Reunion with a Long-Lost Friend

The cold air wheezed within the fastrunner's lungs as she forced her way through the white plains, only one thought lingering within her mind. She had to go further, as far as she could from the looming mountain behind her. She could hardly even think of her current situation: she tried to block the events of the last hour from her mind as best as she could. The memory of her brother's warning, her father's attack and her mother's ruined eye lingered within the back of her mind, only serving to deepen her misery and will to go ever on.

It was a struggle to even take another step through the ever-growing drifts of the ground sparkles which made it difficult for her to even raise her legs from the frigid ground. Yet, her mind commanded her not to give up as deep down, she feared she hadn't seen her parents for the very last time. Ruby frowned deeply as she tried to push the encounter away from her mind's eye… only to fail miserably. Suddenly, her fight with her parents appeared as real as the moment it had happened in front of her, causing a few more tears fall into the soft, white ground. This was a scene far worse than any she had even had sleep stories of during her life.

Second after second passed and the distance between the omnivore and the Desolate Rise grew, even if extremely slowly. Ruby was already exhausted by her wicked escape but she couldn't stop just yet. Not before that cursed place was far behind her, too far for her parents to…

Ahhh!

She suddenly cried as she felt the earth give in under her, plunging her downward into whatever place waited under the seemingly perfect cover of the world. The girl let a brief cry of pain as she felt her back hit the ground, soon to be followed by the rest of her body. She gasped for a few times as she looked at the looming night sky far over her, now able to be seen only from the narrow hole over her. Of course something like this had to happen on a night like this when absolutely everything went just as badly as they simply could! Luckily, the hole was at the end of a gently sloping tunnel and Ruby wasted no time attempting to climb out of it until in order to continue her journey.

However, it was only then that she realized just how folly that idea really was. Only now did she realize just how frozen she was after being beaten by the raging night wind for such a long time. She had absolutely no other place to go now so she might as well try to hide here at least for today. Her parents would never fin… Suddenly, Ruby collapsed against the wall as the thought of her parents crossed her mind. Her hands turned into fists as she started to sob against the cold wall of stone, asking the night wind a silent question.

"Why… why did they do it? Why did it have to go like this? How could they?" She asked weakly even if she knew the answer already deep down. They could because it was the only way to protect their family from her mistakes, from her quest to lead Chomper's parents to her siblings! The fastrunner's defiant words were completely at odds with her resigned mind as she realized the full implications of what had happened. She had forever handicapped her mother by blinding one of her eyes, she had brought the rage of Chomper's parents upon her entire family and in doing so, probably doomed them all!

Yes, Detras and Pearl were resourceful and cunning fastrunners and if everything went as best as they simply could, there was a tiny chance they could evade the sharpteeth for at least some time. But the thing that hurt her most was the realization that she couldn't even go back to them. Even if she could forgive her parents from what they had done, she couldn't face them after hurting her mother so and it was likely her parents would never forgive her from all of the curses she had brought with her. Ruby shuddered as she thought that she'd never meet her parents again but the thought that even after all that had happened, her brother and sister would be forced to grow up without their older sister. She was all alone, with no friends, no family, no home… and no place to go!

That was too much take at once. The once-cheerful and courageous dinosaur slowly collapsed against the wall, starting to cry inconsolably, not finding anything to even try to strive for. Alone she would never live through the Cold Time and it wasn't even far-fetched she'd freeze to death not in the so distant future. Now she had truly lost everything and unlike during her earlier moment of despair, she didn't have one dinosaur in the whole world who loved or even missed her. Slowly, the memory of her loss was replaced by despairing realization… until she heard something that made her blood run cold even without the chill of the Cold Time's night.

Don't let it end like this, Ruby… please…

The fastrunner's eyes flashed open immediately as she recognized that voice. It was one she had dreamt of hearing for far longer than she even cared to remember anymore and for a short time, she even thought she had heard only a passing breath of the frigid breeze, howling over the lifeless plains of the Mysterious Beyond. However, it wasn't long before she could feel even this night growing colder and her cave's surroundings starting to get clouded by some strange looking mist. The fastrunner felt her heart starting to beat faster because of her rising fear but she soon felt like it was getting drown under her curiosity and hope. If… if she had really heard what she thought… The girl shook her head, trying to clear her mind as she quickly started to crawl towards the cave's opening, not willing to even start to think about what she'd find.

The first thing that met her outside was the increasingly violent wind that battered her plumage with all its power. Ruby closed her eyes at first before starting to look around herself, her spirits failing at first as she only saw the air painted white by the flying ground sparkles. The fastrunner sighed silently, already starting to believe her imagination had managed to trick her in her moment of weakness. However, just as she tried to fall down back into the tunnel, she heard the cold and wheezing but still familiar speaking to her again.

Don't go! I… I just want to tell just how sorry I am.

The voice called to her again and this time, Ruby knew she truly heard what she thought. Her chest swelled in suspense and happiness even if her mind called her to be beyond horrified by what was transpiring. Still, she called to the wind again, hoping to receive some, any kind of answer.

"Chomper? Is that really you? Tell me where you are!" She knew just how puny her question was as she knew more than well her old friend was long gone. However, a look of astonishment was painted across her face as she saw the storm starting to subside around her, only to be replaced by a more gentle, calmer cloud that seemed to reflect the glory of the lesser lights of the wide night sky. That light seemed to gleam straight at Ruby as she heard the voice speaking to her. As she heard it, a form that one could recognize as a silhouette of a young sharptooth appeared to the sky.

"It is me, Ruby. I'm so sorry about what has happened. I never thought I'd see myself causing you so much harm. I'm so very sorry." The voice said as the light seemed to fade slightly. Ruby looked at the sky puffy, cocking her head as she thought about what was happening. This simply wasn't possible! Not once had her parents said this kind of thing was possible… only Littlefoot had ever dared to claim he had spoke with someone who was dead but… here she was. A longing smile rose to her face as realized that he hadn't been wrong and if this really was Chomper… But what did he mean? What was he trying to say? The girl gulped before answering.

