Sorry for the week long wait for the new chapter, but I made this one pretty long to make up for it. I had two AP exams this week, which was why this took so long to write, not to mention I lacked a bit of motivation to write this chapter, so I just wrote some stuff on the side to help with it, and watched some dinosaur documentaries to motivate me to write and to help with some of the imagery.

I'm pretty pleased with it, and I hope you all like it as well. There may be some spelling errors that I missed in editing, so please forgive me for that. :,) Enjoy, leave feedback, and as usual, have a great week!

Click...click...click...

The continuous clicking sound echoed through the trees, produced by a small flyer of some sort. The flyer would wait, and there would be another series of clicks before it responded. The tiny but agile creature seemed to be communicating with another of it's kind.

Amelia laid at the foot of the tree, curled up into a ball amongst the leaves, the gray down feathers, and the sturdy roots. Her neck arched, she buried her beak into her side, watching her family from the cool concealment of the tree.

Tristan waded in the water of the rounded pond, the light reflecting onto it creating small triangles that ebbed and flowed along with the current. His cumbersome body created large splashes as he shifted his weight around, his daughters chasing after him.

"We've got you, dad!" Mackenzie shouted out, clearly feeling a great deal better than she did on Nibbling Day.

Miriam laughed, holding onto the edge of the bank and kicking her legs, showering her father in water droplets.

"Girls," he laughed, "Stop it! You're teenagers, you're too old for these games!"

Amelia smiled to herself. It did her weary self some good to see that her family was able to rejoice and play, and that she didn't have to worry for their safety. She felt much more at ease nowadays, and after many trialing years, she was beginning to fall in love with Tristan all over again.

She attempted to move her leg slightly, but found that it had fallen asleep in the long window of time she'd remained unmoved. Grunting softly, she managed to maneuver her leg a little, finally moving into the position she wanted. Then, she curled back up.

"Mackenzie, Miriam!" Tristan's panicked voice could be heard from the pond as his daughters gained on him. "Stop! No, no, no— stop. Stop— Oof!" He was then tackled by the both of them, falling down with a huge splash.

Water went in all sorts of directions — on the grass, the bark of the trees, and even on Amelia. Amelia stirred, lifting her head, shaking the water from her scales with a startled expression on her face.

Tristan climbed out from the pond, the reflection of the light shining through the leaves briefly passing over him as he made his way to where his mate lounged. He shook himself dry, looking back to see his daughters still playing with each other.

"Sorry," he finally said to Amelia, lowering his head and pressing his snout to hers, "I didn't mean to splash you."

"It's fine," Amelia said kindly but dismissively, "I'm glad to see you and the girls playing together. You all looked like you had so much fun."

"We did," confirmed Tristan, sitting by one of the tree's roots, "I just wish you could have joined us."

"Sorry about that, love." She took a moment to tenderly rub his chin, as if she were soothing an injury. "I was just feeling a little bit under the weather. Just, you know— tired and sore."

"Well, in that case, I'd hate for you to have to push yourself for no good reason. Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, I am. I think that with some rest and some food, I'll be up to scratch in no time."

"I'm glad. I'll be honest, you had me worried there for a bit."

"I did? With what? All this barely happened today, dear."

"With that pain in your side," Tristan answered, looking confused, "I'd noticed that it seemed to be bothering you a great deal, but you would always brush me off whenever I wanted to talk about it."

"Tristan, I brushed you off because it was nothing to worry about. I think I would know if it was something awful."

"You can't know that. It could be fatal, and you might never know, because it might be something that doesn't have any real signs."

Her husband made a valid point, one that she couldn't quite argue with. "Very well. Let's just forget about it, then."

"How does forgetting about it make it any better?"

"It doesn't. It puts it off until I'm ready to deal with it. Come now, would you like to nap with me?"

"There's not much else to do, is there?"

Amelia chuckled, leaning against Tristan. "Not really. But I'm sure you'd much rather take this as opposed to our old home."

Tristan laid his tail on top of hers, staring out towards the horizon. His eyes traveled towards his daughters, who were chasing mercilessly after a green scaled lizard, who was running on all fours to desperately try and get away. After some time, he realized that Amelia had said something.

"What was that, dear?"

In response, he received mostly silence, with the exception of a few light snores. He looked down, and saw that Amelia was already fast asleep, resting her head on the crook of his neck. A hint of a smile on his face, he resolved to remain with her.

Littlefoot and his friends came walking down the hill. Chomper and Eva were far ahead of them, having picked up the scent of the lizard from miles away.

"He's here," said Chomper, sniffing, "I can smell him."

Cera let out a sigh of exasperation, kicking a rock with her front foot. "How can you two even smell that from so far away?"

"We're hunters," Eva said in simple terms, "Being able to see our food isn't good enough. We need to be able to smell them too. At least...that's what my mom says."

Petrie flapped his wings in midair for a brief moment before landing on the grass in front of the two sharpteeth. "Me still no understand how you can eat something so...icky."

"We don't need to understand it, Petrie," said Littlefoot, "We just need to accept it."

Ruby briefly nodded in agreement before spotting the two rainbow faces darting towards them. "Look! There are Miriam and Mackenzie!"

