Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but I had a tough time trying to put put all these ideas down ... Hopefully you'll like the end result! FYI, I do take requests for what you might be interested in the story, so at this early stage of writing, I am open to ideas via review or PM, not promising anything of course. Also if you have any questions, especially after this dense question, please feel free to ask. If you like, I always appreciate favs/follows/reviews. And as always, The Land Before Time and its world belong to Universal.
Chapter 6 - Changes and Predictions
Slowly, Littlefoot trundled up the hill to where Mr. Thicknose's sleeping spot was, Mr. Thicknose groggily perched upon his back. While Mr. Thicknose wasn't a lightweight, Littlefoot had gained a lot of strength over the years so giving him a ride wasn't too difficult. Slowly, Mr. Thicknose began to recover from his daze and by the time Littlefoot reached the top, he was fully able to walk again.
"Thank you Littlefoot," Mr. Thicknose said with a heavy sigh.
"You're welcome," Littlefoot smiled.
Mr. Thicknose looked at Littlefoot sadly. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep everyone in order at the meeting. The way your father and father-in-law acted bringing your mother up ... It must have been really hard on you."
Littlefoot nodded. "It hurt ... But I know their hearts are in the right place. I just wish they would stop fighting. And thanks for doing all you could to stop it."
"You're welcome Littlefoot," Mr. Thicknose said. "I really appreciate all the thanks I can get these days."
"It must be hard being herd leader, huh?" Littlefoot asked.
Mr. Thicknose nodded. "To tell you the truth Littlefoot, I have never wanted this job."
"You haven't?" Littlefoot asked in surprise.
Mr. Thicknose shook his head, grimacing. "No, I like being a mentor to young ones, but leading a herd is a whole different ground crawler. There's just so much stress and tough decision-making involved. Not to mention all the personal feuds and arguments you have to deal with. I only took the job because your grandparents wanted me to. They knew I would be someone, maybe the only one, that everyone could agree to lead upon their passing, and someone who would try their best to fulfill their legacy. And now I'm getting a taste of just how hard that is."
"Yeah," Littlefoot said sympathetically.
Mr. Thicknose yawned. "Well, I'd best be taking a rest, Littlefoot."
"Bye Mr. Thicknose," Littlefoot said, and he decided to go land look for his friends.
He quickly found Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Chomper and Ruby gathered around a clump of tree stars, all of them save for Chomper eating voraciously.
"Hey Littlefoot," Cera greeted as she scooched over to make room for him.
"How Thicknose?" Petrie asked concernedly.
"He's okay," Littlefoot said reassuringly. "He's on his feet and walking again."
"That is good," Ducky smiled. "I did not like to see him pass out, no no no."
"Me neither," Littlefoot agreed. "So what's going on?"
"We were gonna go check in with everyone," Chomper said. "Soon as everyone's done with this green stuff," he said teasingly with a slight grimace, causing everyone to laugh.
"Everyone settled out by Ali herd," Petrie explained.
"Tippy's herd have really done good work with those prickly plants," Ruby said admiringly.
"You want to help them out too, right Spike?" Ducky asked as he nodded happily.
"And Tricia's real happy with her new friends," Cera said. "It's like they've known each other since they were hatchlings."
"They've all been adopted too, I'm so happy for them!" Chomper added.
"Hey look! Ali here!" Petrie said, suddenly. Sure enough, they turned around and saw Ali approach them somewhat hesitantly, as though she had second thoughts of being there, her eyes furtively avoiding any of theirs. Perturbed, Littlefoot noticed this, but decided to ignore it for now as he called out, "Hi Ali, come on over."
Ali nodded, and as Littlefoot made room for her, he noticed that she was still determinedly avoiding anyone's gaze.
"Hi everyone," Ali said, somewhat sheepishly. "Um ... Littlefoot, can I talk with you privately for a moment?"
At once, Littlefoot felt Cera tense up as she looked at Ali in shock and hurt. "What are you up to?" she quickly asked.
"I ... Just need to tell him something personal," Ali said. "Before me and my herd leave."
"What kind of something personal?" Cera demanded, looking at Ali in incredulous hurt and disbelief. "And why do you want to talk to Littlefoot alone?"
"Well, it's something I don't want to get out," Ali mumbled. "And I just feel most comfortable telling Littlefoot about this."
"I see," Cera said with a slight growl, before asking, "Why just Littlefoot? Why not all of us? Are you all our friends are just Littlefoot's?"
"All of you guys are, honest!" Ali said earnestly, taken aback with Cera's aggressive tone.. "I ... I just want to be with you guys for a bit before my herd and I leave. But I ... I'm not ready to tell anyone but Littlefoot what I'm feeling yet. I feel like he should hear what I have to say first."
As Cera glared at Ali, Littlefoot gave her a hard yet reassuring nudge. which seemed to work for Cera stopped her questioning. Littlefoot let out an inward sigh. While he himself saw Ali accepting his love for Cera and had faith that Ali had not gone back on that, he knew Cera was not there to see it, and Ali's delicate and evasive verbiage was certainly enough to heighten any lingering suspicions Cera might have. "Okay Ali, I'll talk to you in a bit, as a friend," he promised.
Just as Ali nodded, they saw Pterano suddenly swooping in on them. "Ah, hello everyone!" he asked. "How is my favorite nephew doing?"
"Uh, me just fine," Petrie said, surprised with his uncle's appearance. "How you?"
"Grand," Pterano said suavely.
"What do you want?" Cera asked suspiciously.
"Oh, I just wanted to check in with you after your long, exhausting journey," he said. "Do you like the newcomers?"
"Yeah, I guess," Littlefoot said. "I'm happy the Valley accepted them."
Pterano then turned to Littlefoot and Cera. "I'm sorry for the way your fathers behaved at the hearing. That must have been very hard on you."
Littlefoot and Cera looked at each other confusedly. "Uh … Thanks?" Littlefoot said.
"Why are you apologizing to us?" Cera asked.
"I'm just expressing my condolences," Pterano said. "For I fear bad blood may be simmering between them, and that poor Mr. Thicknose might not be able to manage it. Do they know each other well?"
"Not really," Littlefoot said.
"Littlefoot dad come to visit mostly," Petrie explained. "He no talk to Mr. Threehorn too much. Me never hear them argue before."
"Well, that is a relief," Pterano smiled. "Maybe it was just an unlucky incident. But I know how protective your father can be with the herd Cera, and knowing you Littlefoot, I'm sure your father also has strong convictions. Just be sure to keep an eye on them, all right? Because I've seen, this kind of discord the last time I was with the herd, and I certainly hope we're not seeing much of it again."
