Chapter 28: Communicating with a Ghost

The moment seemed like one destined to never be revealed but it was there ready to be seized. Still, with Kairyn's outstretched hand partially hidden by the cavernous black hood of the Black Ghost inches away from unmasking who he still believed to be his father's killer. The Black Ghost still lay drooped, unconscious within his tether of vines, tied to the trunk of the thick tree. He seemed completely unaware that his identity was in grave danger of being revealed to the world despite spending so long cloaking himself behind the enigmatic name. Kairyn could only imagine the handful of people who really knew who he was and how he had become the mysterious man that plagued the country back in his time. And here he was now, a mere wrist flick away from seeing the Black Ghost's face for the first time and yet, his hand seemed frozen in suspended air. His arm flushed hot and heavy and his hand was trembling.

"This is it. This is the man who killed my father," Kairyn's mind burned, "so why am I so afraid to look at him? Why can't I just remove his damn hood?"

"Kairyn?" Littlefoot's voice said nervously from behind him. Kairyn breathed a shuddering sigh on hearing his name but didn't turn around.

"This is something I've got to do…" Kairyn's mind pressed, "I need to see his face…for Dad…"

With that, Kairyn swallowed hard and felt his wrist tense, priming to push the Black Ghost's hood back the rest of the way. He saw the point of a nose hit the daylight when he saw two evil red eyes suddenly glare out from the darkness of the hood. Kairyn gasped in fright as the beaming red lights bore into his fearful brown eyes. Instinctively, he drew his hand back in a frightened flinch just as the Black Ghost's limp body squirmed back into life and he let out an animalistic roar. Kairyn leapt backwards a few feet as the crazed man screamed and yelled at the top of his lungs, thrashing and twisting around like a convulsing snake. The vines creaked horribly against his restrained body as Kairyn silently hoped that they wouldn't snap. All eyes stared anxiously at the Black Ghost when he suddenly lurched up very straight before sighing and flopping down within his tethers breathing hard.

The gathered audience all swapped nervous glances at each other before they all looked to Kairyn who had not adjusted his gaze from the Black Ghost the entire time he was fitting within the vines. Kairyn felt his face flush hot against the chilly specks of sweat on his forehead as he cautiously retraced his steps towards the tree again. All other followed Kairyn's movement, anyone hardly breathing as he finally stopped and stood tall in front of the Black Ghost who was still reclaiming lost breath.

"So, you still with us then Ghost?" Kairyn said steadily. The Black Ghost slowly looked towards Kairyn, still panting slightly.

"…Kairyn…you look a little shorter than you did the last time I saw you," the Black Ghost said tunelessly.

"Well, I'm in a bit of a better position than you right about now," Kairyn shot back smirking confidently. The Black Ghost then looked down to see a thick network of vines wrapped numerous times around his torso with his hands pinned between his back and the tree.

"Hmm…thought you'd take advantage of a downed man even though he saved you on a fair few occasions," the Black Ghost said, his tone at the ever even pace it always was.

"I've done just fine getting along without your interfering thanks," Kairyn retorted, "besides I never asked for your help in the first place."

"No, you're right. You didn't ask for me help; but someone else wanted me to anyway," the Black Ghost said slowly. He made sure Kairyn heard every word.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he replied sourly but the Black Ghost just shook his head.

"If you haven't got it by now then I guess you'll just have to wait a little longer. You'll get it in time," the Black Ghost said meaningfully.

"Well, I've got all the time in the world and I'm not in the mood to be playing your stupid little riddles," Kairyn snapped. The Black Ghost sniggered as Kairyn thrust an authoritive finger up to his face.

"I hope you're comfortable up there coz you're gonna be answering some questions seeing as this whole mess is your fault!" Kairyn continued.

"You're going to interrogate me?" the Black Ghost said pretending to sound surprised.

"Not interrogate sir; just ask a few questions that might shed some light on what's happened here," Melissa's sweet-toned voice said from the behind Kairyn.

"And who are you Miss?" the Black Ghost offered sounding very polite.

"Melissa. Melissa Trine," she replied smiling. The Black Ghost hummed and nodded in verification.

"Hmm…that's not a bad place to start actually," Kairyn then said coarsely, "same question to you. Who are you?"

"You already know the answer to that question…" he replied flatly, "I am the Black Ghost."

"But…that can't be your real name," Littlefoot then said stepping up to stand alongside Kairyn but unlike him, Littlefoot's posture was laxed and his expression was curious.