Chomper spotted a blur of green skittering across the grass. "And there's the lizard!" He took a snap out of it, chasing it into a nearby bush. He and the rainbow faces waited for a minute, and another bright, vibrantly colored red lizard emerged.

The overexcited expression fled from Miriam and Mackenzie's faces as they each took a step back. Their parents had informed them of the warning signs creatures often sent out. Bright colors were only one of them.

Chomper opened his mouth wide, but Eva urged him to back down. "Chomper, don't," she warned, extending her arm.

Chomper looked up at her, confused. "Why not?"

"It's poisonous. Haven't your parents told you about brightly colored creatures not being safe to eat?"

"Well..." Chomper tried hard to recall any such conversation. "I think they did. But that was a long time ago, and...I forgot."

"I have never heard of that," said Ducky, watching as the lizard ran off elsewhere. "No, no, no."

"Yeah, me neither," added Cera, "How do you know?"

"Well," said Mackenzie, "Your parents might not have brought it up because you guys don't eat lizards."

"Although," said Miriam, "I suppose the same thing could apply to green food. If it's too brightly colored, then it probably isn't good for you."

Cera's eyes widened in surprise at the new knowledge she'd obtained, as well as the sudden loss in appetite. "Great...I'll keep that in mind."

"If that lizard is poisonous," began Littlefoot, "Shouldn't we try to rid of it?"

"He won't do any real damage, don't worry," said Mackenzie.

"But you just said he was poisonous," argued Chomper.

"He is. But he preys on creatures his size. If you eat him, though, your insides will be coming out of your mouth."

Cera cringed, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "Well, that's a pretty picture that I won't be forgetting any time soon."

Spike shook his head, trying to shake the grotesque mental image given by Mackenzie's vivid description.

"So," said Littlefoot, "What are we going to do today?"

"We could play in the watering hole," suggested Ducky, sitting atop Spike's head.

"The watering hole?" Cera repeated, clearly repulsed by the idea, "What's so great about the watering hole? And besides, doesn't everyone drink from there?"

"Well, yes, but it is a lot of fun to play in. It is, it is!"

"Yeah, no thanks."

"Maybe we should try someplace new," said Littlefoot. "There's a lot of the valley we haven't explored yet."

"Ooh, me like the sound of that," interjected Petrie, flying upwards and flapping his wings.

"In that case," said Miriam, "We'll have to tell our parents first. Our dad has a tendency to worry."

"We'll be right back," said Mackenzie, following her sister.

The two rainbow faces loped back to where their parents laid. Tristan turned his head when he heard the sound of footsteps coming up the path.

"Hey, dad!" Mackenzie called out as she screeched to a halt. "We're going to go search the valley with Littlefoot and the others. We're going to just walk around and see if we'll find a new place to play. Can we?"

Tristan looked uncertain. "Well...your mother and I don't quite know our way around the valley that well yet. How will we find you when it's time for you to come home?"

"We'll come to you."

"I don't know..."

"It's alright with me," Amelia intervened, having stirred from her nap. When Tristan gave her a look, she rolled her eyes and then pleaded with him. "Oh, just let them go, Tristan. They're with their friends. It's better than them sitting around and doing nothing all day."

"You mean like we are right now?"

"Exactly. Besides, they aren't exactly hatchlings anymore. We'll have to trust that they will do is expected of them and come back home on time, and not wander too far." She glanced at her daughter, sneaking in a smile. "And I do trust them."

Mackenzie was desperate for an affirmative answer, offering a toothy grin to persuade her father. "Oh, come on, dad. Please?"

Cornered, Tristan was forced to give in. "Alright," he said with a sigh of defeat. "Just be back before the bright circle falls. And don't go anywhere we won't be able to find you if the need arises."

"Oh, thank you, dad!" She grinned wide, and briefly nuzzled his chin before starting off into a run. Before she could get anywhere, her mother grabbed her by the tail.

"Not so fast," said Amelia, gently pulling Mackenzie into her arms. "You smell like you slept in a mud pool." She then proceeded to lick the scales covering Mackenzie's body, cleaning the dirt and debris off of her.

"Mom," Mackenzie fussed, trying to escape, "Mom, stop it! I'm clean now!"

Tristan could not help himself. He burst into amused laughter, reminded of days long past — when the girls would play in the mud and soak themselves from head to toe in disgusting, brown filth and they would later pay the price when Amelia bathed them, or when they would injure themselves while pulling off some disastrous stunt, and their mother would chide them for doing something so foolish.

At last, with a grunt and a powerful leap, Mackenzie managed to break free. "Okay, okay, can I go now?"

"Of course you can, dear," said Amelia, laughing, "Have fun." She watched as her daughters ran off, comfortably leaning against Tristan once more, her eyelids slowly falling over her eyes like a curtain.

"Are you sure they'll be alright?" Tristan asked, his tail raised a few inches, "I mean...we'll have no idea where they are. It's not like the usual when we know that we can find them by the watering hole."

Amelia sighed, knowing that no matter how content they were, Tristan's worry and anxiety would be ever-present. Not that she blamed him, but she oftentimes found herself providing her husband with constant reassurance. "I know. I understand your worry, but we'll just have to hope that they'll use the knowledge we've given them over the years to keep themselves safe."

"Mm." Tristan concurred with her statement and turned before placing his head atop hers. "How are you so smart?"