"Right," Littlefoot said uncertainly as they finished eating.
"Well, I'd better be off. Ta-ta!" Pterano said, flying away.
"That was too weird," Cera muttered.
"Why?" Petrie asked. "He just concerned about us and the herd."
"Yeah, maybe," Cera said unconvincingly.
Sensing another argument brewing, Littlefoot said, "Let's go see everyone now."
"Oh yes yes yes!" Ducky said in relief as Spike, Chomper and Ruby enthusiastically nodded.
They first went to check on Tricia and her friends. At first Cera was distracted thinking about Pterano, but soon she began to glare up at Ali again, causing Ali to hang her head in sadness. Fortunately by then, they had arrived at a clearing beside a lake where they could hear the happy shrieks of hatchlings playing. Tricia and her friends were climbing and jumping on, running up and sliding down what appeared to be a large, light bluish-gray rock none of them had seen before, while they could make out the form of Tria resting in the shade, watching over them.
"That is one big rock for them to play on, it is," Ducky said.
"Me never see that before!" Petrie added.
"It's not a rock," Chomper laughed. "My sniffer tells me it's a dinosaur."
"No way," Cera said. "No dinosaur can stand that kind of play on them."
But as they approached, they saw that Chomper was right. The large form was indeed a dinosaur, resting in the Bright Circle's light, with two rows of tall, yellow plates on its back.
"That must be one of the new spiketails," Ducky said excitedly. "Want to meet him, Spike?"
Spike nodded and they all approached.
"Hi sis!" Tricia called out. "This dino lets us play all over her!"
Spike watched the spiketail curiously. She gave off an aura of deep calm as she lay sprawled on the ground, her back held high in the air as if to catch the bright circle's rays. Down below, her head was resting on her front paws, seeming to be oblivious to the eight hatchlings that were climbing all over her. She was quite young, just about his age, and had serene dark navy blue eyes that slowly blinked before soothingly shutting again.
Spike watched Tricia and her friends sliding down the spiketail's back onto her head and jumping off to go climb her tail again. Hatchlings had never climbed on his back before, but this spiketail made it look as though it was very relaxing. Ducky noticed Spike watching and asked, "Do you want to try it out too, Spike?"
Spike nodded and slowly shuffled over to the new spiketail and the kids. The spiketail opened her eye briefly and smiled at Spike for a moment before yawning again and drifting back to rest. Spike stretched out his body and relaxed several yards away. The kids, finding playing on one spiketail to be a bit crowded, gladly spread out and started to climb onto Spike as well, who found their pitter patter on his back surprisingly relaxing as he too drifted off to a nice rest.
Soon afterwards, the rest of the gang started playing with the kids too. Petrie took each of them out for flights over the lake, Chomper played a great bad guy in some games of sharptooth attack, Ruby led them in a few rounds of hide and seek, and Ducky let them ride her back as she swam through the water. Throughout it all everyone, young adult and kid alike, was laughing and having the time of their life.
Meanwhile, Littlefoot sat back with Cera at his side, who was taking hard looks at Ali, who still seemed unsure if she should be there. Sensing it was the perfect time to clear things up with everyone else busy, Littlefoot whispered to Cera, "I'll go see what's up with Ali. Be right back, I promise," Cera looked at Littlefoot seriously before nodding hesitantly, who then walked to Ali, who was lying down a ways apart from the others, looking quite glum.
"Hi Ali," Littlefoot greeted his friend.
"Oh ... Hi Littlefoot," Ali said uncertainly.
"Do you want to talk now?" he asked, trying his best to sound calm, though with a lump in his throat, he feared this might not be the easiest conversation.
Ali sighed and nodded, and the two longnecks went up to a hill where they sat down. Littlefoot, as much as he wanted to help Ali feel better, knew he had to be straightforward first. "Ali, you said we could still be friends, right?" Littlefoot asked.
Ali nodded. "Of course Littlefoot," she said.
"Well ... Are you okay with Cera and me loving each other?" Littlefoot said. "Because we're solid, and nothing's gonna change that."
"I know Littlefoot," Ali said, and suddenly, her eyes flickered with comprpehension and before he knew it, she began to laugh. "So that's why Cera's been giving me the cold shoulder! She must've been thinking I wanted to come between you ... Oh my, I didn't realize ... No no no, that's not it at all! Did it look like I looked at you flirtatiously or something?"
"Well no," Littlefoot said, feeling a tremendous relief. "Actually you didn't look at us at all, and you seem really nervous. Plus wanting to talk with me alone ... That's kinda what ticked Cera's suspicions off."
"Oh I see," Ali said, smiling. "I've been so caught up with what I wanted to say I didn't think ... It's nothing romantic at all. But I've got to get something off my chest ... I feel most comfortable telling you about it since you're so supportive and I trust you to keep a secret ... I want as few dinosaurs to know about this as possible ... So can you promise not to tell anyone?"
"I promise," Littlefoot said.
"I knew you would," Ali smiled before gathering her thoughts together. "Well, now that the new herds are here, I expect our herd will be ready to leave the Valley soon. But ... I'm not sure I will be," she sighed, before continuing. "Growing up, I've always kept reliving our adventure together. The memories kept me company on long journeys and through hard times. Rhett told me so many adventure stories, you know? But none of them were like the one I actually had," she smiled. "None of them had the close friendship I felt with you guys ... And well, I've had sleep stories growing up," she confessed. "Sleep stories of us doing all kinds of things together ..."
She shook her head before continuing. "Rhett's death forced me to grow up early, so over time, I convinced myself you were just a good childhood memory to look back on. That there wasn't anything more to it than that. But since coming back here ... I don't know, everything's changed. I've felt it all coming back to me. Like a part of my soul came alive just by being with you guys again. I didn't realize it right away but ... Well, I feel differently with you guys than anyone else. I mean ... There weren't many young dinos in my herd growing up, just Rhett, Cam and Mia. Much as I loved Rhett, he was awfully self-centered, and he never got the chance to grow out of it. And Cam and Mia ... Well, they've always been so close to each other that I always felt like the odd one out. But with you ... I still remember being part of your group on our journey together ... Like I was actually part of a group of true friends. And being with you all again ... Rekindled all the old feelings I had," Ali smiled tearfully. "See? I can't even look at you without tearing up again."
Now understanding everything, Littlefoot memories of Ali's parting words came back to him from all those years ago: "Maybe we'll all live together someday." It was only then that Littlefoot truly realized how much those words may have meant to her.