"Don't you have a real name?" Littlefoot continued. The Black Ghost seemed to flinch at the question and didn't answer immediately.

"I…I…don't know…" he said finally.

"You don't know your own name?" Cera said indignantly.

"I…can't remember my name…I can hardly remember anything about my past…" the Black Ghost said lowly.

"Could it be amnesia?" Melissa offered but the Black Ghost shook his head again.

"Amnesia?" Ducky asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's when you lose part or all of your memory," Melissa explained but her face turned serious as she watched the man in black shaking his head, "but it looks as though he doesn't know either."

"Have you tried looking in a mirror lately? Maybe you'd remember a few things if you saw your face a little more often," Kairyn said sarcastically, "why don't you take that stupid hood off?"

"There is a very good reason for it but I doubt you'd be able to handle the complexity of the matter," the Black Ghost retorted. He suddenly sounded threatening compared to before.

"Complexity? Of taking a bloody hood off?" Kairyn scoffed as he began to stride towards the Black Ghost.

"I'm warning you. Don't even try it," he said dangerously.

"Or you'll what?" Kairyn challenged as he rose his hand and reached for his hood. The movement was lightning quick and happened in an instant. The Black Ghost managed to flick his bound feet up and kicked Kairyn's outstretched hand upwards. As Kairyn's arm flew up uncontrollably, the Black Ghost levelled his feet, aimed at Kairyn's exposed chest and forced a glowing glyph out of the bottom of his black boots. Where it had previous launched the Black Ghost skyward, the force of the push seemed to work in reverse. The glyph struck Kairyn with full force and catapulted him backwards a good few yards to land in a messy heap. The others all gasped in shock as they witnessed Kairyn shoot through the air like a human missile.

"I did warn him," the Black Ghost said dismissively as Kairyn came stumbling back.

"You okay Kairyn?" Littlefoot asked as he stood back where he was earlier. He didn't answer him but remained scowling, teeth bared, at the Black Ghost.

"You'll pay for that…" Kairyn seethed holding his arm he had crash landed on but the Black Ghost didn't seem fazed by the threat.

"What I look like is the least of your concerns. If you are looking to interrogate me then you best start with a question more appropriate to the situation," the Black Ghost said coldly. His feet slowly lowered back to their hovering position above the ground as if a canon were being decommissioned. Everyone took a sideways glance at each other then finally Littlefoot stepped forward.

"How did you humans get here? The last humans we knew went back to their home a long time ago," he said slowly.

"I'm not fully aware of the mechanics but I do know that dark matter was involved to some extent," the Black Ghost replied.

"Dark matter?" Kairyn said airily, "you mean that black swirly stuff back at the Keltech Lab in Second London?"

"It is a substance little know about. How that laboratory managed to get their hands on such a substantial amount is beyond my knowledge. Still, to those who have been around it, you learn to sense its aura," the Black Ghost said.

"So is that why you were in the labs? Sniffing out that black crap? Looking to slaughter anyone who came to possess it?" Kairyn said sharply, anger growing in his voice.

"No. While I was curious as to how Keltech managed to obtain dark matter, it was of no immediate interest to me. It was not my purpose for being there."

"Then why were you there? What possible reason could you have to storm the labs and kill my father?" Kairyn yelled hysterically.

"I didn't kill your father although that was an unfortunate turn of events," the Black Ghost said flatly.

"An unfortunate turn of events?" Kairyn screamed in disgust at the Black Ghost's words. They sounded dismissive and fleeting; Kairyn felt a flashing heat tear through him. He dug his foot into the ground ready to charge at the Black Ghost, his right fist raised in fury.

"Kairyn, no! Stop! Please calm down…" Littlefoot beseeched leaping in front of him to block him off. Kairyn rammed into the side of him but quickly recomposed himself. He glared at Littlefoot but couldn't remained raged as the longneck's wide eyes begged him to comply. Kairyn huffed and forcefully straightened his clothes; the pent up energy had to expended somewhere.

Melissa stepped forward nervously. Her gentle gait hardly audible as she shuffled in the grass that stroked her ankles.

"Black Ghost? What can you tell us about that night? You were obviously there for a reason," she said calmly. The Black Ghost shuffled but didn't say anything.

"I remember, you saved us in the street. The hovercar that crashed into the alley where that black creature attacked us. You seemed to know how to deal with it and what it was supposed to be."

"That creature was human…in a former life," the Black Ghost then said. The group all looked at each other

"What do you mean 'in a former life'?" Cera asked probingly.