"I'm not. I feel it's just common sense."

Tristan pulled away, frowning, as if he felt insulted. "Are you saying I'm stupid?"

"I never said that. You just did, though."

"Putting words in my mouth now, are you? Very funny."

Amelia laughed, opening her eyes and looking upwards. "Love you, Tristan."

Tristan smirked, allowing himself a gentle chuckle. "Mhm. Sure you do." Heaving a sigh, he closed his eyes and resumed his prior position. "...I love you too."

Miriam and Mackenzie eventually caught up with the others. They took a moment to give their bodies a chance to relax before relaying the answer they'd received.

"Our parents said we can go," said Miriam, "We just have to be back before it gets dark."

"Okay, sounds good," replied Littlefoot. "Are Gabriel and Adam coming?"

"No, they're staying with their mom. Let's not bother them."

"Alright, then. We'd better get going."

So, they began their seemingly aimless trek around the Great Valley. They'd barely walked a couple of feet when Mackenzie suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Uh…guys?"

The others turned around, shifting their curious looks towards the rainbow face.

"I gotta go," Mackenzie said hurriedly, clenching her jaw, "Bad."

Littlefoot's eyes widened as he caught her meaning. "Oh! Well...we'll wait here. Don't worry."

"Littlefoot," grumbled Cera, "We don't have time for this."

"Thanks, it'll just take a second." Mackenzie rushed off past the bushes, and did what she needed to do. The grass rustled as she hurried to and fro. "Okay. I'm fine now. Let's go."

Once again, they resumed their journey. Initially, the prospect was exciting, like an opportunity to go on an adventure. However, the group of adolescents soon came to realize that they'd explored much of the valley, and wondered if there was anything left to explore.

"This is pointless," groaned Cera, "Let's go home."

Petrie swooped down, resting on top of Cera's frill. "Me gotta say, me like the sound of that much better."

"Oh, come on you guys," said Littlefoot, "There's gotta be something that we haven't explored yet."

"I agree with you, Littlefoot," said Ducky, "But I do not think we have all day to find it. No, no, no."

"I think we're all just cranky from walking around all day," reasoned Ruby. "Maybe we should rest in that cave over there." She pointed her finger directly ahead, towards what appeared to be a cave amongst the moss covered rocks.

"I am not going in there," stated Ducky, "What if it is not empty?"

Littlefoot glanced at his friends, and then began to step forward, putting one foot in front of the other as he advanced towards the cave. "Only one way to find out."

Cera was highly tempted to leave the longneck be, and simply walk away, but she knew herself better than that. "Come on," she said, groaning, "We better go and follow him."

Littlefoot stood at the mouth of the cave, his feet barely crossing over to where the grass turned into rough earth.

"It seems empty," he deduced. "Come on, let's have a closer look."

"Littlefoot?" Chomper tugged on the longneck's tail. "I really don't have a good feeling about this..."

"Yeah," agreed Petrie, "It really dark in there..."

Littlefoot lowered his brows. "You guys really don't want to go in there?"

"I've never been here before in my life, Littlefoot," said Cera, "We could easily get lost."

"Well...we did want to find a place we'd never seen before, right?"

Cera sighed in defeat. "There's just no stopping you, is there?" When Littlefoot smiled at her sheepishly, she sighed again. "Come on."

Sticking close together, the friends went on inside. The faint sound of dripping water could be heard, but other than that, it was completely silent.

"Looks like a cavern," said Miriam, analyzing the pointed gray stalagmites hanging from the top of the structure. "There must be water here, somewhere."

There were certain areas of the cavern where light did not enter. In those places, concealed by darkness, creatures had made their homes. Disturbed by the sound of footsteps, one of these creatures began to stir. Blind, it relied on a special sense to pick up the sound waves caused by the other dinosaurs. The creature spread it's large wings, producing a heavy rustling noise.

Eva, with her heightened sense of awareness, was able to pick up even the softest sound. She gasped, turning her head. There was nothing there.

"This is not very fun," Ducky said, clutching the flat plates on Spike's back rather tightly, "Nope, nope, nope."

"I think we should get out of here while we still—" Cera was interrupted midway by a pained hiss, having hit her foot against a pointy rock protruding from the wall of the cavern. A deafening thud echoed through the cavern, the impact causing the stalagmites to tremble, moments before one of them was shaken lose and plummeted to the ground.

"Watch out!" Littlefoot cried out, steering clear of the pointed earth. The stalagmite lodged itself into the ground, sending a cloud of dust flying through the cavern, passing over as quickly as it came.

There was a series of clicks, progressively growing louder and louder, and then the sound of flapping wings. The creatures resting in the dark had been awakened, and were now flying towards the juvenile dinosaurs. Their huge wings hit the stalagmites as they fled in a frenzy, creating a shower of pointed rocks falling towards the ground.

In a panic, the young dinosaurs ran towards the exit closest to them, knowing that they wouldn't be able to go back that same way, due to the large and heavy stalagmites blocking the open space which would allow them to pass through. Once the dust had cleared, Littlefoot looked back towards the open space, now heavily obstructed.

"Well...we won't be able to go back the way we came."

"Great," Cera said, her voice dripping heavily with sarcasm.

"We'll find a way out. Don't worry."

"Well, if we hadn't listened to you, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place."