"Are you saying ... You want to ... Leave your herd and join ours?" Littlefoot asked thoughtfully.
"That's the thing, I don't know," Ali said sadly. "Staying here would mean I would have to leave my herd ... The herd I've always been a part of. My mom would miss me so much. And Cam and Mia would be sad if I was gone as well ... Not only that, but well ... I'm probably going to have to lead my herd some day," Ali sighed. "The only others my age are Cam and Mia, and after their last incident, you can understand why my herd wouldn't want them to lead," she sighed. "Besides, can I really be part of your group of friends? You guys all grew up together and have so many stories I've never even heard of. I'd always be the outsider here. Maybe I should have left my herd and grown up here with you guys."
Nodding sympathetically, Littlefoot said, "Well Ali, whatever you decide to do, we'll always be your friends, and I mean it. All of us, Cera too, once she realizes you're not flirting with me. And if you do decide to stay here, I'm sure you'll fit in just fine. Look at Chomper and Ruby. They were new once too, but look at them now, and you'd never know it," Littlefoot smiled reassuringly. "I'll always be there to help you, I promise. But however long you're here, why don't you make the most of it by spending time with us? That way, you'll really have a chance to catch up with us, and it may help you with your decision."
Ali smiled and nodded gratefully. "Well, okay Littlefoot," she said, putting on a brave face as they went back down the hill.
Slumping dispiritedly, Cera couldn't help but to be consumed by angry thoughts. Who did Ali think she was, butting in her and Littlefoot's relationship? Didn't Ali know how hard she and Littlefoot fought to be together and how loyal they were to each other? Come to think of it, maybe it didn't matter to Ali … Yes, Ali did say she was her friend. But it always seemed like she was more her friend because she was Littlefoot's friend. Perhaps Ali always only had her eyes on Littlefoot, and she had just been biding her time to get what she really wanted …
"That flathead," Cera cursed in a snarl, stamping her foot on the dirt. Looking up to see if anyone else was around, she was relieved to see she was unheard. That was, until she saw that Tria was approaching her.
"Are you all right Cera?" Tria asked as she sat down by her stepdaughter's side.
Cera quickly said, "I'm fine Mom," but she could see at once Tria wasn't buying it.
"Is something going on between you and Littlefoot?" Tria asked.
Cera laughed. "No way, Mom. We're rock solid."
"Then why did you say that flathead?" Tria continued.
"I wasn't talking about him, I was talking about … Nothing," Cera said.
Tria raised her eyebrows. "Come on Cera. You think I don't know from Topsy when someone is keeping something from me? Besides, I promise you'll feel better talking to me."
Cera groaned, but she knew that there was no real way around the situation. "Do you …" Cera said carefully, making sure no one else was within earshot, muttered, "Think Ali is trying to take Littlefoot away from me?"
Tria stared and then, to Cera's surprise and annoyance, she began to chuckle. This really ticked Cera off. "What's so funny?" she snapped.
"Oh I'm sorry," Tria smiled. "Just finally I see what this is about. Well first of all, you know Littlefoot loves you, right?"
"Yes," Cera said, but something in the way said it caught Tria's attention. "Do you have any doubts?'
"No, it's just … Well, look at me! I'm a threehorn," Cera said. "What if Littlefoot falls for a pretty flathead some day? Someone who he can actually have kids with! I know he wouldn't now but … What if someday he decides that our love is just hatchling love and nothing serious? And he starts treating me like sharptooth dirt!"
"Cera," Tria said calmly, catching Cera's attention. "Think about it. Do you really think Littlefoot, your best friend for as long as I've known you, who has only shown love and kindness to you even when you weren't at your best, would abandon you? I've seen the look in his eyes whenever he's around you, and let me tell you, that is the look of true love. And believe me, no amount of time or growing up will change that. There's no doubt in my mind that even if someone tried to seduce Littlefoot that he would remain faithful to you. And that is something I would bet my horns about," Tria said.
"But Ali is … Well, she's painfully perfect for him!" Cera cried out. "They look like a sleep story couple, just like Littlefoot's grandparents! They never argue like we do! How'll I know she'll ever stop flirting with him?"
"She won't," Tria said confidently. "In fact, I'm sure she's not flirting with Littlefoot now."
Cera froze and looked at Tria, the certainty in her voice piquing her interest. "Do you know something?" Cera asked.
Tria paused thoughtfully. "Grandpa and Grandpa Longneck never told you, did they?" Tria asked.
"Told me what?" asked Cera, annoyed.
"Well Cera," Tria said patiently. "While you and your friends were gone on to rescue those clubtail eggs, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck decided to talk to Ali. See, they knew they were getting old, and they wanted to do their best to ensure Litlefoot was settled down. So they decided to betroth him."
"What?" Cera snorted, pretending to sound surprised but remembering the conversation on this very subject she overheard the longnecks having once. "Why would they do that?"
"I think because they wanted to know that he was taken care of, and also that the two of them were once betrothed, and look how well their marriage turned out," Tria explained. "They probably assumed Littlefoot would grow to love his betrothed just like the two of them did each other. Not to mention that for dinosaurs their age, it was a different world growing up. The most common alternative to betrothal back then was a courtship duel, which needless to say Littlefoot's grandparents would do anything to keep Littlefoot out of."
Tria trailed off before saying, "Anyway, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck determined Ali would be the best longneck to betroth Littlefoot to, so they asked Ali if she would marry Littlefoot. But Ali had already figured out the two of you were in love with each other, so she declined their offer and brought me over, and together, we convinced them that they should bless your love for each other. So really, rather than trying to harm your marriage, Ali played an important part in Grandma and Grandpa and in turn the whole Valley to accept your love. So I can say with confidence there is no danger of her trying to break you two up."
Cera stared in disbelief, but deep down, she knew better than to assume Tria would lie to her. "Does anyone else know?" she asked faintly.
"Only Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer and your father, I believe," Tria said. "I don't think even Littlefoot knows the full role of Ali's involvement."
"Right," Cera said, and all the while, she felt her heart lightening considerably, with a feeling of guilt of how she treated Ali creeping over.
"Speaking of which," Tria smiled. "I think that'd be them right now."
With a nod of thanks, Cera quickly returned to the rest of her friends, pretending as though nothing happened as the two longnecks arrived.
"Hi everyone," Littlefoot greeted them, hoping for the best.
"Hey Littlefoot, Ali!" Cera exclaimed. Littlefoot beamed, surprised but very pleased with Cera's sudden shift in tone, which seemed to be very genuine. Ali sensed this too, and she became appreciably more relaxed.