"So am I, Chomper. It was all my fault, my fault it was. If I had done anything better, you… you wouldn't be…" She fought to finish the sentence but before she could, she was interrupted by her friend's voice again. She still couldn't bring herself to acknowledge Chomper's fate as it simply was something she wanted to accept. Her frown deepened as she heard the young sharptooth's answer to her words.

"You're wrong. Ruby, you must not say that to yourself! If I had followed you during the Sand Cloud as you told me to, I could still stay with you! But I wanted to help the others and in doing so, I got separated from you and… well, I don't want to say it. But if I had listened to you, my mommy and daddy would still be your friends and your family would still be together. All because of me…" The voice seemed to crack terribly as if it were starting to cry and the raging storm seemed to penetrate the bubble around Ruby, again opening her to the raging winds. Yet, the fastrunner ignored that completely as she looked at the starry sky, thinking of the words she had just heard.

She had tried to push that memory from her mind but it was true she had told Chomper to follow her, an order he had quite literally pushed aside. Ruby felled a sickening feeling in her stomach as that thought crossed her mind. Indeed, if Chomper had listened to her instead of his heart, Greentail, Chomper's parents, her mother… all of them would be fine right now and tonight's fiasco would never have come to pass. However, the fastrunner let out a sad sigh as he prepared to answer, knowing she had but one answer to give. One single tear rose to her eye as she looked at the night sky above her.

"I know, Chomper. But even then, you were under my supervision and it was my duty to keep you safe and I failed. I failed. It is I who must take responsibility for this all. I should have given my last breath to prevent the fastbiters from taking you." She said, not finding anything else to say. She could spend the entire night apologizing to her fallen friend but inside, she knew that would be for nothing. Her mind simply circled around her own guilt and the presence of her passed friend only made it worse. However, what she heard next made her gaze rise again.

"That's just what daddy would have said… Ruby, I don't know if it's important or not but it wasn't the fastrunners that got me." He said simply, his form twitching slightly, as if that memory was a painful one for the boy. Ruby cocked her head, a pile of questions rising into her mind.

"What do you mean? Did you escape from the Sand Cloud? Chomper, please tell me what happened!" She said pleadingly, her face turning into a mask of haunted curiosity, dreading if what she'd hear next would only make her feel worse than before. There was a brief pause in the conversation as Chomper seemingly struggled to think of the answer. His voice was faraway and haunted as he finally spoke.

"Yes, I escaped from the Sand Cloud and somehow, I managed to shake the fastbiters from my heels. I already thought I was safe and afterwards, I tried to look for you guys… until I quickly saw a shadow behind me and a quick hit that took me out. I don't know how I was so badly surprised but…" He merely answered, tears falling down his face. At those words, Ruby's eyes flashed open. That explained one thing about the tale Chomper's parents had told her on the night of Greentail's injury. Chomper's body had been barely damaged apart from his cut throat, not a piece of him eaten by the fastbiters. Ruby realized she was gasping for air as she asked the obvious question.

"You… you don't have any idea who it was?" She nearly vomited the words, the amount of emotions again starting to overwhelm her. Chomper merely shook his head sadly, not finding anything else to say. Ruby briefly looked behind her before trying to make some sense of what she had heard. Someone had killed Chomper for some reason other than eating him but… but why? Why would anyone do something like that to her dear friend? Even if the fastrunner tried to think of it from any perspective she could come up with, she couldn't find an answer to this question. Everything that had followed the young carnivore's demise had been a never-ending cycle of pain and misery and there was no one who could have possibly have benefited from it. She stood still for a long time, trying to calm herself down before answering to her friend again.

"I'm terribly sorry that all of this happened, Chomper. I just wish we were back at the Valley, together with everyone." She said, this one chance to speak with Chomper again only deepening her longing for the life she had lost. Her face dropped to the ground, only the falling of the ground sparkles and the all-encompassing darkness filling her sight. The passed dinosaur's face fell simultaneously with her friend's and his voice was even more inconsolable as the fastrunner's.

"So do I, Ruby. So do I. If we got only one chance to explore the Secret Caverns or play Swimmer and Splasher again… But that is impossible." He said, clearly waiting to tear up. Ruby nearly joined him in his display of despair but inside, one spark arose that enabled her to shake herself awake from this surreal situation. She suddenly turned to look at the sharptooth-resembling sky puffy and cried in a pleading voice.

"I know, no matter how I wished it weren't so. But, Chomper, please tell me why you wanted to speak with me now! Tell me what is it that you wanted to tell me!" Ruby spread her hands and looked miserably at her friend's silhouette. There was a short pause in the discussion as the sharptooth's pondering expression seemed to become one with the many stars of the brilliant night. When he finally answered, his voice was unsure, even fearful.

"I… I'm not sure. I don't even know how this is possible! I… I guess it was because I'm concerned about you, now more than ever." He said slowly and in a hesitant tone. Ruby cocked her head, not really understanding just yet what Chomper meant.

"Concerned… about me? W… why? I'm fine unlike so many others who have met me! It is those you should think about!" She said, completely oblivious to what she would receive as an answer. Ruby started to again shudder with cold but her friend's answer shook that feeling far away from her mind.

"Ruby, you know what I mean. You were my closest friend of all who was always there for me. Of course I want what's best for you and even if everything has went as badly as they could for you lately, it isn't your fault! You cannot blame yourself for any of it!" He said in a loud voice, trying to get through Ruby's guilt but to his surprise and disappointment, that didn't seem to work the way he had hoped. The fastrunner's voice was even frustrated as she answered.