"You lot better not start fighting," interrupted Mackenzie, "Because that's the last thing we need right now."

"Mackenzie's right," said Ruby, "Look. Down there— I see a light."

Littlefoot looked ahead, and saw a faint yellow light, like sunlight, at the end of the long pathway. Suddenly, he felt a slight ray of hope. "I see it too. Let's go!"

The dinosaurs ran down the pathway, along a winding stream directly below several more stalagmites dripping with moisture. As they edged closer, they felt hopeful. Perhaps, they weren't doomed, after all.

But when they stepped out into the light, they were met with a barren wasteland — one that they had seen many times before.

"This not the Great Valley," said Petrie, making the obvious known.

Cera looked out at the dry landscape, and then back at the opening from which they came. "No...it's not. We literally just went through the Great Wall!"

"What?" Littlefoot asked in disbelief. When he looked behind him, he found that the threehorn was telling the truth. They had, quite literally, gone straight through the barrier that shielded the Great Valley from any threats that the great beyond could throw at the residents. And now, if they were spotted by sharpteeth or other potential threats, the valley would be in great peril.

"We need to get back in," said Littlefoot, snapping back to reality, "Now! Quick, before anybody sees us!"

They scrambled back inside at once, running until they could no longer feel the bright circle's light shining upon them. Mackenzie waded into the stream, taking a drink to quench her thirst.

"How can you think about taking a drink at a time like this?" Cera interrogated, frowning at the rainbow face.

"I'm thirsty," Mackenzie said simply, "Sure, we may be lost, but there's water here. Might as well make use of it. That's what my mother told me — even when a situation seems bad, there's always something to look forward to."

"And to focus on the present," said Miriam, adding on, "If you're worried about the future, you can't really focus on anything else. We'll find a way out of this. I know we will."

Littlefoot managed a smile, despite their seemingly hopeless plight. "Are those the wisdoms that your parents taught you?"

"You could call them that," answered Mackenzie, climbing out of the stream and shaking herself dry. "Anyway, what should we do now? You want to stay here or you want to try and find a way out?"

"I think we should stay here. We don't want to get even more lost."

"But, Littlefoot," Ducky said in protest, "If we stay here, we might be found by some other not so nice creatures who may want to eat us. I really do not like thinking about it. No, I do not."

"Then stop talking about it," retorted Mackenzie.

"Our folks will find us," Littlefoot tried to reassure them, as well as himself, "They'll notice we're gone."

Cera was frightened, but managed to effectively mask her fear through impudent remarks. "Okay, what are we supposed to do until then?"

"We wait."

"Oh, okay. Good, good. I thought you actually had a plan."

"You're not helping, Cera," Littlefoot said in a flat tone of voice, furrowing his brows in annoyance.

"Um...Littlefoot?" Eva's meek voice sounded uncertain and afraid. "I know that staying here seems like our safest bet, but we never even noticed this cavern was there until Ruby pointed it out. It might be days before the adults choose to search in here."

"Not to mention there isn't that much for you guys to eat," said Chomper, "Some of us can eat the little buzzers and ground crawlers hidden under the rocks, but...there's no green food here."

"For once, I agree with the sharpteeth," said Cera.

Littlefoot glanced at his friends, his red eyes somewhat sad. He looked as if he were trying to remain hopeful, but it was becoming difficult. "I know. I know it seems bad, but we'll get out of this. I promise."

The heat had simmered down, leaving a cool and calming breeze whispering to the trees. Tristan remained as he was, although his muscles were beginning to cramp from remaining in a static position for so long. His wife was leaning against him, asleep, nearly immovable in her slumber.

I never knew she could sleep so much in one day, he thought silently. He watched her closely, listening to the sound of her snoring, producing a noise akin to that of a creaking log. As numb as his legs were, to the point that he couldn't even move them, he wouldn't disturb her peaceful rest. Amelia had put up with his nonsense for many years, and not once did she complain or speak to him with ill intended words. She always maintained a level head during their tiffs, and no matter how much her patience with him wore thin, she never lost her temper. She deserved many good things, but a chance to sleep in peace was one of them.

His watchful gaze traveled away from her for a moment to take in the sound of various creatures crying out and communicating with others of their kind in their own unique fashion, and to feel the gentle wind that seemed to cradle his face in the same way that his mother did, once. It was then that he noticed the lack of loud snoring, and even worse, the lack of breaths huffed onto his neck. Amelia! No! Oh, please, no!

When he looked back at Amelia, she had gone completely still. She remained in the same position, but made no movement. Tristan was astonished, and not quite so in the manner that he would like to be, as if he'd just witnessed a feat of nature, but more so in a panicked frenzy that made him feel as if his heart were being pushed down to the pit of his stomach. He'd felt it many times before, but never this severe — he truly felt that he might faint, and he looked like it too. There was no feeling in the world as painful as that during which it appeared the love of his life, his driving flame and summation of his motivation, had vanished from the realm of the living for good, never to return.

"Amelia?" He nudged her gently, hoping to elicit some sort of response from her. When he received nothing, he rushed into a blind panic, throwing aside any logic or reason. "Amelia! Wake up!" He screamed and squawked in her face like a maniac, butting his head into hers in a desperate effort to create some sort of stimuli that would shock her body enough for her to respond to the pain.