"He was cursed. Transformed. A human overrun by an unknown agent with no conscious mind to guide it."

"What? Like a zombie or something?" Kairyn scoffed. Suddenly, the group of dinosaurs let out a collective gasp as if something had just struck them.

"Huh? What's up guys?" Kairyn asked flicking his eyes from one stunned face to another.

"You no think?" Petrie started.

"Could those nasty half-dead creatures have come back?" Cera said hardly breathing.

"No, it can't be. We helped Jill, Jason and Stone get rid of all those creepy things when we beat the Red Phoenix!" Littlefoot said fretfully.

"No, it is not the undead. That dark phase of human history has long since passed," the Black Ghost said. The group all sighed in relief.

"So what was it then?" Ducky asked suddenly mystified.

"A tainted creature corrupted by some unnatural force. The logistics of how and why it happens is beyond the knowledge of any human understanding."

"Even you huh?" Kairyn said smugly. The Black Ghost shuffled but didn't bite back.

"But you seemed to know what it was and how to deal with it," Melissa pressed picking up on the fact that the Black Ghost seemed to avoiding answering the question directly.

"Any creature that lives can die. That creature was not fully formed so it had the same vulnerability as any other human you would choose to harm. The fact that the two of you happened to confront the creature when I got there was nothing more than a mere coincidence," he replied coldly. This made Kairyn bitter and restless but he subtly clenched a fist to quell another angry outburst. The Black Ghost's arrogant and dismissive tone was digging at him causing flares of resentment to singe his nerves.

As the questioning continued, there was a shift in recipients as the dinosaurs then turned to the humans to answer questions regarding Littlefoot kidnapping. Kairyn took centre stage in answering what was asked but his interpretation very much branded the Black Ghost as the instigator of the entire issue of landing Kairyn in the dinosaur realm.

"And how that happen again?" Petrie asked scratching the side of his head in utter confusion.

"Sadly, I don't remember how I got here. I remember what happened in the labs but after going to find help for Kairyn when he was locked in the cryo-rooms, everything's a blank," Melissa said with her head resting on her hand as she thought.

"I'm here coz that maniac spazzed out and started breaking everything including Littlefoot's cryo-chamber and those pods containing that murky purple sparking stuff," Kairyn said indignantly pointing over his shoulder with his thumb at the Black Ghost who was still tussled up to the tree trunk. It looked as though he was quite accustomed to being strung up and being held hostage by this stage.

"You seem to do that quite often Black Ghost. Why is that?" Littlefoot then asked him as he took a step around Kairyn to focus on the man tied to the tree. The Black Ghost grunted but otherwise, didn't say anything.

"Are you sick Mr Ghost?" Ducky then asked caringly but again the Black Ghost simply snorted and refused to answer.

"Sick in the head probably; especially after what we've seen on our journey here once he disappeared from off the mountain," Kairyn said accusingly, "remember the diced up raptors in that valley path before we reached the geyser field and the volcanoes? There's no doubt that he was responsible for slaughtering the lot of them. Nothing but a blade could have inflicted such a cut that clean."

"Yes, I was responsible for those creatures' deaths but given the situation, their killings were unavoidable. I only aimed to deter them but they still attacked mindlessly," the Black Ghost said calmly.

"Don't try and sugar coat it," Kairyn spat, "you still killed them regardless which was unnecessary."

"The maiming of that group of dinosaurs proved to be more than necessary seeing as it gave you a chance to escape in an otherwise fruitless attempt to flee," the Black Ghost then said, his tone very deliberate. Cera then suddenly clicked.

"You…did that? To give us a chance to escape? You knew we would go that way?" she breathed in awe. The Black Ghost didn't say anything but the shock of the idea suddenly jolted Littlefoot as his mind raced. The geyser field they ran across and the curtain of superheated water that erupted just behind them to subdue the chasing raptors. The cave-in of the volcano entrance that sealed them off from their pursuers. The gang's miraculous escape from the stalking sharptooth who he thought had them for sure on the floating paths in their final ascent to the Great Valley, the floor inexplicably crumbling away beneath the mighty beast sending it plummeting into the murky pool below. The high pitched ringing sound that was present in all of those deadly situations was the exact same sound Littlefoot had heard when the Black Ghost drew his sword and threatened to strike him down when he stood in front of Cera to accept the blow upon their return to the Great Valley.