"I already told you it was, Chomper! You weren't there when I invited Yarel and Greentail because of my loneliness, when I only made things worse with your parents or when I ruined my own mommy's eye! Now I am left with nothing because of my own mistakes and I do have the right to blame myself for it so you may keep your words to yourself!" She even shouted as she spoke, causing Chomper to twitch noticeably. The fastrunner immediately noticed that she had gone too far but her inner self-hate had suddenly just erupted after Chomper's kind words. She immediately gasped and tried to stutter an apology.

"I… I mean that… Sorry for th…" She began but before she could het further with her answer, Chomper cut her short in a sadder voice than ever before.

"No, it is alright, Ruby. I understand that it might hard for you to believe. But before I'll go, I want to tell you one more thing." He said, causing Ruby to look at him in expectation. She had no idea what she'd hear but she'd listen to it with all her heart. The sharptooth's voice was a strange and distant one, unlike anything Ruby had heard from him in life.

"Ruby, I hope you listen to what I'm about to say. You are in a terrible situation but I know that if there's someone who can get away from it, it is you. I cannot say what you can do now but all I know is that you must keep moving on. I always knew you had something great coming in your future and it seemed like you'd also have more adventures before yourself. Regardless of whose fault all of this has truly been, you must not simply resign to whatever fate that is coming your way. For my sake, promise to keep going, Ruby." He said pleadingly, looking as if he was narrowing his eyes in order to get Ruby do this one, final favor. However, the fastrunner was far from convinced by the young sharptooth's words and she made her sentiment more than known as she answered.

"But I'm all alone! I have no place to go or no one to go with me! That is not the kind of life I want, the kind of life I want it is not! Every time before, I tried to help someone else but now, I'm alone in trying to find something to live for!" She said in a silent voice, sniffing one tear as she tried to prevent herself from falling into sadness again. She was more than happy for being able to speak with Chomper one more time but she knew more than well that they couldn't stay together. Not anymore. The answer she received, however, caught her by surprise.

"Still, you have to go on. And besides, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't have to forward alone. Farewell, Ruby. I couldn't say it the last time but thank you for your care and all the happy times we went together. I'm more than happy I could call you my best friend." The sharptooth said as the sky puffy suddenly started to break apart and the pile of clouds around the fastrunner disappear into the night. Ruby was more than alarmed by this but she knew more than well that this blessed chance to speak with her friend was over. She quickly looked at Chomper's disappearing form, regretting everything she hadn't had the chance to ask him. She merely cried after that sight and cried her last words.

"Goodbye, Chomper! Know that I will never, ever forget you and thank you so very much for giving me this one chance to speak with you. We'll meet again one day." She said as the sky puffy collapsed altogether, the shining of the lesser lights returning to that of their natural glow. It wasn't long before the full violence of the wind again hit the fastrunner whose breaths grew faster. She fell to her knees into the ground, her eyes glimmering with shock and disbelief.

Had she actually spoken with Chomper? Had she actually managed to meet her long gone friend? But such a thing was impossible! It… it simply couldn't be! Yet… that memory was still clear in her kind and she still heard his voice ringing in her ears. It simply wasn't possible but… she had seen it with her own eyes. She didn't even realize that her mouth turned into a smile, the realization of what had happened starting to slowly register within her mind. There was no way around it: Chomper had been here. There really was much to learn from this wondrous world and it seemed like one of these wonders had just been revealed to her. A brief breath left her mouth as she looked at the endless, black sky.

"Thank you, Chomper. Thank you so much."

But even then, his words made Ruby more than just puzzled. She wanted to do as he had told her so very, very much but still, that conversation hadn't really changed her situation in the least. She was still alone and despised, with no home or family. Yes, Chomper had said her situation wasn't as grim as she thought but… what did he knew of such things? Even he couldn't possibly change everything with his mere words.

No, her situation was still more than horrible but even then, she was heartened that Chomper still believed in her. For whatever it was worth, she at least still had his respect and love even if she had feared she had lost it so very long ago. The girl felt a shiver creep up her spine as another gust battered her side. Yes, she would try to do something tomorrow but for now, she only needed to get some r…

"Ruuubyyy! Are you out there?" She suddenly heard a sound that seemed to emanate from some other world. It was beyond silent, drowned by the wailing wind. Ruby nearly shrugged that aside as some kind of trick of her overstretched mind but… that was what she had nearly done to Chomper. With a curious but worried look, she turned towards the sound but decided against leaving her cave in case her ears were tricking her just yet.

However, another fearful thought rose into the fastrunner's mind. She couldn't recognize the voice through the wind's howling and indeed, the best guess was that it would belong to her father… or even to her mother. Ruby had absolutely no desire to meet either of them, no matter whether they were coming to finish the job or to apologize to her. No matter what, she'd never look at them as her parents again and because of that, Ruby decided to make sure the newcomers weren't those who had wronged her so very much.

The girl cringed deeply as she heard the calls growing closer and closer. She swallowed as she looked into the impenetrable curtain of white, deciding to make her move. She gulped as she jumped into the ground, knowing she'd have to leave as clear footsteps as deep as possible if she ever wanted to find her way back before they would be forever buried under the storm.

One step at a time, Ruby headed into the raging wasteland, listening to the cries that still rung throughout the lonely, dark plains. Soon, she started to finally make sense of the voices… and she was completely astonished by what she heard. These weren't the voices of a grownup, they were the voices of children! And if that were true…

She nearly forgot to make the footsteps as the implications came crashing down upon her. It was Arial and Orchid who were looking for her! The girl's heart swelled with concern and happiness as she headed towards the sounds with the best speed she could muster. It wasn't long before she started recognizing some vague forms in the storm and she called to them with her loudest cry, much of the emotions barred inside her getting released as she saw her siblings again.