"Ow!" Amelia awoke suddenly to a blunt force making contact with her head, and to the sound of a terrified, masculine sounding voice screaming her name. The pain throbbed against her head, forcing her eyes open. "Tristan? Why are you screaming?" She rubbed the palm of her hand across her temple, hissing, mostly due to pain. "And why did you butt my head so hard?"

"Amelia...?" When Tristan saw her staring up at him with those miffed blue eyes, he knew right then that she'd never know just how much his heart had lifted in that moment. "You're alright?"

Amelia looked at him strangely, as if he'd recited to her a joke that she didn't quite understand. "Of course I'm alright. Why, what's wrong?"

"You stopped breathing while you were asleep," Tristan began to explain, tears threatening to fall, "I tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't answer me."

"Tristan, I did not stop breathing," Amelia said, clearly not taking his words seriously, "If I'd stopped breathing, I'd be dead."

"I'm serious!" Tristan cried out, unable to stop his voice from cracking, "You really did! I know you keep on saying that you feel fine, but this happened to you while you were asleep! Thank our lucky stars that I was able to wake you up. What if it happens again, and I'm not awake next time?"

Amelia had only seen Tristan shed tears a few times before. It wasn't something he did often, only when he was truly in distress. She knew then that this had really given him a fright, and that it wasn't something to be taken lightly. "I'm sorry, dear. That must have been terrifying for you." She touched her nose to his. "But you know how things are. Whatever happens, happens. Even if it seems unfair or cruel."

"I know. Let's hope that it doesn't come to pass." He briefly covered her cheek in soft, wet licks of his tongue. "You should eat something. We'll go to look for the girls in a little bit."

Water trickled down the large crystal stalagmites, into the stream below. Cera lay near a shallow puddle, her bored green eyes watching as the droplets of water created small ripples which continued to grow until finally dissipating. Sullen, she looked over at Littlefoot, who was sitting in the center of the complicated pathways that surrounded them. She padded over to him.

He had his snout pointed upwards, his eyes focused. He seemed to be trying to smell something — something that he couldn't quite place his paw on. "You know," he said, "There seems to be fresh air coming from somewhere…"

"Might just be another dead end," said Cera, already losing what little shred of hope she'd managed to hang on to.

"But there has to be another way out," Littlefoot insisted. "This cavern is really complicated. There must be more than one way out of here— we're just not seeing it yet."

Chomper walked over, sitting himself down besides the longneck. "But which way do we go, Littlefoot?"

Cera suddenly rose to her feet, kicking a pebble aside. "Who cares? As long as we're moving."

"Eva, Chomper," Littlefoot called out, "You guys have a good sense of smell. What do you think?"

Eva and Chomper lifted their snouts, sampling a scent of the air. They both glanced at each other, engaging in a silent conversation.

"Let's try this one," Eva decided, gesturing to the tunnel on the far right. Having faith in her senses and her instinct, she marched ahead, sparing herself one last glimpse of her friends.

Miriam and Mackenzie followed her without hesitation, and they were followed by Chomper and Ruby, who were followed by everyone else. They all made sure to stick together. Even if they were hopelessly lost with no clear end in sight, at least they had the comfort of each other's company.

Meanwhile, Amelia relished the sweet taste of the spiky shutes of grass that she pulled from it's roots with her beak and claws. Her long arms provided excellent leverage, allowing her to effectively yank large clumps of grass from their roots. Tristan was bent over her, nipping at the various tiny parasites that had settled on her back, choosing her as their host.

"Piss off," he grumbled as the insects fled from her back, buzzing in his face. "Nasty little buggers."

Amelia failed to repress a giggle. "It's so nice of you to try and ward them off, dear."

"Eh, don't mention it. I know how annoying they can be. They practically raise their children on our backs. It's nasty — and not to mention itchy."

"Tristan, they're just living their lives. Don't be so harsh."

"Well, they can live their lives somewhere else."

Amelia flashed a smile, one that showed that she knew her husband would never change, and that she was glad of it. She then looked up at the sky, dotted with millions of tiny clouds. It was already rather late into the day, and there was no sign of their children anywhere. Amelia wasn't one to worry, but even she was bothered by a strange tickle that just wouldn't go away.

"Tristan..."

"I know. Do you want to go look for them now?"

Amelia nodded her head, so Tristan slowly helped her to her feet. It was a bit of a struggle, and she was a bit unsteady, but they managed it.

"I say," huffed Tristan, propping her up onto her feet with a nudge, "It's as if you're ten years older than you actually are."

"Well I definitely feel like it," Amelia joked as she finally found a way to support her weight, although a small part of her really did feel older and was telling the truth, "I'm getting too old for this."

"Don't talk rot," Tristan spat, glancing over at her while beginning to move ahead, "Linda's far older than you are, and she's in tip top shape. Come on now. I'll try to walk slow so you can keep up."

Amelia slowly lifted her feet off of the grass, placing each foot in front of the other in small intervals, as if she were learning how to walk again. Once she'd walked more than a few feet, it wasn't nearly as hard. "I'm telling you, I'm aging way too fast. Right now, it's just sleeping all day — soon, I won't be able to walk at all!"

Tristan quirked a brow as he ambled forward. "You want to place a bet on that?"