"So…all those strange things that happened that helped us escape…the burning water plain, the rock slide that blocked us in that smoking mountain...and the sharptooth in the canyon. All those times we escaped…was because you were helping us?" Littlefoot said airily. The Black Ghost remained silent but he slowly dipped his hooded head in verification.

"He was protecting us? Even when we could not see him?" Ducky said in a gasping whisper.

"But why go through so much effort to save us only to flip out, go crazy and then attempt to kill us when you saw us when we got here?" Kairyn fired quickly. He was determined not to be so quickly won over, "whose bloody side are you on anyway?" The Black Ghost lifted his head to look at him but didn't speak.

"Prefer to keep up the silent, strong macho man façade eh? Don't want to admit you have a problem?" Kairyn hummed haughtily with his hands on his hips. Yet again, the Black Ghost remained defiantly silent but by the angle of his hood, it was evident that he was focused intently on Kairyn and Littlefoot as they stood next to each other.

"Whatever man; this guy's a flippin' liability if you ask me," Kairyn tutted waving a dismissive hand at the Black Ghost, "I still think it was a mistake bringing him here. He can't be trusted." This time, Littlefoot was the one who had fallen silent as Kairyn turned on his heels. A turbulent well of confused thoughts and feelings washed over him as Kairyn's words spun in his mind. He gazed down at the softly wavering grass as he tried to piece together suitable reasons for allowing the Black Ghost to come to the Great Valley. Before he had defended the idea that his motives were liable to be the same as Kairyn's in trying to find a way home. However, the evidence of the Black Ghost's erratic behaviour and sudden dangerous outbursts could not be denied, especially for Littlefoot who quickly remembered how close the Black Ghost's blade had been to the frantic throbbing pulse in his neck high up in the snowy mountains. Yet something was still bugging him and he couldn't quite place it.

Littlefoot's focus was then shattered when Kairyn let out a frustrated huff,

"This is getting us nowhere," he said turning away from his captive and walked towards the rest of the gang who were stood a little way away, "he's not gonna give us any straight answers so why bother."

"I couldn't agree more," the Black Ghost suddenly said. Kairyn paused in mid-step when he then heard Melissa gasp. Kairyn, puzzled at first, looked at her then followed her gaze over to the tree. His jaw almost hit the grassy floor when he saw that the Black Ghost was no longer within his tethers. The vines now lay limp and loose as a messy heap around the base of the tree and the mysterious man in black was standing under the tree, just off to the side, rubbing his wrists.

"What the? How did he…?" Kairyn spluttered flicking between the tree, the sprawled vines and the now free Black Ghost. The vines did not look at all damaged which suggested that he had somehow managed to wriggle free; but there was no way he could have squirmed out of his bindings without someone catching him in the act. He hadn't even made a sound in the process.

"I'm afraid that this little discussion is now over. I must take my leave," the Black Ghost said dusting off his coat with puffs of pollen and foliage materialising in the air with each slap.

"Oh no you don't!" Kairyn said as he and Cera suddenly dashed forwards to apprehend him again. The Black Ghost's movement looked almost like a teleportation. With a quick leap, he shot straight up into the tree's canopy leaving Cera and Kairyn to collapse on top of each other as their lunging dives missed. The gang all rushed over to the flattened pair and gazed up into the low branches to see the Black Ghost perched on a thick limb staring down on them all like a wise speaking owl.

"Clearly none of you are quite ready to learn the truth about what transpired here," the Black Ghost said from his squat position in the tree.

"So you do know what happened!" Kairyn seethed picking himself up.

"I have certain knowledge but it seems you are ill-equipped to bear it as of yet. When you have matured in mind, body and spirit, then we can discuss matters in greater detail."

"We're NOT here to play your stupid little games Ghost! Quit messing around and tell us what we need to know!" Kairyn yelled.

"This is no game Kairyn," the Black Ghost said with deadly seriousness, "in fact, the weight of the situation is so grave that the consequences of its transgression could bring about a calamity much worse than that both this world and the human world have already suffered." The group fell uncomfortably silent at his words as he continued,

"We all have a part to play but clearly no one is ready; the time is not yet right. Ask yourself this. Do you think it is mere chance that holder of one of the stones should find their way back to this place?"

"Holder of one of the stones?" Petrie asked naively glancing at the others but no one seemed to have an answer for him. Kairyn suddenly felt the weight of the yellow triangular stone in his pocket as he gingerly placed a hand over the pocket where it sat. Suddenly, the Black Ghost flinched and he clutched his left arm. Littlefoot and the others fidgeted nervously, fearing another violent outburst but the Black Ghost continued, voice starting to strain,

"We don't have much time and we have wasted much of it. Once your revelations have come to light, then we can talk. It is clear you still have much to learn," he said as he then stood up, still holding his arm.