"Orchid! Arial! It is so good to see you, so good to see you it is! What are you doing here? Aww, I'm not that scary, am I?" She even chuckled as she saw her siblings nearly jump to the air in surprise. It wasn't long before the girl saw two other forms appear before her, making her eyes widen further. Yarel and Greentail soon appeared before her as well but before she got the chance to speak, Orchid's shocked voice spoke to her.

"Don't scare us like that again, Ruby! How are you? Did mommy and daddy hurt you badly?" He asked, trying to catch his breath from the surprise. However, the older sibling received no chance to answer before Arial suddenly ran in front of her, a deep shock and disbelief radiating from her eyes.

"Please tell me this is just Orchid's sick joke, Ruby! I wouldn't have wanted to leave but Orchid told they'd kill us next if we stayed!" She exclaimed in shock, earning a hurt look from Orchid.

"I said so because it's true! Don't again try to paint me as…" He started but before he could finish, Yarel cut the younger omnivore short.

"Cut it already, you two! Give her the time to speak! We also wish to hear what she has to say!" He snapped, silencing the two children with a murderous glare. It was clear he was deeply torn and even infuriated by this sudden call for another adventure and the very least he wanted was some kind of explanation. Ruby was more than happy by his comments and she cleared her throat as she looked at Arial's horrified expression. Her own melancholy returned as she thought about everything that had happened but her earlier conversation still dominated her thoughts. The girl waited a few seconds before speaking.

"Thank you, Yarel. Arial, I know it's difficult to believe. I didn't myself at first, but it is true. Mommy and daddy attacked me and tried to take me down. That's all there is to it." She said, willing to give some time for her sister to accept this horrifying truth. Arial's eyes widened in shock and she took a few steps back as her breaths intensified.

"B… but why? Why would they do anything like that?" She asked, stopping only when Orchid took her by the hand to calm her down. Ruby looked at her with an apologizing look as she started to speak, not seeing any reason to leave anything out of the story. Neither of her parents deserved any sugarcoating of their actions nor did Arial deserve to be told lies.

"They thought that by killing me, Chomper's parents would stop coming after you. You see, if both of our families lost one member, mommy and daddy thought they would leave you in peace. At first I thought they were right but… I simply couldn't do it. I couldn't sacrifice myself for your sake." She said, her face turning darker by the second. Again, she started to wonder if she had done the right thing or not but at the very least, she could tell her not to worry about the eternal past. She looked at Greentail as the latter spoke to her, her voice seeming to grow steadier a bit every day.

"If you had done that after everything we went through… know that I would never have forgiven you for that! I knew our kinds do many bad things but this… maybe it's good that we haven't had our parents for many seasons, Yarel." She said in a silent voice, her face growing glum as she thought of what Ruby had gone through. Ruby nodded at her in silent agreement before she looked at the four omnivores in puzzlement.

"You may be right. But… why did you come here? There's nothing for you to gain by following me! I'm… I'm just lost and I don't even know what I should do!" She said, trying to find some reason why her companions had wanted to seek her out. She was surprised as she heard a disgusted spat from Orchid. The boy looked at her in anger, his expression not hiding any of his inner fury and outrage.

"Did you really expect us to stay with mommy and daddy after everything that happened? I can never look them in the same way again and who knows how long it would be until they realized killing us would also help somebody! We know you don't know where to go now but at least you are still Ruby and at least you haven't tried to kill any of us!" He spoke with a spirited voice, looking at his older sister in clear approval. Arial nodded at her brother's statement readily, realizing now that Orchid had been right all along. At first, Ruby thought of trying to make see her siblings see the error of their ways but inside, Ruby had to admit she could hardly stay with anyone who tried to kill either her precious brother or sister either. She gave them a wide smile before turning at the thinclaws.

"Thank you both. I just hope we'll make it through everything together. But how about you, Yarel and Greentail? You could have just went to live on your own and never meet my parents again! And now that I think of it, how are you here? Did Orchid alert you as well?" The fastrunner asked with a puzzled look, only now wondering that one detail. Yarel crossed his arms slightly, cursing the seemingly never-easing wind as he answered.

"In fact, we were woken by the sounds of your fight and… and we saw how it ended. It wasn't long before those two headed after you and… and we wanted to get to the bottom of this. We could immediately see this was something we simply had to know." He said simply, wondering inside if his and his sister's presence was really even wanted among the three siblings. Still, he felt the chill creep into his limbs as he thought of everything that had transpired on this sickening night. Ruby nodded at him briefly before starting to think of her and her companions' situation. She couldn't deny that she was extremely happy about the appearance of her siblings and friends. Inside her, Chomper's words rang in her mind.

And besides, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't have to forward alone.

Had he known of this all along? Ruby didn't even know of what to believe but she smiled as she thought about Chomper's encouragement to her in the most difficult time of her life. However, she was far from confident on how to move on from this night. Even if she didn't want to leave any of the four, she didn't want to lead them either. She had already lead them enough and every time, she only led them to ever worse situations. She frowned as she turned away from them in order to sort her thoughts before speaking again.

"Alright. You can't know how much your presence here means to me but… you cannot follow me! I am hated by so many and even now, Chomper's parents yearn for my blood, for my blood they yearn! I have nothing to offer you and only so very much to take! I… I don't want to think what would happen if all of you came with me again." She said with fearful eyes, all of the horrors that might follow in the future flashing in front of her eyes. However, it was Arial who gave the first answer. She exchanged glances between her brother before speaking.

"But where else would we go to? Ruby, you are our sister and we can never again stay with mommy and daddy after what they've done. You know that you are our only chance now. Please, don't turn us away." She said pleadingly, causing Ruby's expression to turn considerably starker. She knew her sister was right but that didn't change your own point. She was trying to form some kind of coherent answer as Greentail spoke to her suddenly.

