After a decent meal of cooked fish that she caught her her bow and arrow, Candice made her way to a giant T-Rex shaped footprint near a dried up, broken tree. She sat down in it and wrapped her towel around herself to try and stay warm.

Although the human didn't have any spices to make the fish she caught tastier, it was at least edible and it was good enough for her. She did have a bit of trouble finding firewood, but again, she managed to get by. It was at least enough to cook the fish before losing the strength to burn anymore.

By the time she had found her little resting place, the sun had set and the full moon began to shine down on the land with its beautiful radiance. The sky was streaked with different shades of blue and black with the sounds of cricket-like insects serenading through the night.

Eve now, Candice's thoughts continued to drift back to those little dinosaurs.

Although what happened left her feeling hurt and upset with them, she couldn't help but miss them. They at least gave her some company, even if she did argue with Cera most of the time; or if Petrie's broken speeches irritated her a bit; or if Ducky was too cheerful at times.

They were still the closest thing to family she had.

The only one she wasn't disappointed with was Littlefoot. He treated her as if she was really part of his family. It was such a short time, but the two probably had already been through the most together: from when they first met, to Sharptooth attacking, to Littlefoot's mother's death, to journeying to the Great Valley.

As Candice reflected on that, she realized that he never once complained when she asked to ride on his back. Nor did he ever doubt her. He even stood for her. In a way, he did become like a little brother to her.

"I wonder if Tommy sees me this way sometimes," the thought whispered in her mind.

She wrapped herself in the blanket tighter as the memory of her brother returned to her. It was only now that she realized how much she missed him.

Sure, he poked fun at her more than she would've liked him to; he was always there for her in the end. He always cheered her up whenever she felt bad. One time, she had got to the dentist to have an extra tooth pulled out. It didn't hurt so much as it was just overwhelming and rather scary. It was enough to make her cry. When she'd come home after it was over, she had been sure he would make fun of her for crying over the experience. Instead, much to her surprise, he came into her room with a nice cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream on top.

The only time he laughed was when Candice went to take a sip. Because her bottom lip was so numb she missed the cup and the beverage dribbled onto the table. But Candice could laugh at that as well because it was funny.

Tears welled up in Candice's eyes and she shivered with cold as she realized that she had taken her brother for granted. Sure, he teased her a lot, but that was expected. He was her older brother; he was supposed to tease her. At the same time, he looked after her and gave her protection and comfort when she needed it.

And right now, she would give anything to have him tease her again. It was better than the thought of seeing him again.

As she thought, she began hearing voices. They were calling out. Calling out...her name?

"CANDICE!"

"CANDICE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"CANDICE! PLEASE ANSWER!"

Candice's eyes widened as she recognized those voices and whipped around to look over the wall of dirt. What she saw made her heart leap of joy.

Just on the horizon were the five dinosaur children!

Her anger and sadness all washed away when she saw them. "GUYS!" she cried, waving her hands in the air. "I'M OVER HERE!"

All of them turned in her direction. Candice jumped out of the footprint and sprinted toward them. They also raced to meet her. Ducky and Petrie were the first to reach her. When they met up, she dropped to her knees and scooped the two of them in a hug.

"Oh, Candice!" Ducky said in both a happy and guilty tone. "We're so sorry! We are, we are!"

"Yeah!" Petrie replied the same way. "We very sorry! Can you forgive us?"

Candice smiled. "Yes, of course, I can!"

Littlefoot happily ran to the girl's right and nuzzled her face. She returned the gesture by stroking his head. "I'm just glad that you're okay," he said.

Spike came up on Candice's left and licked her cheek. Candice winced at the gesture, mostly because it was a very slobbery lick. She wiped away the saliva with the back of her hand and brushed it against the ground before patting the Stegosaurus' head.

"But...why did you guys come looking for me?" Candice asked, still trying to process what was going on.

"Littlefoot convinced us to," Ducky explained as Candice set her and Petrie down. "And we were worried about you. Yep, yep, yep."

"Littlefoot?" Candice looked at the Apatosaurus.

"Listen, Candice," Littlefoot said. "You told us the truth and we should respect that. Besides, that's only a small part of you. My mother always taught me to judge people on their character. You may be half-tooth but you've shown that you're a brave and loyal friend. That's what counts the most."

A warm smile streaked across Candice's face. That was probably one of the sweetest things anyone ever said to her. She raised herself a little and hugged the long-neck who responded by wrapping around her shoulders. "Thanks," she whispered.

Littlefoot then looked at Cera who had a rather neutral face which surprised Candice. Normally, the Triceratops had either an angry or snobbish expression. "Don't you have something to say, Cera?" the long-neck prompted into a rather forceful tone.

Cera looked at Candice for a moment and then dropped her gaze in a shameful manner. "I'm...I'm sorry for what I said before," she simply said.

"It's okay," Candice said tentatively. The human girl didn't want to press the matter any further but Cera didn't seem too sincere. It was there, but very subtle. She just sounded embarrassed as if anything.

"Well," Candice shifted the attention away from the current subject, "it's late and we have a long day tomorrow. We should get some sleep."

The group agreed and walked back to the footprint. Candice rolled up her towel and stuck it in her bag. Then, she moved her belongings out of the footprint to make more room since all six of them huddled together filled up the whole thing.

"Hey, Candice?" Littlefoot asked as he settled down. "You think you can play a song on your ocarina?"

"Actually," Candice replied, "I have another idea. One of the songs my grandma taught has words to it. It's very pretty and I think you'll like it."

Candice took a deep breath and began singing in a strong, sweet voice.

(The song is "If We Hold On Together" by Diana Ross - or the theme song of the movie)

"Don't lose your way
With each passing day
You've come so far
Don't throw it away
Live believing
Dreams are for weaving
Wonders are waiting to start
Live your story
Faith, hope, and glory
Hold to the truth in your heart

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by, for you and I

Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end

Valley...Mountain
There is a fountain
Washes our tears all away
Words are swaying
Someone is praying
Please let us come home to stay

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I

When we are out there in the dark
We'll dream about the sun
In the dark, we'll feel the light
Warm our hearts...everyone

If we hold on together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
As high as souls can fly
The clouds roll by
For you and I"

When Candice was done, the other five were fast asleep. The human girl smiled as she settled down to sleep too. As if having some power in its lyrics, the song warmed everyone's soul and gave them hope again.

Candice thought of her brother again and she realized that she was now in his position. She was the older sibling now. She had to be responsible for these kids. She would see this through the end, no matter what. She would help them reach the Great Valley.

Before drifting to sleep, she mumbled, "For you and I..."


Man, I can remember this song as far as my memory go...and even to this day, it still warms my heart up. This goes to prove how much of a gorgeous voice Diana Ross has.

Also, the whole dentist story with Candice is based on something that happened to me when I was a kid. As much as I hate the memory, I'm still greateful to my brother for being nice with me when I needed him.

The herd is now together again and ready to set off toward the Great Valley before Sharptooth catches them. Will they succeed?