"Hm...might as well."

"Alright. How much?"

"Fifty red berries. If what I say ends up being true, you have to collect fifty red berries for your darling wife."

Tristan smirked visibly, not even bothering to try and suppress his grin. Despite being full grown adults who had been married and hatched eggs, they still entertained the idea of childish bets on foolish things of no real purpose.

"Well then, my darling wife...it's a deal."

The group of dinosaurs darted across the floor of the cave, the force of their feet hitting the earth creating small clouds of dust. They were fortunate that the cavern lacked any large predators, for the sound of their panting would have easily given them away. As they ran, Mackenzie had some kind of an epiphany.

She screeched to a halt, the dirt burning against the soles of her feet. Her breath hitched, her eyes widening. "Wait! Don't go any further!"

The others came to a complete stop, waiting on Mackenzie to explain. However, Cera wasn't having it.

"Just go! We don't have time for this!" With a great leap, Cera rammed Mackenzie forward with her horn, not even bothering to think twice about her actions.

"Woah— AHH!" Mackenzie was practically thrown off what appeared to be a cliff, barely managing to latch her claws along the edge. Miriam, alarmed but also having a sense of urgency, managed to keep calm as she grabbed the flap of her sister's neck with her beak, and gently hauled her back onto higher ground.

"Cera!" Mackenzie scolded, coldly staring the threehorn in the eye. "You almost knocked me in!"

"But there's a way out," Cera cried, her panic overriding her anger, "Littlefoot said there was!"

Littlefoot no longer seemed as certain as he once was. If anything, he was fearful of the future as well. "I'm sorry, Cera," he said, offering a sigh of disappointment. "We have to go back."

Cera peered over the edge, staring downwards into the dark depths. "And here I was, thinking we were actually going to get out of here." She huffed, turning tail and fleeing the scene.

Littlefoot watched her leave, lowering his neck and offering yet another dismayed sigh. He hated feeling so helpless.

"It will be alright, Littlefoot," said Ducky, attempting to lift her friend's spirit. "We will get out of here. We will, we will!" She paused for a second, her large blue eyes drifting away from him. "...I hope."

"Hurry, Littlefoot," urged Petrie, flapping his wings, inches away from the longneck's face, "We no want to lose Cera!"

Littlefoot realized that the flyer was right. Sticking together was crucial. If one of them ran too far ahead or strayed too far behind, they might never see them again. He lifted his head, and ran after Cera, accompanied by the rest of his friends.

Cera ran up a rocky pathway, desperate to do nothing more than to get away. She was in a fright, and she knew it. She'd already made a complete and utter fool of herself by nearly pushing Mackenzie off the edge of a cliff. She could hardly stand to look at her friends.

"Cera!" Littlefoot hollered as loud as he could manage without blowing out his voice, "Slow down!"

Cera did not listen. Instead, she picked up her pace, using her horn to shake a rock loose from the wall, sending it tumbling downwards. Then, she disappeared into another tunnel.

The rock rolled into the back wall of the cavern, shattering into several smaller fragments. The others narrowly evaded being crushed by a moving chunk of rock.

Mackenzie had ducked for cover. When the danger passed, she finally looked up. "What's with her?"

"I think she's scared," said Littlefoot. "She doesn't want to admit it, but she's scared...because I let her down. I let all of you down."

Eva walked up next to Littlefoot, feeling sorry for the dejected longneck. But none of them could afford to waste time feeling sorry for themselves. "We can't lose her, Littlefoot. Come on." She leaped onward, landing on the pathway. Briefly glancing at the others, she began the uphill run towards the tunnel.

Cera didn't know where she was anymore. Her body was in fight or flight mode, and so far, she was choosing flight. She found herself running in a narrow corridor that slowly grew wider, the walls covered in gleaming stones which reflected an array of different colors. She could see her reflection in them, and it looked as if there were millions of her.

Eva passed through the entrance to the tunnel, utilizing all the strength in her powerful legs to catch up with the panicked threehorn. Regardless of her efforts, she was getting tired. Her speed failing, she made one last ditch effort. "CERA! STOP!"

The little sharptooth's voice echoed through the cavern, alarming Cera so much that she was startled into turning around, revealing those terrified green eyes. Not watching where she stepped, she unknowingly tripped over a rock.

"Ah! Ow!" She fell forward, landing on her belly, in a world of pain. Her body trembled violently, and as she groaned softly, she covered her eyes. All she could think of was when she misled her friends on the way to the Great Valley, making them walk into dangerous territory with her, almost getting them all killed. She'd been too stubborn to admit her mistakes, and even now, she didn't want to admit that she was fearful of the future, that she wished her father were there with her, telling her not to be scared. She wanted her mother, whom she had only known for a short time, but could feel how much she loved her. She wondered if things would be different were she still alive.

Cera whimpered, drawing in a quivering breath as she felt something wet and warm dampen her cheek. "Mom..."

Mackenzie seemed oblivious to Cera's plight, for she loved towards her in large, angry strides. After nearly plummeting to her death, she wasn't in the greatest mood, and with Cera inadvertently creating more trouble, the rainbow face was irritable. "Right, then. I've had enough of your moaning. We need to get moving."