"And if you three go together, that is our best bet as well. Of course, that is only if you still allow us to follow. I promise I won't be a burden on you." She said even if everyone present knew that was a pure lie. At first, the fastrunner gasped in shock at those words but before she realized, her mind had turned against the other dinosaurs' proposition completely. Her voice was a mix of fear and anger as she finally managed to form some kind of answer.

"But… please, don't be stupid! You all have safe and good lives around here! Orchid and Arial, I know you think what mommy and daddy did is wrong, and it is, but I promise you, they would not hurt you! They hurt me only because I did wrong and you'd be much safer with them! They would still take good care of you and I know they'd love to have you around for mommy's recovery! And Yarel and Greentail, you already said you'd forge yourself a new life around the lake! You could have a silent life out there and I'm sure you'd do well! None of you have to come with me! All of you have a place to stay where you will be just fine! If you follow me, you'll throw all of that away! What can we do about Chomper's parents or mommy and daddy? Wh… Where would we try to go t…" Ruby cried, not really able to decide what to want or believe. She didn't really want to chase her companions away but the words came as if by themselves without any thinking. However, before she managed to finish her rant, she was suddenly blinded by a new flash of light that nearly made her world turn white.

Gasps escaped from the mouths of the fastrunners as they saw the very same dancing lights in the sky that had also been there the very past day. Ruby frowned deeply as she watched at them, not knowing what to think. First she had met Chomper and now these mysterious colors returned again… what in the world was happening? Suddenly everything seemed so very strange and nothing made any sense. Again, they seemed to be rising from the very same direction as before and again, their source seemed to be one small spot far, far in the distance. This time, they started to fade far faster than the first time but they again left a deep impression on the first group. It wasn't long before Arial's voice broke the silence.

"I… it was that again. But… why?" She asked merely, knowing each one of her companions were thinking the exact same thing. Ruby shrugged as an answer, not finding anything to say. She had never seen anything like this before but now they had appeared twice within a day. After a short while, she finally managed to form some coherent words.

"That's something we don't know, Arial. But I do know that something is happening, something we don't know yet." She whispered, not able to tear her thoughts away from the fact that both these lights and Chomper had appeared on the very same day. However, Orchid's next words hit her like a falling tree.

"Then we can try to find out what! That's at least much better than staying here or returning to mommy and daddy!" The boy cried, immediately gathering the other omnivores' eyes towards him. Ruby was the first one to speak.

"Absolutely not, Orchid! We are not going to chase some lights in the middle of a Cold Time with two sharpteeth on our heels!" She cried, her expression taking a frustrated turn as Orchid's even smug look deepened. The younger sibling snapped his answer without further thinking.

"So it's better just to stay here, stalked by those same sharpteeth who'll learn the environment faster than we can? Only to be either attacked or chased after our own parents?" He said, his face suddenly looking dead serious. At first, Ruby thought of trying to shout him silent but it wasn't long until she realized how very little she had to say that would go even close to countering Orchid's proposition. She took a deep breath before she finally managed to form an answer.

"B… but we cannot! What if there's nothing to find? I mean, we'd be heading out there without any real direction? Certainly you others can't agree with him?" She asked, trying to sort out her own thoughts. However, her puzzlement only deepened as the two thinclaws exchanged glances, Greentail able to read her brother's feelings from the little vision she had left. She knew that journey would be a difficult one for her but she was slowly growing more optimistic about her walking. She would follow Yarel as long as she simply could and as long as she could take another breath, she wouldn't resign to her fate. Never mind that spending the rest of her life trying to avoid taking another step would be a death sentence for her kind. She looked at Ruby and spoke carefully.

"As he said, we have little choice. We can't stay here and we have nowhere to go. Many tales have told of lights like these and who knows, maybe we'll find something worth telling ourselves. Truth be told, this wasn't a very good place to stay anyway." She spoke, not able to hide her inner interest in this most mysterious of phenomena. There seemed to be one single place from where all of the lights had come and it would be a thing worth investigating. Arial continued from the thinclaw's comments.

"And the farther we are from mommy and daddy, the better off we all are! If you others are willing to go, so am I!" She exclaimed in a confident voice, not seeing any better way of moving forward. None of Ruby's companions seemed to have many misgivings about that idea and deep inside, the fastrunner couldn't help but feel her natural curiosity rise within her. Her initial misgivings about that quest started to die out as she finally accepted the arguments of her siblings and her friends. And if she would actually discover something worthwhile, it simply wouldn't pay to stay here, only struggling to survive without dreams or hopes about a better tomorrow. She finally gave her companions a brief smile as she finally gave her answer.

"I guess there's no harm in it. I see there's no changing your minds anyway. We may leave tomorrow but first, we have to spend the night safe from this wind! Come, I know just the place where we can rest before leaving tomorrow morning!" She said in clear relief, knowing that any purpose, no matter how vague or far-fetched, would help her in moving on. Just like Chomper had said, she'd have to keep moving on. She wasn't quite ready to reveal her encounter with him to her companions just yet but perhaps one day, she'd find enough courage to do so. For now, she merely looked at the starry night sky and a quick thought flashed through her mind as she thought about everything that had happened.

It seems you were right after all, Chomper. Thank you for everything, my friend.

The fastrunner felt like his heart was doing its all in an effort to escape from his chest, the sensation of its beating only overwhelmed by the horrible sorrow that filled every part of his mind. Everything seemed like some kind of a horrific joke to Detras who did his best not to completely give in to his inner struggles. The male tried to force his way back towards his nest to search for more of the remaining leaves of the Warm Time to stop the bleeding of her mate's eye.

He couldn't even start to think whether it was his encounter with Ruby, his failure to protect his two other children from Dein and Terri's vengeance or the injury and mental breakdown of his mate that hurt him the most. This was the very worst situation that could happen and even the light blue fastrunner, who so very often wanted to see himself as a voice of reason and courage within his family, felt his tears flow down his cheeks. He couldn't block the memories of Ruby's childhood from his mind, all the images of those happy days getting slowly mixed up with her looks of terror, hurt and betrayal that had appeared on her face the second he had tried to send her into the Great Beyond far before her time.