Soon, both Spike and the female spiketail, who had been asleep for a while, began to wake up. The female spiketail, still in a bit of a daze, just then made eye contact with Spike. "Why hello there," she said dreamily.
Spike felt a little queasy as he grunted an acknowledgment to her greeting.
"You're not a talker?" she asked as gratefully, Spike nodded. She smiled. "That's nice. My brother's not a talker either." Taking a big sigh, she slowly said, "Nor am I. You talk too much, you miss out on other things … Scents … Sounds …. Touches …. Tastes … "
Spike stared at the spiketail in surprise. Without saying it in so many words, it seemed as though she understood the world in a way no one else but himself did. It made him feel a little warm inside to know someone else shared his perspective.
Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ducky approach them. "Hello," Ducky greeted them. "This is my brother Spike." She was a little curious to see what the spiketail would think of their interspecies siblinghood and saw her to relief that the spiketail smiled. "Spike," she repeated softly. "Nice name."
"What is your name?" Ducky asked, a little concerned she was bothering the quiet-loving spiketail. However, the spiketail seemed unfazed as she yawned, "Sophie."
Ducky smiled. "It is nice to meet you Sophie, yep yep yep."
"The same," Sophie agreed." Spike smiled as he saw his sister talk with Sophie … What a beautiful name for such a peaceful dinosaur …
Tricia then bounded up to her mother. "Mom, can we go meet the new herds now?" she asked.
"I don't see why not," Tria answered.
So the group went to the corner of the Great Valley where the new dinosaurs had set up quarters. The first of the new dinosaurs they saw were Bron's injured herd, who were being tended to by various other dinosaurs both old and new to the valley. Bron saw them approach and went to greet them. "Hello! You're all here to help out?" As everyone nodded, Bron smiled. "Excellent. Tria, why don't you take the kids out on a flower hunt? We can use some more flowers to heal some of these injuries."
Tricia and her friends all cheered about the possibility of a flower hunt, so Tria took them over to the other dinosaurs and began asking about the flowers they needed. This left Bron alone with the gang.
"Hey Dad, how are Etta and Wild Arms doing?" Littlefoot asked.
Bron smiled. "They're getting better. They're both conscious, and Ali, your friends and Shorty are taking care of them right now. Why don't you help them out?"
"Sure thing Dad," Littlefoot said, noticing as they began to look for the young longnecks.
However, Bron said, "Littlefoot, may I have a word please?"
"Sure," Littlefoot said in surprise, and he stayed behind.
Bron sighed, before saying, "Littlefoot, I'm sorry for the way I conducted myself at the meeting," Bron said. "I shouldn't have let your father-in-law get under my skin like that. I handled myself like a child."
Littlefoot nodded. "Thanks Dad," he said. "I appreciate it." Then he asked hopefully, "Will your herd be staying a while?"
"As long as your father-in-law lets us," Bron said, Littlefoot noticing clear disdain in his voice.
Littlefoot smiled. "Don't worry Dad. Mr. Threehorn's a bit suspicious at first, but he'll come around. He may say some harsh stuff, but he always has everyone's best interest at heart."
"I hope you're right," Bron said, before asking, "What do you think of Mr. Thicknose?"
"I like him a lot," Littlefoot said. "I know he's doing his best to lead our herd just like Grandma and Grandpa did."
"He is all right, isn't he?" Bron asked. "I must say I'm a bit concerned seeing what happened to him at the meeting."
"I'm sure he's just getting used to the job," Littlefoot said uncomfortably, being careful to avoid what Mr. Thicknose had told him previously. "He's never been a herd leader before, but he's got a lot of wisdom. He taught us so much growing up, and I'm sure he'll guide the Valley in the same way."
"I see," Bron said. "Well if there's anything you want to talk to me about, I'm always ready to listen, son."
"Right,"Littlefoot said, before they rubbed heads in affection, said goodbye and went their separate ways.
When Littlefoot rejoined the rest of his friends, he saw they were seated around Etta, who was lying down on the soft grass, her wings wrapped with ointment-covered leaves. In contrast, Wild Arms was flailing relentlessly as Cam and Mia were treating him, Mia trying to put the ointment-covered bandages on his injured arms as Cam worked to hold him in place.
"Ow!" Wild Arms shrieked, squinting in pain. "That hurts!"
"Relax, it'll make you feel better," Mia laughed as she tickled the longarm relentlessly with a leaf. Littlefoot smiled. It was hard to believe that these two giggly longnecks had previously given them so much trouble.
"I'm all better you know," Wild Arms insisted.
"Pfft … We've been suckered before, but we won't be suckered again!" Cam snickered as Mia tickled him with the leaf, causing him to shriek in both pain and ticklishness.
Littlefoot took his place in the circle around Etta, who beamed at him. "Well hiya, Littlefoot!" Etta said. "Gosh, you're way bigger than I remember ya! My how the time flies," she said. "Makes me feel real old!"
Littlefoot chuckled. "How are you doing?" he said. "Dad said you were really hurt."
"Well I'll tell ya, it ain't feel good, but I'll be on my feet soot enough," Etta said confidently. "Besides, your brother's getting me some painkiller plant which will fix me right up."
"He coming right now!" Petrie said turning, and sure enough, they saw Shorty's massive and unmistakable form come lumbering in, with a large clump of wild lettuce like plants. "Hey Etta," Shorty said as he approached. "I've got you your … Oh," he stopped abruptly, dropping the plants, causing Cam and Mia to erupt into a giggle fit.
"Hi Shorty," Littlefoot greeted him, pretending to ignore the awkwardness. "Come on over."
"Oh, yeah, right," Shorty said distractedly, forgetting about the painkiller plant entirely. That was one until with a sickening crunch, he felt the fragments of leaves on his foot.
"Sharptooth dirt!" Shorty shouted, lifting his foot up embarrassedly. Luckily, half of the plant was still undamaged, so he picked that up.
"Here Shorty," Ali offered, reaching out her neck to take the rest of the painkiller plant.
Shorty nodded as he moved his mouth over to hers to give her the plants, feeling a little woozy as he did. But just as their mouths made contact, he felt his jaw slacken, and before he knew it, the plant began to fall. The roots landed right on Etta's head with a big smack, causing her to slip unconscious. "Wow," Wild Arms exclaimed. "Look at that, she's knocked out! Hey ladies, can you drop a root on my head? Because I'd love to be asleep for my treatment!"
That did it. Shorty snapped, "Hey listen here Wild Arms, don't you mock me. Got it?" he shouted to the eccentric longarm, who looked very surprised.