Cera pulled her paws away from her face, revealing her eyes, shining with tears. For once, there were no menacing scowls or ill intended words. She just looked sad, like she had lost all hope — which she had.

"Mackenzie," Eva cut in, "You and the others go ahead and wait outside. I'll talk to her."

Mackenzie wordlessly pushed past Cera, stopping in front of the entrance to another tunnel. Meanwhile, Eva knelt down beside the distressed threehorn.

"Listen. My parents sent me here because they believed I'd be safe here. There were a lot of risks, and they could have lost so much, but they were willing to take the chance." She paused for a moment to let her words sink in. "We can get out of here, but only if we believe we can."

"Easy for you to say," retorted Cera, "You could live in here if you wanted to."

"No," Eva said calmly, shaking her head. "I couldn't."

"Why not? There's a lot that you can eat in here, and your parents won't be worried sick looking for you."

"True, but I don't want to live the rest of my life in some dark cave. I want to be able to see what the world has to offer. But that doesn't matter right now. You need to join us. You see, Littlefoot's afraid he's let you down. But you can show him he hasn't by not giving up."

Cera gave her words some careful thought. She stared at her paws for a second, and then back at Eva. "You know, you're pretty smart for a sharptooth."

Eva wasn't quite sure whether to take that as an insult or a compliment. "Oh. Thanks, I guess," sage said smiled wryly, watching as Cera rose to her feet and calmly strolled away.

Ruby caught up with Eva, and the two walked side by side. "That was a very wise thing to say, Eva. A wise thing it was."

"Thanks, Ruby. But the smart one is really my mom. I just told Cera what my mom told me when my family got lost somewhere once. I just worded it differently."

"Still pretty smart," insisted Chomper.

"I guess so," relented Eva, accepting the compliment. "My dad always said sharpteeth were a lot smarter than everyone gave us credit for."

"Tristan, we've looked everywhere."

It was as if Tristan and Amelia had switched roles. Amelia was now apprehensive, overthinking every little thing, while Tristan was the one who had to reassure that things were not as bad as she was making them out to be.

"Don't worry," he said softly, "We'll find them."

"I knew we shouldn't have let them go."

Tristan stared at her with indignation. "You were the one that said we should let them go!"

"Well, I had my doubts," countered Amelia, swaying her tail back and forth, "I suppose it's my bad for trusting them."

Tristan sighed, stepping closer to her and allowing her to rest her head under his chin. He closed his eyes, nuzzling her scales. The skies surrounding them had now turned a crimson gold which would soon turn to gray, painted with puffy pink clouds that slowly drifted above the land.

"You're a wonderful mother," he began to say. "You did everything you could. It's not your fault they can't handle themselves."

"Perhaps I was too lenient," mused Amelia.

"You weren't, believe me. You're kind and understanding, not to mention the most beautiful creature on two legs, but you knew when you had to crack down. You never were afraid to assert yourself, and I admire that about you."

"Still...I should have listened to you. Had we forbidden them from going out, we wouldn't be out here, searching for them right now."

"Maybe not, but you were only being fair. You trusted them, and now you know that they're incapable of obeying orders." He looked up, deep in thought. "Come on now, I'm starting to feel like I'm repeating myself here."

"You are repeating yourself, dear," Amelia teased.

Tristan had never looked more unamused. "We're having a serious conversation, thank you."

"Sorry," she mumbled, followed by a wince. She grunted softly, lowering her neck to lick the area of her thigh where the pain was most intense.

Tristan's stoic face turned even more so. He too lowered his neck, looking up at her. "What's wrong? Tired already?"

"A little bit," she murmured, "Just a sharp pain in my leg. It might be an idea to rest a little more."

"I thought you said you were feeling better."

"I'm feeling better. I'm not quite recovered yet, but I'm on my way there."

"So...you don't feel better."

"Not completely, no. But I'm not sore everywhere anymore."

"Well, what about the pain, then? You've been dealing with that for weeks, and every time you say it feels better, but it always comes back again. I don't think that's a good sign."

"But it really does go away," Amelia persisted. "I don't even feel it most of the time. It comes in spurts, and then it's gone."

"It's not gone if it comes back."

Amelia sighed, beginning to tire of this argument they seemed to always have. "This is getting really old. I've told you before to just drop it."

"It's easy for you to say that, because if you die, I'll be the one that has to live the rest of my life without you. And to me, that just sounds unnatural, and…wrong."

Amelia looked into his eyes, dumbfounded. "Is that why you're being so arrogant about this?"

"Why is this so surprising to you? I've told you that losing you is one of my worst fears — if not the worst. I've lost both my parents, my best friend, and so many others that I knew. I've been able to cope with all of them, because you were there to help me through it. What would I do if you were gone? Who would help me through that?"

Amelia took a deep breath. Yes, she'd thought about her own mortality, but she'd never considered what would happen to those whom she would be survived by. Her husband, her daughters, if she ignored this mysterious affliction, what would they do if it ended up claiming her life?

She leaned against him, her tail brushing against his as the bright circle fell further below the ridge, and the sky became darker. "I'm sorry. I know I've said that a lot, but I do mean it every time I say it. I mean, you know I can be very brash sometimes. I hope you're not too angry with me."

"I'm not angry with you, Amelia. I just feel helpless, because I want to help you, but you won't let me. I told you that one night that I'd always stick by you, no matter what. I meant it then, and I still do."