The fastrunner was forced to lean against the wall of stone to his right in a desperate effort to avoid collapsing to the ground. None of this was supposed to happen! If Ruby had kept Chomper safe, if he had succeeded in getting rid of the two sharpteeth or even if he had managed to end Ruby's life… at least some of the pain within his heart would be swept away. Now, however, he had sent Ruby to a lonely, slow death and he had nothing to show for it! Detras cursed himself for thinking like this but he still knew he'd have to keep his family safe, no matter what. And for now, it was her mate who needed her help first. He forced himself back to his feet and resumed his advance towards his nest, determined to prevent as much pain to his beloved mate as he simply could.

As Detras finally reached the mouth of the cave he called his home, he would have wanted to think he'd also see Ruby lying there with her brother and sister, knowing full well how much they loved each other. Yet, he knew that simply wasn't possible and he exhaled in sadness, knowing that it simply would never again happen. However, as he ventured deeper into the tunnel, he suddenly stopped dead in his track and looked before himself in horror.

Not only was Ruby missing but Orchid and Arial as well!

The pile of ground sparkles under the female's head was already filled with gaping holes formed by her warm tears and drops of blood but that was of no interest to the female. Even her remaining eye couldn't see anything through her endless sobbing, only the searing, sickening pain from her ruined eye competing with her regret. She deserved everything that had happened to her! She had finally revealed what she had been all along: a selfish monster who was always prepared to kill any of her children without any remorse. Pearl's hands turned into fists as she looked at the ground, not seeing any way to escape this horrifying reality.

How could she have done this? She had never even dared to think of this in the past and when her mate had proposed this to her, she had just accepted it like a brainless idiot! And because of her decision, her precious child had been attacked by those who she was supposed to be able to trust the most in this world! By her own parents… Pearl saw within her mind's eyes as she and her mate tore Ruby apart, both of them smiling for a job well done. Neither of them were even distantly thinking of the implications, only that they had "completed their duty"! What utter rubbish! Pearl knew she had had one duty, to protect her children and she had failed beyond miserably!

Her entire head twitched as she brought her hand to her ruined eye, feeling as the terrifying agony seemed to radiate to every single part of her body. Even if she knew just how much losing an eye meant to any dinosaur, she couldn't help but feel something good in it. At the very least, she had been punished for her sick mistake and she would carry this mark of shame and the reminder of her worst moment for all eternity. It suited her kind of disgrace more than well! Pearl was just about to press the damaged orb even more in order to force herself to divert her thoughts away from her guilt and more into her physical pain when she heard a pained voice behind her.

"Turn around, dear. Let us stop the bleeding." Detras said as she looked at his mate's back, fearing about the discussion that was before him. He waited for a few seconds before Pearl finally gave her answer to him.

"Take them away, Detras. I don't want any help anyone can give me." She said, not even turning to look at her mate as she spoke. The male, however, wasn't about to accept that answer and he knelt on the female's side as he gave his answer.

"Don't be silly, my love. Now, I know this will hurt but please, stay still." He said as he raised some of the leaves around Pearl's eye and started to use some partially solidified sap to make them stay at least for a while. He was slightly annoyed as Pearl didn't make his job any easier as she should know that this situation wasn't any easier for him! Yet, he simply couldn't watch his mate in this condition. He was nearly finished until the female finally spoke to him.

"We deserved all of this. We are monsters who don't deserve to raise even one child ever again. I even wish Ruby would have injured me even more." She said, not seeming to pay any heed to her mate's aid. Detras frowned deeply, his own feathers also completely wet from his own tears. He fought hard to keep his composure together as he gave his answer. He already dreaded having to tell Pearl the whole terrible truth this close to her in her already frail mental state but Pearl didn't deserve to be lied to, not today.

"I know, dear. But it only gets worse. Both Arial and Orchid are gone." He said simply, not able to say anything more himself. He made sure to finish covering Pearl's injuries without speaking those words as he knew exactly what the reaction would be. He hadn't taken those news in any more easily. Pearl's good eye flashed open immediately as she turned at the male with a horrified look in her eyes.

"What? That… cannot be true! Please me that isn't true!" She cried at Detras who gave only a sad look at her as an answer. Pearl's breathing intensified immediately as she started to think about those implications. Her precious babies… along with Ruby… all of them gone… She suddenly spoke to her mate, her eye glanced towards the horizon with a look of fear and horror.

"T… they must have gone after, Ruby! But what if they don't find her in that storm? They… they may be freezing out there or they can be found by a sharptooth! Oh orchid and Arial… why did you go…" She stuttered as she did her best to calm in this moment of shock. Detras looked at her in agreement as he gave his answer to her grief-stricken mate, nodding as he spoke.

"You're completely correct, Pearl. I'm afraid one of them saw what happened and did what was to be expected. And I cannot say I blame. Just forgive me for what I've done. I thought what I did was right but… I just ruined everything!" The name said as his composure slowly started to break. Pearl looked at him with a clearly apologetic look but she was in no position to even try to console him. She merely looked at him as she whispered her answer.

"I should have known far better than to do what you said, Detras. All our lives, you have made only the right decisions but… now you were wrong. We both were in so many ways." She said as she looked at her mate who hesitated between completely giving up to his inner despair and retaining at least a modicum of self-control. Tears started to again fall down his cheeks as he spoke.

"No matter what we'll do, they'll never again see us the same way. Nor will I ever forgive myself. I'm… I'm just very sorry it was you and Ruby who had to pay." He said, struggling to find anything to say. Pearl fought to catch a breath in order to even have a hope of calming down. Shen then turned at her mate and whispered to him, knowing just how miserable her own words were but she also knew that they haunted her mind in this delicate hour.