"W-wait! Where are you going?" Littlefoot said stepping forwards.

"I can't stay here, but rest assure Littlefoot, I will be watching. For you and your friends are the only ones alive who should know this situation better than anyone." Littlefoot gasped at the statement. It sounded foreboding yet it also sounded suggestive.

"W-wait! What do you mean by that?" Littlefoot said quickly but he was not acknowledged. The Black Ghost suddenly leaped higher into the trees and was stolen from view.

"No wait, please!" Littlefoot cried up the tree as a gentle tumble of leaves rolled and flipped down to the ground.

"Petrie!" Cera shouted suddenly but he was already a step ahead. Petrie took off and darted up into the dense canopy of the tree. Once inside, the little flyer only managed a quick flick left and right before the sound of thick fabric flapped in the air sounded and a shadowy figure jetted past him throwing him into a crazed spin. From the ground, the group of humans and dinosaurs caught a brief glimpse of a streaking black blur bursting out from the tree's crown and shoot off into the distance.

"Argh! Dammit!" Kairyn cursed as he watched the blur dissolve into the greenery at the far end of the field. The Black Ghost had escaped yet again.

It took the group a few seconds to recompose themselves as they all sat down in a circle, all thoroughly exhausted by the day's events.

"Gee whizz! What a day," Kairyn puffed. His arm still a little numb from landing on it earlier, "I really hate that guy."

"So what do we do now? What about all that stuff he said?" Littlefoot said a bit disturbed. The Black Ghost words were reverberating over and over in his head like a recorded message announcing the Apocalypse.

"I dunno. Frankly, I'm finding it very difficult to take anything that weirdo says seriously," Kairyn scoffed.

"But he sounded very serious, he did, he did," Ducky chimed in.

"Serious about what? He didn't even tell us anything," Kairyn continued to argue.

"Maybe, because we have to start figuring out a few things for ourselves," Melissa then said. All eyes turned to her.

"Whad'dya mean? If he's got all the answers, then why bother making us chase around some mystical, philosophical saying? He said we don't have much time then why waste it with stupid riddles?" Kairyn snorted.

"I don't know. Maybe we need to think of what the problem is and then try to think of a way to fix it," Melissa suggested.

"Well, you humans being in the Great Valley is one problem. Maybe he means that," Cera said half-joking.

"But the way he spoke, it was as if something terrible was going to happen," Littlefoot said unnerved.

"He's probably just trying to creep us out. Don't take what he said too seriously Littlefoot," Kairyn said. Somehow, Littlefoot could do nothing of the sort. The words the Black Ghost used were far too specific, too deliberate and focused on him and his friends to be so fleeting. Something underlying was in his words that shook the young longneck to his core and he didn't like the feeling it gave him.

The discussion didn't last long as an orchestra of trampling footsteps thundered towards them. The group all looked up and saw their families and a few other residents edging closer. Behind them, the Great Valley skyline was a burning orange as the day slowly transcended into a cool breezed evening. As they all stood up, Kairyn and Melissa shuffled a little closer together as the adult dinosaurs stood before their children.

"We were watching from a distance but we only heard parts of the conversations," Littlefoot's grandfather said.

"Just what was that strange black creature?" Petrie's mother asked signalling over to where the shadowy streak disappeared.

"He the Black Ghost Mama," Petrie replied, "he a human…err…me think."

"Humph! Another human here to cause trouble," Cera's father grunted.

"He doesn't mean any harm Mr Threehorn. He was just looking out for us," Littlefoot said before anyone else could get a word in. He didn't turn his head but he could tell that Kairyn was staring at him. He could feel the boy's gaze scorching the back of his neck.

"Speaking of which, what should be done with these two humans?" a gruff sounding ankylosaurus, Mr Clubtail, said. Kairyn and Melissa felt very self-conscious as the assembled dinosaurs chattered. In amongst the noise they heard statements like "throw them back out into the Mysterious Beyond" countered by "they came in with the children, they can't be that bad". Thankfully, Grandpa Longneck broke through the gabble and reminded them of what was previously discussed.

"Let's not forget my friends that we have already agreed to allow these humans to find sanctuary within our Valley for aiding our children in their safe return to us."