"Shorty," Littlefoot said reasonably. "I don't think Wild Arms meant it like that."
"How else could he have meant it?" Shorty asked angrily. "If he wants a knockout, I'll give him a knockout!"
"Shorty, don't!" Littlefoot protested, but Shorty didn't listen. With a quick turn, Shorty abruptly knocked Wild Arms on the head with his tail, instantly knocking the longarm out.
As Cam and Mia nervously giggled, the gang stared at Shorty, who was glaring at Wild Arms' slumped over form. Then abruptly, he turned and ran off as fast as he could, causing a minor earthshake in his wake.
Littlefoot nodded to the others and followed Shorty, which considering his very tall stature was not at all hard to do from a distance. He quickly caught up to him, picking up painkiller plants and placing them in a pile. "Hi Shorty, are you okay?"
Shorty just grunted. Littlefoot said, "Is anything wrong?"
"Why do I have to screw up on everything?" Shorty growled.
"Cheer up Shorty," Littlefoot consoled him. "It was just an accident."
"It's not though," Shorty growled. "I've gotten so big I can control my body anymore!"
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll grow into it," Littlefoot did his best to reassure him. "Besides, there are good things about being really big. No sharptooth would dare want to fight you anymore for one! You can reach the tallest trees that not even my grandparents could've! And I bet you can do all kinds of neat tricks too," Littlefoot said, getting a little teary-eyed. "My grandpa showed me this trick once," he said, and putting his paw near a dying but very tall and thick tree's stump, Littlefoot pressed on the tree to lower its branches. Smiling, he said, "Well what do you know? I guess even I can do it now! But I'm sure you can do it better than I can."
Shorty nodded, and with a deep breath, he pressed his paw onto the big tree. At once, the upper part of the tree broke off from where Shorty stepped. "Whoa," Shorty said, looking at his handiwork in surprise. Curiously, he picked up the tree, and cranking his neck back, he flung it as hard as he could. To his surprise, it went beyond where his eyes could see and only heard it crash as it hit the ground near the Valley's edge.
"Good one!" Littlefoot said encouragingly. Shorty felt himself smile.
"Hey," Shorty peered over. "Some kids are eating the treestars! See them?"
Littlefoot craned his neck up but couldn't see the kids Shorty was talking about. "Nope," Littlefoot said. "I can just see treetops."
"Wow, really?" Shorty said. "Huh … I forgot what it was like to be short," he laughed.
"But I know those kids must be happy," Littlefoot told him. "Kids don't get the chance to eat from the tree stars up high much!"
"Oh yeah," Shorty said, and Littlefoot could tell he had restored Shorty's badly bruised confidence.
"Want to head back now?" Littlefoot said, nodding to the freshly picked painkiller plant.
"Yeah, sure," Shorty said in a contemplative way which Littlefoot did not expect.
As the two of them headed back, Littlefoot noticed something different in Shorty's walk. He was taking much smaller and lighter steps, decreasing the noise from his heavy footsteps considerably. However, he also focused on straightening his posture, and craning his neck up as high as it would go, resulting in Littlefoot not being able to get a clear look into his foster brother's eyes. As they arrived, Shorty seemed eager to correct his mistake. "I got it," he called out as he sped up toward the group. Once again, Ali reached her head out, and this time, Shorty delivered the painkiller plant without a hitch.
"How was that?" Shorty asked eagerly.
"Great, Shorty," Littlefoot said encouragingly as Ali lowered the plants to Etta and Wild Arms.
Shorty however still seemed expectant, and Littlefoot saw that his eyes were focused on the purplish longneck besides them, who didn't seem to notice anything until she heard Cam and Mia giggling nearby. "He was asking you, Ali," Cam said, and Littlefoot noticed Ali and Shorty's reactions, Shorty had begun to fiercely blush while Ali jolted in surprise, thoroughly taken aback.
"Oh … Thank you Shorty," Ali said uncertainly.
Sensing Cam and Mia ogling the two of them, Littlefoot stepped right in front of Cam and Mia asked, "We were going to check on the spiketails. Do you think you can manage Etta and Wild Arms okay?"
"Oh … Yes," Mia cheerily giggled.
So the group then said goodbye and headed off. "Me no understand why they act like that," Petrie said.
"Well, those two always have been something, all right," Cera snarked.
"At least they are nice now, yes they are," Ducky chirped in.
"That's just how they've always been, if you know what I mean," Ali said, some relief apparent in her voice. Shorty too seemed relieved.
The spiketail herd was not far away, fully settled in their corner, grazing and lying around. That was, except for one particularly rambunctious young spiketail. Excitedly, he came running over to them. "Heya Spike!" Tippy said, and Spike delighted to see his best friend, ran back at him. His heart light and innocent, Spike ran at Tippy, and the two collided in a heap, before excitedly beginning to wrestle together. Their wrestling got more and more boisterous as together the two spiketails began rolling over to the watering hole, which they eventually landed in with a splash, splashing a few drinking spiketails, giving them a refreshing cooldown, and causing the whole gang, including Spike and Tippy to laugh.
"Well, welcome back," Tippy's mom said happily to the others as Spike and Tippy began to tail-swat a melon to one another. "I must say … Visiting this place in the season of new growth is very nice … Rather than the cold times like we usually do," she smiled.
"This is what the Valley's usually like," Littlefoot said happily.
"Oh yes it is, yep yep yep," Ducky agreed.
"Really!" Tippy's mom exclaimed. "You mean even with all those cold times, you don't get many food shortages here?"
"Well no, how else can Spike get as big as he is?" Cera quipped.
Tippy's mom however, then noticed the other spiketail in the group. "Why Sophie!" she said in surprise. "I didn't know you knew Spike and his friends!"
"Just met them today," Sophie said dreamily as she yawned.
"We kinda met by accident," Chomper laughed. "You sleep so good everyone thought you were a giant rock!" to which Sophie smiled and nodded. "Spike seems to like her though."
"Does he really?" Tippy's mother asked Sophie, who nodded. "I like him too," she said.
"How nice," Tippy's mother said as Sophie yawned and turned to Littlefoot and his friends. "I'm getting tired. It was nice meeting you,"
"You too," Littlefoot said, and Sophie shuffled over to a mossy spot near where Spike and Tippy were playing and with a single yawn, she put her head on her front paws and went to sleep. Spike then looked over at her sleeping peacefully and realized just how tired all that playing made him, and so he yawned too and drifted off. Tippy looked at the two sleepy spiketails and then followed suit in taking a rest nearby them.