"I deserved it, Detras. Every singly damn bit of it. I wouldn't have blamed her even if she had torn away my other eye as well. I… I just wish I knew what to do now. We aren't her family anymore, dear. Not after what we did. You realize what that means?" She asked, her mind falling into an ever-deepening cycle of self-loathing. She knew she had no right to ever ask for forgiveness from anyone but neither could she live without her children.

Detras sighed deeply as he suddenly hit his head against the nearby wall of rock. Yes, he knew just how bad things really were and he feared he didn't have the heart to meet his daughter ever again. He even toyed with the idea of simply waiting for Dein and Terri's reaction and face their vengeance the way an honorable fastrunner should. However, there was also one competing thought within his mind, one that her mate had overlooked in her pain. Detras took a deep breath as he spoke again, knowing that his idea would only cause more misery and pain to everyone but he simply saw no better way of moving forward.

"I know how you feel, dear, but we simply cannot let them go. I could pray from the Bright Circle and the lesser lights that Ruby could survive out there but we simply cannot let Orchid and Arial go." He said, cringing deeply. He had no idea how his idea would turn out but as he thought of his children shivering in the cold, hungry and freezing… A fearful disgust rose within him. However, he was soon interrupted by the female whose answer surprised Detras greatly.

"We have no choice, dear. At least we can hope they'll be safe. We have no choice but to let them go. I have no heart to face them anymore." She said, deep in her thoughts but she was suddenly taken aback by her mate's angered voice. Detras was in little better mood than the female but he still wasn't ready to completely resign to his fate.

"Just listen to yourself! Whether or not we deserve it, we still are their parents and we simply cannot stay here while they head into who knows where and very possibly getting killed in the process! We have to at least make sure they're alright! That's the least we can do even if they'll never forgive us for what we did!" The male raged, causing Pearl to fall deeper into her thoughts. She had trusted Detras before with disastrous results but this time, some tiny voice deep within her told her that he was right. And she couldn't deny that she'd gladly take any chance to help her precious children. Whereas last time she had tried to take Ruby's life, this time she'd try to save that of her siblings. After a short while of silence, she gave her answer.

"I guess you are right. Orchid and Arial will never make it out there without our help. I still fear that Dein and Terri will want to have Ruby's head… and ours as well now. We failed to fulfill our part of the agreement, after all." She said, frowning as she looked at the endless plains surrounding the Desolate Rise, thinking of everything that would follow soon enough. However, her words didn't have the impact she had expected on the male. Instead, Detras rose to his full height and narrowed his eyes as he spoke.

"Let them come. It is high time we take a stand against those bastards like a true fastrunner would. They will never again tell us who deserves to live or die." He said, cursing the moment he had proposed that deal to the sharpteeth. From now on, he would spare no effort or danger to keep all his family safe, no matter what. Inside, he knew that could be a short path but he would not compromise with them anymore. Pearl nodded at him in approval, glad to see this change within her mate. Both of the fastrunners knew that this day had already changed everything in their lives but before the end, they'd do their all to make things better for their children, no matter the cost.

"Ruby, I'm freezing. I simply hate the Cold Time!" Arial said as she walked after her sister, the weather starting to get under her feathers slowly but surely. In the five days since her and her companions' departure from the Desolate Rise, there hadn't fallen anymore of the frozen sky stars but the weather had only grown more freezing in its stead. Ruby knew that her sister was starting to suffer from it but still, there was nothing she or anyone else could do about it. Her voice suited her frustration as she snapped back at her.

"I know, Arial! You don't have to tell me about it all the time. You should at least be happy that these woods block most of the wind! If we still were at those wastes, then it would get real cold! So try to be silent and follow us!" She said as she looked at Arial's expression. Inside, she was rather concerned about her but this was something Arial would simply have to get over. That was one of the reasons she had asked her to accompany her and Yarel on this early morning's forage for some, any food in this thick forest they had reached the previous evening. She couldn't wait until tomorrow when this morning's journey would be up to the other half of her small group of companions as there was no reason for all of them to be bothered every day. Ruby was woken from her thoughts as Yarel snapped at the younger female in a slightly annoyed voice.

"Besides, you agreed to come along with us! The Cold Time isn't any easier for us others but our kinds are better suited for this than many others! So be a proper halftooth and get a hold of yourself!" He said, echoing Ruby's sentiment. He shivered himself and he knew it had to be even worse for a younger child but still, he wasn't in a mood to listen to her whining right now. However, Arial wasn't about to as she was told, instead asking another question that immediately earned a collective sigh from both of her companions.

"But what can we even hope to find here? We've found no green food anywhere! It's all hopeless!" She cried before Yarel suddenly looked back at her and spoke in an even sterner voice than before.

"And it gets all the more hopeless if you don't stay silent! We all know food is scarce but we have no choice but to find some somewhere! At least on the Desolate Rise you would have had food but too bad that it is too late for you to return there!" He snapped, finally causing Arial to realize her own pitifulness. Ruby frowned at her companion's last words but didn't want to add anything to them. She was happy that Yarel had forgiven her earlier disregard for Greentail and now, he was an invaluable help moving forward. Without him, things…

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a new smell and she raised her head higher to sniff the air. She turned to look at her left into the thick woods, the pale light of the Cold Time's morning hardly even making its way through the trees. Arial stopped beside her sister before cocking her head and asking the older fastrunner the obvious question.

"What is it, Ruby? Is something wrong?" She asked, immediately fearing for the worst. Sharpteeth were a mortal danger even in this season and at first, Ruby seemed more than a little concerned about whatever she smelled. After a few seconds, she looked at the other girl and spoke with a whisper.