"Yes, but above all, they are still children. We would never condemn a child to face the harshness of the Mysterious Beyond and we shall not start with these humans," Grandma Longneck piped in assertively. The group grumbled again but no one argued the point any further. Kairyn and Melissa couldn't help but reveal a relieved grin each as they were spared exile.

"Now, who will so kind as to take care of our visitors?" Grandma Longneck continued but the question sparked another chorus of lowly grumbles of refute at the idea of housing such alien creatures.

"Ever get the feeling you're not wanted?" Kairyn mumbled into Melissa's ear which she responded to by elbowing him in the ribs. Kairyn flinched but stifled a giggle as the chatter went on. Eventually, perhaps in fear of being nominated, pairs of dinosaurs began to peel away from the discussion. The elderly longneck couple sighed as just the gang's parent's remained and Mr Threehorn was already looking to turn away.

"Mama? Can we take them home with us, please?" a tiny voice then said very sweetly. It was Ducky. Spike, with a mouthful of grass, hummed in support as they both strode closer to their saurolophus mother.

"I would like it very much if they could stay with us for a while. I would, I really would," Ducky sang cutely. Their mother was a little taken aback by the idea but as she stared deeper into her daughter's eyes, she felt she couldn't refuse.

"Alright Ducky. I don't mind taking one of them home," Ducky's mother said, "but I don't think I can handle both humans as well as you, Spike and all your brothers and sisters."

"Okay Mama, thank you!" Ducky squeaked happily. She then trotted over to where Kairyn and Melissa were standing.

"Would one of you like to come home with me? We have a really pretty nest not too far from the river, we do," Ducky offered looking up at both of them. Kairyn and Melissa looked at each other briefly before Kairyn gestured to her.

"Why don't you go with Ducky. I'm sure you'll have a nice time with her and Spike," he said with a weak smile.

"Err…sure, but what about you? Where will you stay?" Melissa said sounding guilty for accepting first.

"Kairyn, you can stay with me at my home," Littlefoot jumped in happily, "if that is okay with you Grandma and Grandpa?" The two longnecks looked at each other and nodded.

"Yes Littlefoot. That will be fine," Grandma Longneck said warmly.

"Really? Wow! Thank you!" Kairyn said relieved. Littlefoot's face instantly burst with a gleaming smile that Kairyn quickly mimicked.

With the living arrangements settled, the gang all bid each other a good night and each went their separate ways. Whilst they were talking, the heavens had stealthily camouflaged themselves in a deep indigo laced with stars that began to shine like glistening pins in the dark sky. Kairyn waved at Melissa as she took hold of Ducky's hand and they walked towards the far end of the field.

"C'mon Kairyn. Our nest is this way," Littlefoot said tilting his head towards a path through a dense collection of trees. Kairyn smiled and followed Littlefoot as he and his grandparents marched into the woods. It didn't take them long to reach a cosy clearing sheltered by a semi-circle of trees. The grassy ground was worn in areas where Littlefoot's grandparents obviously slept. Towards the edge of the copse was a small, petrified tree that bore no leaves overlooking a shallow pit in the ground. Despite their distinct differences, they seemed to strangely complement each other.

"This is your home?" Kairyn asked as he surveyed the clearing amazed.

"Yup," Littlefoot said as he dashed ahead, "I sleep in here." Littlefoot stepped into his pit and quickly turned a full circle on the spot within it.

"Looks a bit too snug for anyone but you," Kairyn laughed, "where should I sleep?"

"You can use the tree up there," Littlefoot said nodding up to the leafless tree. Kairyn looked at it cautiously. The tree wasn't very tall by any means and its bare limbs forked up and outwards from the centre to form a nice little cage. Kairyn hoisted himself up into the tree and after a bit of shuffling, found a comfy enough spot to lay in.

"My human friend Jason used to sleep in that tree when he was here," Littlefoot said as he circled his pit once more before settling down into it.

"Jason? You human friend?" Kairyn repeated, "you mean the human friend you say I look like?"

"Yeah, kinda funny that two humans that look alike have slept in that same tree," Littlefoot said smiling inwardly. Kairyn simply sniggered. Littlefoot's grandparents wished the pair of them goodnight and Kairyn thanked them again for allowing him to stay with them. With a quick "goodnight" to each other, Kairyn laid back and Littlefoot lowered his head into the soft blades of grass. Despite their well wishes, Littlefoot's overclocking mind began to click again as he drifted off. The thoughts instantly began invading his dreams.