Chapter 4: Swamp chase
The next morning in a sandy desert, Littlefoot, along with Grandma and Grandpa Longneck, Sue, and even Mario and his friends, have met up with a group of Long-necks who were heading the same way as they always have. Some of the Long-necks had kingdom travelers with them. And many of them looked at Mario because of how surprised they are. They never even knew that kingdoms exist.
But it didn't matter. He, his friends, and Littlefoot wondered what Grandma Longneck saw in her dreams.
(Littlefoot) Hey Grandma. In your dreams, did you see anything that could have been dangerous?
(Grandma Longneck) Well Littlefoot, in my dreams, I saw stuff that I can't quite explain. I also saw some beautiful things. It was all mixed up together.
As Grandma told her dreams to them, the group of Long-necks were making their way across a rock bridge.
(Grandma Longneck) And at the end of each dream, I always knew that whatever happens, I was supposed to be there.
They were amazed at the story. Grandma Longneck's dream did involve the sun however.
Soon after, they passed by a waterfall and stopped for a moment to grab some lunch. When they were done, they moved on.
(Mario) Grandma Longneck. You think all Longnecks and their human friends are going the same way as us?
(Grandma Longneck) I'm sure they are Mario. Why'd you ask?
(Mario) Well there seems to be a lot of them now. You think they all had the same dream and feeling as us?
(Grandma Longneck) I'm sure they do.
(Wario) How much farther are we now?
(Mario) I think we're getting closer.
The group continued making their way through a land of dry grass in the setting sun. Hoping that they'll be where they're going in the next day or 2.
Meanwhile, the gang have continued following the footprints out of the canyon and into the forest. Cera kept Dinah and Dana close to her in case they ever got frightened.
(Ducky) I do not like this place. It is worse than the place with the deep holes.
(Jibanyan) Well nobody's asking you to move here.
(Ducky) I do not want to sleep with Jibanyan. So let us hurry and get through it.
Soon, they found themselves at the swamp with the itchy water. Most of them felt unsure about this.
(Komasan) Are you sure about this?
(Cera) The footprints led us here.
Cera started jumping from rock to rock and log to log. Making her way through the swamp.
Unknown to all of them, the same gator from Littlefoot, Mario, and his friends encountered them. It swam back into the water as it got ready to ambush this new prey. Just as a tree fell into the water.
Cera gasped as she heard the sound of the tree. But she still jumped to the next rock. Only for her back feet to fall into the goo.
(Cera) Ew. It's all squishy and slimy.
As Cera jumped to the next rock, she stopped as the gator and front of another rock. But she didn't know it was the gator because it had its eyes closed so it can act like a rock. The others came by as they saw that Cera had stopped.
(USApyon) Well, what are you waiting for? Go on.
(Cera) I don't know which rock to step on next. That one is closer. But it looks sort of slippery.
The gator opened its eyes the moment it heard Cera's comment.
(Tickles) There's another one far away from where you're standing. You might not make it and you'll step into the ichy goo again.
(Petrie) But she jump on closer one, she fall in all the way. That even worse.
(Dinah) Maybe Auntie Cera can make it to the farther one. She is a good jumper.
(Dana) But what if she doesn't make it? She has to think it through.
(Tickles) But I've learned from The Land of Mist that you have to think of everything when you're in a itchy gooey place.
(Komasan) Here's a plan. She could just jump onto the closer one with her back feet.
(Whisper) I think you got something there.
(Jibanyan) Yeah. And she could
The gator couldn't take it anymore and moved out of the water. Everything turned red as the gator splashed water on the gang. Making them all move onto the far away rocks and logs.
(Cera) What was that?
(Petrie) Me no know. But me think it heading this way!
The gator roared as it got ready to attack. The gang ran away in separate directions by the time the gator began to chase them.
Cera ran from rock to rock as fast as she could. However, she didn't watch where she was going and bumped into a tree and got her horn stuck in it.
As for Spike, he was jumping from rock to rock in the way Jibanyan described with Petrie following him.
(Petrie) Hey. Jibanyan was right. That way to do it.
However, Petrie didn't watch where he was going and flew into some tree slime. Making him fly around like crazy as he tried to shake it off of him.
(Petrie) This stuff slimy.
USApyon and OMGator found Cera grabbed her by her tail to pull her horn out of the tree.
(Cera) Guys. I can make it out myself.
(USApyon) Oh you're stuck really good.
(OMGator) I guess she's stuck on the trunk tree.
(USApyon) Not now OMGator.
Unknown to them, the gator had found them and was about to go for the kill. But it didn't know that Ducky and Tickles were watching from the top of another tree.
(Ducky) It has find-ed them.
(Tickles) What'll we do?
Neither one of them however saw Petrie as he still struggled to get the slime off of him. When suddenly, the slime had stuck onto his wings like glue which stopped him from flying.
(Petrie) Uh oh.
Petrie fell onto Ducky and Tickles. Making all 3 of them fall onto the gators head and slide off its body and into the itchy water. They then swam out of it and spat out of whatever water ended up in them.
(Tickles) Petrie!
(Petrie) Me sorry.
However, what happened got the gator to turn its attention to Ducky, Petrie, and Tickles. Along with the yokai to reach Cera and grab her to get her unstuck.
Ducky, Petrie, and Tickles found themselves swimming as fast as they could to escape from the gator. But the gator was faster and swam to them with its mouth open. When they were inside, the gator closed its mouth. Trying to swallow the 3 of them.
Dinah, Dana, and Spike then came by and grabbed Cera so they could pull her out too.
(Cera) Guys I don't need any help.
But then, her horn snapped off the tree. She was not stuck anymore. But it also caused the tree to crack.
(Jibanyan) Oh no.
The tree then broke apart. Making another tree fall from its place to the water.
(Whisper) TEMBBER!
(Fuu 2) Everyone get out of the way!
As they all got out of the way, they watched as the tree snapped through some vines as it fell. The gator was also heading their way. However, it didn't see the tree until it was too late. The tree fell onto the gator and knocked it into the water as it also spat Ducky, Petrie, and Tickles out of its mouth. Making them bounce for a moment until they all landed on a lily-pad. The moment the danger was over, all the color turned back to normal.
(Cera) YES! Uh. I meant to do that.
Everyone watched as the gator swang its tail out of the water as it struggled to get out from under the tree.
(Ducky) It will not stay down there forever.
(Petrie) Me think you right.
Everyone then ran away from the gator before it got free. When it did, it saw that its prey had now escaped from it. The gator ducked back into the water now that there wasn't anything to eat again.
(Cera) Hurry we're almost there. I can see the shore.
After jumping from rock to log, the gang made it to the shore and away from the gator. And it was now sunset.
(USApyon) Well Cera, you showed that guy not to mess with a Three-horn.
(Cera) Uhh. Thanks. I guess.
(Petrie) Now that we safe, can we find someplace to sleep?
(Jibanyan) Well, where?
Petrie was so tired from the chase that he bumped into what looked like a boulder.
(Petrie) This looks good to me.
Everyone then walked in front of the boulder and dosed off.
(Ducky) Do not worry Cera.
(Dinah) We'll find Littlefoot, Mario, and the rest in the morning.
Everyone curled up into balls and then went to sleep. But they didn't see an eye on the boulder. Unless it wasn't a boulder at all. But for now, they were all fast asleep.