired.
Detras stepped back from his aggressive posture as he looked at the rainbowface with shock. He had not put the pieces together until his mate vocalized the truth.
"How dare you!? We all trusted you!"
The rainbowface advanced again and tried to slash at the now distracted male. However he quickly regained his wits and deflected the rock with a firm swipe of his tail. Both rainbowface and fastrunner stared as the rock crashed to the floor. The rainbowface struggled to dive at the rock only to see the foot of the fastrunner cover her only weapon. She was now disarmed and at his mercy.
"Don't hurt her, Detras!" Pearl exclaimed as she saw him lean towards the upset rainbowface. This cause him to growl in frustration.
"She hurt you!"
"And we betrayed her friends!" Pearl retorted. She glared at her mate as he wore an expression of utter rage on his face, "Do you know what that means? Remember when we were in the valley after the battle... remember who Tricia played with after they hatched."
Detras's anger suddenly evaporated as his expression paled. "The rainbowface children... then that must mean that the pink threehorn..."
Both fastrunners stared at the now crying rainbowface. She shook with fear and rage, as anguished growls left her mouth. It was as if she were waiting to die.
Pearl took a deep breath, "I have done many terrible things for the good of the family, dear, but I will not betray the children of our friends. I will not betray those who risked all for us. If that means that we have to leave this place then so be it. These rocks are not worth the blood of our allies."
Detras closed his eyes as he heard his mate's nearly flawless sharptooth. He merely nodded before responding, "We don't have much time if we are going to save the kids, dear. We already gave the alert to Dein and Terri. Arial will be leading them to the pass any time now."
Pearl's eyes turned cold, "Then we will have to hurry, won't we?"
The rainbowface grew silent as the fastrunners spoke in sharptooth. Her response in flawless sharptooth made both of the fastrunners freeze in surprise.
"What if my friends were not from the valley? Are the lives of leaf-eaters worth so little for you?"
Pearl swallowed. She had not realized that the rainbowface had been taught the sharptooth language. "We did what we had to do for our family..."
The rainbowface glared at the fastrunner with an unblinking stare. Rage practically radiating off of her. Her voice answered the fastrunner's explanation in a cold monotone that seemed out of place coming from a child's body.
"And I will do what is necessary to protect mine. My friends are part of my family. Don't ever forget that, fastrunner."
Silence reigned as both fastrunners shared a helpless glance. Both knew that the breakdown of trust could probably never be repaired between themselves and the child they knew from so long ago. It was one thing to understand that one had to kill, it was quite another to be on the receiving end of such violence. For the first time in her life Axiom had a taste of the harsh realities of life. It would be a lesson she would never forget.
"Come, child, let's fix our mistake before it's too late. Your friends don't have much time."
With a swift burst of speed both fastrunners sprinted back into the gorge and proceeded to hurl themselves over the boulders. Despite her rage and uncertainty, Axiom did not dare hesitate. Reattaching her sharpened rock to her vines, she reared back on her hind legs and took a deep breath.
Before following the fastrunners into the unknown.
Well it certainly took long enough, but here is the beginning of the final act of the story. (:
As mentioned on my DeviantArt account (which can be accessed via my profile page on this site) I will also be doing writing commissions as soon as this story is over. So if any of you have an original story idea or an idea for the Watership Down or Land Before Time fandoms then I will be available. Details can be found on my DeviantArt page. I hope to use any funds in order to save for a new computer, as my current model is beginning to experience problems and my finances are extremely tight due to my recent medical expenses. But even if you are not interested in commissioning work, I would still be interested in hearing your ideas. (: I hope to experiment with new things in the months ahead, and I would greatly appreciate your constructive criticism.
More Dakka: Yeah, my cliffhanger scenes have a way of doing that to people. d-;
gordhanx: You are indeed correct that the pack is in some trouble, as we are seeing in this chapter. With only one hunter per family (with the other watching the eggs) resources are very tight and food stealing has started to happen. Chomper nearly wasn't in time this chapter, but will he be available during tomorrow's meeting? Only time will tell.
bryan mccloud: That is an interesting theory. (: Let's just say that we will be finding out exactly what happened in the chapters to come.
Golden Griffness: That is certainly an interesting idea. (: I could do quite a few one-shots like that. I was also thinking about doing a one-shot story from Taunt's perspective in the first-person.
JulianR94: Thank you for the kind words. I was hoping that I captured the dominance struggle in an accurate way. The characters are currently acting a bit OOC, but of course they have a reason for that. That may be an issue in the chapters ahead.
RichardTerminator: Yep, Chomper had to take control for the sake of the pack. Now it is time for the hatching of eggs and the raising of young. Assuming that all of the eggs make it to that point...
Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I hope that you enjoy the latest installment and continue to think of interesting ideas. I will strongly consider them as I decide on what to write next.
Until next time!