"Just follow me and try to make as little noise as possible! Quickly, now!" She said as Yarel nodded at her in approval, apparently also smelling whatever Ruby had smelled, his hopeful look calming Arial down as well. Ruby cringed at the sound of her legs sinking into the ground sparkles as that sound alone broke the near-completely tranquility of the woods but it simply couldn't be helped now. She simply prayed this quest wouldn't have a tragic ending.

A minute after minute passed as the trio advanced slowly, each sound of the wind or movement of a ground fuzzy alerting them for a possible fight or escape. However, Ruby was increasingly courage that the smell of the swimmer seemed to be drawing closer as a lengthy chase was something she wanted to avoid. Finally, the smell was strong enough that she raised her hand, ordering them to stop immediately. The swimmer had to be very near and the trio simply couldn't alert it to their presence. The wind was blowing from a very favorable direction so sounds were the only thing that could ever reveal their location to their possible prey. All of the fastrunners wanted to avoid hunting but if they had to do it, a swimmer was one of their safest bets. Ruby sighed as she took another step and glanced to the small clearing before her… her smile widening immediately. She called to her companions immediately in a more normal voice.

"It's alright! The swimmer is long dead! We found ourselves a free meal!" She cried with a wide smile, looking at the cheers of her two companions. This would be the first good meal any of them had had since their departure from the Desolate Rise and they would have to be savored each and every time. Arial was the first to head towards the swimmer, chuckling as she spoke.

"Well done, Ruby! Thank you for guiding us here! B… but why did the swimmer die? Was it sick?" She asked in deep worry, looking at Ruby with a torn expression. She knew that eating a sick dinosaur was more often than not dangerous and that her kind had to make sure that its cause of death hadn't been some horrifying illness. However, it was Yarel who answered to her after sniffing the dead swimmer for a few times first.

"It's okay, Arial. There's no trace of any kind of sickness in him. He most likely died because of the cold as there are not any kind of injuries within him. It's safe." He said to Arial whose hesitating look lingered for a few more seconds before she moved to Yarel's side, starting eat the swimmer's abdomen thankfully. That moment was suddenly cut short as Yarel suddenly looked at Ruby and asked her with a thoughtful look.

"Say, Ruby, isn't this the same swimmer we met just before we finally found the Rise? I thought there was something familiar in him the moment I saw him." He said while he looked at his meal with a slightly apologetic gaze. Ruby's eyes widened as he realized that Yarel had been correct but in the end, that mattered little to the girl. He had helped her and her companions, true, but they had met only once. Her voice was an unmoved one as she answered.

"I believe you're correct, Yarel. Still, he's the only meal we have here and it's fitting he'd help us again, now isn't it?" She asked with a slight smirk, trying to find some humor in this another day of searching and shivering. The girl was just about to join her companions in eating the swimmer… as she suddenly smelled something else that made her stand still. She suddenly interrupted the two other omnivores again as she turned around.

"Wait a little longer. There's another swimmer here and that means whatever it means. Follow me." She said, knowing that there was either a threat or more food nearby. Immediately, her two companions realized these implications as well and crouched towards the ground immediately. Ruby could tell that the other dinosaur couldn't be far away and also that it had to be younger than she had first anticipated. And there was something familiar within that scent… no, that couldn't be possible. It just couldn't. She threw away her thoughts and tried to concentrate on the task before her… while her doubts still lingered within her.

The fastrunner did her best to touch as few of the small, dead bushes around her as little as possible even if she was completely concentrated on the shady woods before herself. Her mind whirled terribly as she thought about what she'd find here. And soon enough, she saw a small, unmoving form before her and on that moment, only a single yelp escaped the fastrunner's mouth.

"Ducky? Can that really be you?"

And yep, I believe this is one revelation many have waited for a long time. It seems another member of the Gang has been found but in what kind of condition? And does she know anything about the rest of the main characters? This chapter again contained many scenes that changed the course of the story and I decided to give my some reprieve from the gloom of the last chapters. Truth be told, I wasn't initially planning to include the first scene in this story but it was Eris' review that made me realize it could really fit here so thanks for the idea, Eris! I hope you liked this chapter and see you in the next installment!

TimeLordMaster108: It's great to see a review from you. As for your points, I doubt revealing details about the ending would be a good idea but I'll try to shed light into that as soon as possible. I'm aware some people find this story too dark and I have to admit, fate has been far from kind to our heroes but I believe I've emphasized many times why exactly Petrie and Ruby move forward. As long as there is life, there is hope. But I agree, there hasn't been a real conclusion for this story in sight but this chapter starts the buildup for the eventual encore. I just thought it would be fun to keep the conclusion as a secret for this long.

And again, I revealed that another chapter has survived at least for now. Even if happened to be Ducky, I still strive to choose the most interesting way forward in my fics even if it contains a demise of a major character. That's just the way I do stuff. And yeah, there might have been mischaracterizations in the first parts of this story so I apologize for that. Thanks again for the detailed review!

The Rhombus: Yes, I thought it would be nice for Petrie to meet someone who understands him after all this time and Guido's help certainly provided Petrie with a reminder that he still isn't all alone in the world. I find it fun to write dialogues where the experiences of the characters are too far from each other for them to be able to truly understand the other's point. Here, Guido was mostly forced to listen to his friend's words while realizing his worries were really minor ones. There is still much for Petrie to find out but at least he now knows he still has someone who waits for his return.

OwlsCantRead: Your observation about Petrie's relationship with his gift of flight was a really interesting one as you are right that he might be expected to be humbler about it. However, I'd say it's clear that Petrie has grown to be a masterful flyer during his adventures and I see that he has made his flying a more integral part of himself once he finally found the ability to help his friends in his own way. Also, it has been many years since he couldn't fly so he might regard that as distant past.

But yep, this injury provided him with another chance to see just how lucky he is to be able to escape many of the dangers of the world below. As for your thoughts about the future, you'll find out the answers to them soon enough. Keep the reviews up as they have been really interesting to read!