"Well that's interesting," Tippy's mom said thoughtfully.
"What is?" Ducky asked curiously.
"Oh sorry, I was just talking to myself … It's just that … Well, I haven't seen Tippy and Sophie together like this since Sophie joined our herd. Tippy is usually so energetic, while Sophie is much lower key. They don't have very much in common, but … It seems like they both get along with Spike very well," she said thoughtfully.
"Yep yep yep, that is Spike all right, it is," Ducky said cheerily.
They then heard loud, heavy footsteps, and Mr. Threehorn walked in, watching the spiketails keenly.
"Hi Daddy!" Cera said in surprise.
"Hey Cera," Mr. Threehorn nodded warmly, and he took a moment to rub frills with his daughter. Fortunately, the moment seemed to warm Mr. Threehorn's demeanor a bit as he then turned to Tippy's mom. "Good day," Mr. Threehorn said courteously. "Settling in well?"
"Yes, thank you Mr. Threehorn," said Tippy's mom.
"Has Thicknose met with you yet?" Mr. Threehorn asked.
"No, but I'm sure he will soon," Tippy's mom said.
"All right then," Mr. Threehorn said brusquely. "Well then, you have a plan for tackling our pricky plants!"
"We've started on them," Tippy's mom assured him. "But we do find them to be quite difficult to digest, so it make some time for us to rid the valley of them entirely," she warned.
"Well just make sure you get it done, that's all," Mr. Threehorn said before saying, "I'd like to have a talk with my son-in-law real quick."
"Okay," Littlefoot said somewhat taken aback, but he obliged and followed his father-in-law out to a secluded part just outside the spiketails' canyon
"Littlefoot, I'm ashamed with what I put you through ... I didn't mean to make that so personal for you," Mr. Threehorn said awkwardly.
"What?" Littlefoot said, before remembering the meeting. "Oh yeah … No hard feelings, Mr. Threehorn," Littlefoot said reassuringly.
"Good," Mr. Threehorn said, but Littlefoot could tell Mr. Threehorn was just getting started.
"Are you doing all right Mr. Threehorn?" Littlefoot asked.
"As fine as ever," Mr. Threehorn said. "Especially knowing that you are taking good care of my daughter. It's just … Well, somebody has to take good care of this valley. Your grandparents and I had our arguments, but they always seemed to know what they were doing. Now I'm not so sure," he said before abruptly asking, "So Littlefoot. You may not be of an age to lead the valley, but you know your grandparents better than anyone. Do you think they'd think Mr. Thicknose is up to the job?"
"Uh …" Littlefoot said, taken aback. "Well, they'd certainly say he's trying hard, and I think Grandma and Grandpa would definitely want us to give him a chance," Littlefoot said evasively, being careful to avoid letting slip any details of the conversation he had with Mr. Thicknose.
Mr. Threehorn nodded. "I see," he said thoughtfully. "Well, he is a senior dinosaur who everyone can respect, even I have to say that … And there are far worse dinosaurs that could have their claws on power than him," he growled. "Ones who lust for power or simply know nothing about the Valley ... I'm just a little unsure about his mental fortitude, his ability to make tough decisions or his being confident in leading others. As much as I disagreed with them at times, your grandparents always were comfortable standing their ground on anything. And they would never pass out under pressure," he said pointedly.
"Well, I'm sure Mr. Thicknose is getting used to the job," Littlefoot said reasonably. "He's got to feel overwhelmed with all the responsibility he has now."
Mr. Threehorn chuckled. "You do sound like your grandfather … Thank you, Littlefoot. Just do me one favor, all right?"
"What is it?" Littlefoot asked.
"Let me know in case you ever feel Mr. Thicknose's leadership would make your grandparents concerned," Mr. Threehorn said deliberately. "For the way they left the Valley to us is their legacy, and I want to do everything in my power to make sure it never collapses."
"Right," Littlefoot said, unsure of what to make of this request. "But if you're concerned in any way, I'm sure you can tell Mr. Thicknose. I know Grandpa and Grandma always listened and appreciated your input. And I know Mr. Thicknose respects you and will listen to your advice just like my grandparents did. You always added valuable insights to help make their decisions."
Topps nodded in understanding. "Well, I best let you go back to your friends. See you later then, Littlefoot."
"Bye," Littlefoot said as Mr. Threehorn lumbered steadily away.
As Littlefoot got back, Spike had woken up from his nap, and so they said goodbye to Tippy, his mom, Sophie and the other spiketails, they went off to see the last group of new dinosaurs, Ruby's parents' herd, who were in a small canyon bordering the Great Wall. To their surprise, they saw someone standing behind a rock, seemingly watching Ruby's family's herd.
"That's Guido," Ruby said. "I wonder what he's doing here?"
"Me go talk to him," Petrie gently flew over to approach the little glider, and tapped him on the shoulder "Hi Guido."
Guido recoiled and gasped in surprise before sighing in relief. "Oh Petrie! I didn't expect you to see here!"
"What you doing, anyway?" Petrie asked.
"Just … Looking," Guido said uncertainly as the others caught up.
"Why, Guido?" Petrie asked.
"Well …" Guido said slowly before abruptly turning to Chomper. "Hey Chomper, have you ever been curious about well … Your kind?"
"Yes," Chomper said, a little surprised. "I took a journey once to see if any wanted to be friends, and well, that didn't work very well," he smiled sheepishly.
"Well, I've kinda been curious about my own kind," Guido said. "I still haven't seen any dinosaurs like me. And apart from you Ruby, I haven't seen any other dinosaur that's feathered … But well, just look at them! None of them are like me, but a lot of them are feathered! And them being farwalkers … Maybe they have some clue as to who I am!"
"I suppose they might know things that I don't know," Ruby said thoughtfully. "But I wouldn't expect them to know much more than I know."
"Want me to take you there?" Petrie asked kindly. "Me can introduce you if you wish."
"Me? Talk to … Them?" Guido said in surprise. "Err … I was only thinking about watching them." Guido said.
"Don't worry Guido, my family's herd will like you just like you will like them," Ruby reassured him.
"Er … Well, okay," Guido said queasily.
So Ruby went into her family's clearing, with most of her friends following, with Petrie and Guido hanging back for Petrie to give Guido a pep talk. "Well hello Mom and Dad," she called out.
Immediately, the group turned with a jolt, but upon seeing who it was, they looked more relieved. "Ruby!" her father said, as he and his wife ran to her. "It's nice to see you again."