"I know." Amelia stepped closer. "I just forget that sometimes. It's a bit difficult to remember everything, you know?"

Tristan chuckled, and embraced her under the pale glow of moonlight. "Well, I didn't marry you because of your memory."

"Then, why did you marry me?"

"You were the best I'd ever get, so I figured, 'Eh, she'll do'."

Amelia grinned, and gave Tristan a sharp swat on the back with her tail. "Funny, I thought the same thing when I married you."

Tristan cheerfully played along with her shenanigans. "Glad we're on the same page, love."

By the time the dinosaurs had finally made it out of the cavern through another tunnel which led them straight outside, it was already dark. Bear in mind, they had promised to return before dark.

Cera fell onto the grass, kissing each individual blade. She never thought she'd be so grateful to be able to see and feel something that had always been there. "Oh! Land! Sweet, sweet land!"

Miriam looked up towards the starry sky. "I think we might be in trouble."

"No kidding," said Mackenzie, "We told mom and dad we'd be back before it got dark. They're probably worried sick!"

"Yes, I know. But we have to tell them about that secret passageway we found."

"My grandma and grandpa have probably put off sleep waiting for me," pondered Littlefoot, speaking aloud. "I gotta go. Bye, guys!" He skittered off, the sound of the grass rustling beneath his paws gradually becoming more distant.

Amelia and Tristan were now climbing up the hill, the moonlight offering a perfect view of their disappointed faces. They'd been joking around a while ago, but they knew when to be serious. It was time to draw the line.

"You children should go home," Amelia suggested in a low voice. "Cera, I don't think your father will be too pleased if you stay here a second longer. You all should hurry. Go on now."

"Goodnight, Miriam and Mackenzie's mom," said Ducky, allowing Spike to carry her on his back as he walked towards their home a little ways from the river.

Amelia watched the young dinosaurs leave, and then turned her gaze to her daughters. She did not look furious. She looked disappointed, and tired.

She lowered her neck down to their level. She did not yell or shout. She was surprisingly calm, but her voice was no longer so warm and loving. "We told you not to go where we couldn't see you. We were fine with you exploring your home, but we gave you certain conditions. You are expected to follow those conditions."

Tristan stood straight, refusing to say or do anything. He knew not to intervene.

"First thing," continued Amelia, "You two wander off behind our backs while we were living in the mysterious beyond, knowing full well that you could be killed. And now, you decide to disappear from the face of the earth, come home late, and deliberately disobey us?"

Mackenzie opened her mouth to defend herself and her sister, but her mother put a hand out.

"Enough." Amelia's voice was not loud at all, but it was enough to startle Miriam and Mackenzie into submission. "We're tired of your excuses, girls. Your father and I searched the whole entire valley for you two, and we were so worried that something had happened to you. Do you know how terrifying it is when your child doesn't come home? As a parent, you fear that something happened, even if it's irrational."

"But mom," interjected Miriam, "We found a—"

"Don't interrupt me. From now on, you are to spend time with us. Both of you. When you two prove yourselves, you may go out with your friends again."

Neither Mackenzie nor Miriam looked very pleased with the development. In fact, they both looked quite angry. Scolding them was one thing. Prohibiting them from seeing their friends was another, especially since they never had many friends while growing up, and relied on sneaking off and exploring the world around them to keep themselves entertained.

"You must know," Amelia said in a gentler tone, "That all we want is for you to be safe and happy. I know it seems like a bit much right now, but one day, I hope you'll understand."

"Now, then," she said, turning around, "It's late. Let's all go home and get some sleep." She and Tristan walked off in silence, their two daughters wandering close behind.

"So much for telling mom and dad," Mackenzie whispered to her sister.

"Well," whispered Miriam, "At least we won't get in any more trouble than we already are."

The family began to make their way down the hill, to where a group of longnecks, varying in size and color, were grazing on the trees. It was times like this that the Great Valley was at it's peak, with enough food to feed the next generation, and perhaps, even the next.

Miriam and Mackenzie had always been in awe of the size of certain dinosaurs, such as the longneck with a neck so long that it towered above many of the fir trees that sprouted across the valley. Amelia and Tristan were used to seeing dinosaurs much larger than themselves and had accepted the diversity in their world, so they were not fazed in the least and continued moving forward.

Then, Mackenzie felt something with a slimy texture crawl across her feet. She looked down, and saw the lizard from earlier in the morning. She gasped happily, and bent down to go in for the kill.

As if he had sensed her attempting to have a lizard for dinner, Tristan glared at her from the corner of his eye, grunting in a rather angry and disapproving manner. He often did this when she was younger and would kill her time by catching lizards. He hadn't the foggiest idea why she fancied them so much.

Mackenzie knew then that the lizard would be free to live another day. Letting out a sad whine, she walked away from the small reptile, following her family. As she looked at the life around her, she wondered what more there was to see. Perhaps, she thought, leaving the passage to the mysterious beyond open would lead to the discovery of new creatures. Now, that would be something.

Pretty interesting, huh? I know it's nothing to wow at, but we'll just have to see what happens next. Also, just an fyi — the creatures in the cave are Icaronycteris, which is a type of huge prehistoric bat that lived during the early Eocene. :)