"How are you all settling in?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, pretty well," Ruby's mother said. "It truly is a wonderful place, Ruby. Just like you always told us … We and the kids couldn't be happier."
"Speaking of which, how are Opal and Garnet doing?" Ruby's father asked.
"Oh," Cera laughed. "They're playing with my sister and their other friends. They're with my mom, but still, who knows what kind of trouble they're gonna get into."
Littlefoot was about to reassure Ruby's father, but Ruby's father instead cracked a smile. "You must be Cera. Oh yes, Ruby's told us all about you."
"What does he mean by that, Ruby?" Cera asked in mock indignation as the others snickered.
"Nothing bad, Cera," Ruby said. "I just told them about you, for about you there is a lot to tell."
"And I can recognize you of course, Chomper," Ruby's mother said. "Albeit you've grown up a lot since we met!"
"Yep, and I've grown too big for bugs too!" Chomper said cheerfully as Ruby's parents just looked at each other and smiled.
"And we've met you before, Ducky and Spike," Ruby's father said as Spike nodded and Ducky giggled. "Though I can't believe how much you've grown either! Time flies …"
"Speaking of flies, where's your flier friend, Petrie?" Ruby's mother asked.
"He'll be here soon," Littlefoot said reassuringly.
"And you're Littlefoot of course," Ruby's mother said to Littlefoot who smiled warmly back at them.
"Which leaves you two," Ruby's father thoughtfully said to Ali and Shorty. After looking at his wife who also looked puzzled, he ventured, "Ruby told us that Littlefoot has a brother."
"That'd be me," Shorty said eagerly. "I'm Shorty."
A couple of Ruby's parents' herd members snickered at this, and Shorty seemed annoyed. Littlefoot noticed this and intervened. "We're adopted brothers, and he's lived with my dad and his herd while I grew up in the Valley with my grandparents."
Ruby's parents nodded in understanding, before turning to Ali, who seemed a little hurt. Sensing this, Ruby's mother quickly asked, "Are you Littlefoot's sister, then?"
"Close! I'm his cousin, Ali," she introduced herself.
"And though she didn't grow up with us, we've known her for a long time and we'll always be really good friends," Littlefoot added warmly.
"Yep! Besides, it's always nice to have another girl friend," Cera said, ignoring surprised gazes from the others as she smiled and nodded to Ali who smiled a little back in turn.
Littlefoot then casually asked, "So how did you meet your herd and who are they?"
"Well, it was kind of an accident," Ruby's father explained. "We kept running into some clawhands in the area," he said gesturing towards them, a group of six including one very young hatchling, all colored similarly to Ozzy and Strut, except notably their claws on both their hands and feet were much duller, similar to those of Ruby's parents and they were quite a bit rounder in bulk and appearance, who were dozing together. "They're mostly awake during the night circle's time in the sky. For a long time we thought they were eggstealers, so we tried to stay out of their way. But early one morning, we saw them actually eating sweet bubbles."
"It was the strangest sight," Ruby's mother agreed. "But then we realized we may have been wrong about them. They may be just like us, dinosaurs who are misunderstood by some flat-teeth to be eggstealers, but really peaceful green-eaters at heart."
"I still do not understand why those nesting bigmouths would attack you," Ducky marveled. "You are not egg thieves, no no no!"
"You simply cannot be too careful in the Mysterious Beyond," Ruby's father cautioned. "I'm sure you know from Ruby that we do eat an occasional snapping shell now and then. Most fast runners are like us, with mostly plant-based diets. But others have opted to include eggs in their diet for their red food … And for a few of them, it is even their favorite source of food. While we personally would never eat an egg, others don't share our values. And as a result, our kind in general have earned the mistrust of flat-teeth. Especially nesting bigmouths, who tend to be especially territorial of their nests. We could not even see the mounds of eggs and could barely smell them, but it was close enough for the nesting bigmouths to get defensive."
"That prejudice," Littlefoot asked thoughtfully. "Is that why you've never asked to come to the Great Valley before?"
Ruby's mother nodded. "Yes. And besides, we knew that we, being adults of a suspicious kind, would've only make it harder for Chomper and Ruby to stay here. And we never wanted to do anything to jeopardize that, for we would've blamed for any misfortune that befell the Great Valley."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Littlefoot said sadly, thinking back to the time when Doc visited and he was blamed for the Valley's misfortunes.
"So when we talked to the clawhands, we discovered they indeed were leafeaters. And soon afterward, we formed a pact with them. We offered a pact that if they would watch over us during the night, we would watch over them in the day. That would allow all of us to get some rest without fear of attack," Ruby's father said.
"Soon, other families joined our pact, giving us days off from constantly keeping an eye out for each other, and our little alliance was born," Ruby's mother said. "We've pretty much kept to doing our own things, just as we have before we met up. But we know the others can be trusted, for we all promised to stick to a mostly green and completely dinosaur-free diet. It may be just a promise of word … But in the Mysterious Beyond, it was all we could have asked for. And to date, after many passings of the bright circle, none of us have broken our promise," Ruby's mother finished explaining.
Ruby's father then turned to her daughter. "Thank you Ruby, for encouraging us to come here. Your actions likely saved our herd's lives, for if we stayed, the blood we would have left would most likely have attracted sharpteeth, who we would be in no condition to run from after our injuries."
Ruby smiled. "It's the least I can give you for all considering all that you've given me," she said as she hugged each of her parents in turn.
"We'll have a lot of time together when we heal up," Ruby's mother said. "And when we'll leave, we'll be completely healthy again."
Ruby however, interjected. "You know, you have been granted residency … And no one is saying you can't stay a resident."
"Oh yes!" Ducky exclaimed. "You can live here forever, yep yep yep!"
"You took your vows, just like Ruby and I did," Chomper added. "Why not?"
"Yeah, and I know Sis would have a fit if she found out Garnet and Pearl were leaving," Cera smirked.
"I know Grandma and Grandpa would be okay with you staying here," Littlefoot said kindly. "So everyone else, if they want to follow their example, should as well."
Ruby's parents looked uncomfortable. "Well that's really nice," Ruby's father said. "But we do not want to wear out our welcome … And we're not sure if we'll ever really be accepted into the Valley, if you know what I mean."
"Yes," Ruby's mother agreed. "Besides," she said quietly, making sure the others were not within earshot. "We're in a pact with the others … And we don't know if the others would want to stay. Does our selfishness really justify potentially putting them in peril?"
"Well, maybe they all want to stay," Littlefoot suggested. "Why don't we go meet them?"
"Okay," Ruby's father said, and gathered the rest of the noteeth over. They all came over hesitantly. The group consisted of six other fast-runners, five clawhands, one of whom was a very young hatchling, three longarms and two rainbow faces..
"Everyone," Ruby's father said, "My daughter and her friends have came to say hello."
The group introduced themselves – the other fast-runners were named Ovie, Wiley, Sander, Chapp, Kitty and Gov, the four adult clawhands were named Stevie, Rob, Rich, and Jennifer, with the hatchling being named Thio, the three longarms were named Ced, Yelli, and Ius, where the two rainbow faces were named Pet and Roy. All of them seemed very nervous upon introducing themselves, and were clearly uncomfortable. Littlefoot knew that they needed some reassurance, so he began.
"The Great Valley truly is a nice place to live," he said warmly. "I know it seems scary being in a new place, especially with some … Well, less open dinosaurs," Littlefoot admitted. "But most of them are really, really nice, and soon enough they'll open to you."
"Yeah right," came a gruff voice. "When longnecks fly."
Littlefoot groaned silently as from around the corner came Hyp, with Mutt and Nod in tow. All three were carrying leaves; evidently it was their turn for poop duty.
"You're really trying to tell them they'll be liked?" Hyp asked. "If it wasn't for stupid Thicknose and your parents being in the group," Hyp nodded to Ruby, "They wouldn't even be let in. And some of us don't think you should be here either."
"Yeah!" Mutt agreed. "I don't like poop duty!"
"Nor do I!" Nod added.
"At this rate, I'd say you guys deserve it," Cera said. "Now go clean up that poop and shut up."
"Hey, I'm older than you," Hyp snarled at Cera. "You can't tell me what to do!"
"Well, I'm bigger now," Cera boasted, causing Hyp to seethe with rage. "And I've got three horns with each of your names on them if you don't watch it!"
Cursing, Hyp, Mutt and Nod gathered up the poop as quickly as they could. They looked through it hopefully, but at the end Hyp grumpily crumpled up the poop leaves and chucked the leaves at the canyon's wall before sulking off, Mutt and Nod at his side.
"Sorry about that," Littlefoot said kindly. "They're just upset about being on poop duty."
"We understand," Ruby's father said uncertainly, for the rest of the group didn't respond, and instead, seemed more nervous.
Meanwhile, Petrie had just finished giving Guido a final pep talk. "You ready?" Petrie asked, as Guido just nodded and gulped, and Petrie flew him over.
"Hey Ruby parent herd," Petrie greeted as he sat down. "Me Petrie, another one of Ruby friends. And me have a friend me want you to meet."
"Erm, hi," Guido said, awkwardly coming around from behind Petrie "My name's Guido. And uh … I don't know what I am. And since you all have feathers like me … And no teeth … I was wondering if you could tell me," he finished with a stutter.
Ruby's parents looked thoughtfully at Guido. "To tell you the truth, I've never seen a dinosaur like you before," Ruby's father said thoughtfully as his wife nodded.
Most of the others didn't seem to realize what Guido was either, but one of the rainbow faces seemed quite nervous, pointing at Guido, his arm trembling.
"What's wrong Roy?" Ruby's mother said concernedly.
"Sh … Sh … Sharptooth!" Roy screamed loudly. The others, besides from Ruby's parents, began to react too.
Guido froze, his heart dropping like a stone. He was wondered why he had not been able to eat leaves like everyone else. But as that possible truth, which he never thought about, began to occur to him, he looked at his wings helplessly. He had always thought of himself as a glider, and being able to speak leafeater, that was the group he always identified as part of. But could his kind really be that of a sharptooth? That his kind was not meant to eat crawlers, and instead, to eat other dinosaurs? Feeling his mouth, he needed to make sure that pointy fangs were not growing inside …
"Hey! Guido no sharptooth!" Petrie said, standing in front of him defensively. "No call him that!"
"Yeah, he told you, he's got no teeth!" Cera snapped.
"He's too small to hurt you anyway," Shorty smirked, chuckling.
"And even if he's a sharptooth, he's no more of a danger than I am," Chomper insisted, not realizing the strength in his quickly maturing voice sounded quite ferocious.
"Guido's lived with us since we were kids," Littlefoot said calmly. "And all he's ever eaten are crawlers. He won't hurt anyone."
The tumult quieted down and most of Ruby's parents' herd quieted down, all of them, even Roy, mumbling apologies. But the damage had been done, as Guido still was looking at himself in terror.
"I think we better leave," Ruby whispered to her parents, who nodded understandingly, and after some quick goodbyes, the group walked off.
Tired from their busy day, Littlefoot couldn't help but be consumed by his thoughts. As they all sat down on a hilly overlook, Ali's, Shorty's, and Guido's struggles all weighed heavily on his mind, indeed all three of them seemed to be brooding in their own thoughts, though at least Cera's brief gripe with Ali seemed to have resolved. So did his father and father-in-law's feud and Pterano's unexpected interest in it, which he hoped would quickly resolve. Then there was Mr. Thicknose and his concerns about leading the Valley. As much as Littlefoot had faith in Mr. Thicknose, he knew that he wasn't that much younger than his grandparents and saw how badly the pressure had already gotten to him. Not to mention that all three of Pterano, Bron and Mr. Threehorn had expressed some reservations with Mr. Thicknose already. Was he ready to face the all the tumult that might be coming his way? Littlefoot felt the gaze of his other six friends upon him and Ali, Shorty and Guido in turn. He could feel their worry, and wanted to do something to reassure them. But what could he do when so many problems remained unanswered?
"There you are," came a jeer, and turning, they saw Hyp gloatingly looking at them. "Hornface, Mutt, Nod and I told Thicknose about threatening us. He says you're to do my poop duty tomorrow. Smell ya!" he said, tearing off, laughing.
"Great," Cera seethed. "What next?"
But as soon as she asked, a sparkle of light emerged, and two familiar dinosaurs, slim two-footers sporting a green body with blue stripes, had suddenly appeared right in front of them. Everyone jolted back, Ali and Shorty looked at each other in disbelief, and Guido asked, "Why do weird things seem to happen when I'm around?".
"Very perceptive," the male rainbow face said smoothly.
Confusedly, the ten dinosaurs looked at each other. "Err … Hello," Littlefoot said uncertainly.
"Greetings," the rainbow faces said simultaneously.
The two of them stared at Littlefoot and his friends expectantly, who looked puzzled as they sat in silence. Then Littlefoot tentatively asked, "You want to ask us you questions, right?"
"Correct," the female rainbow face said with a knowing smirk.
"Well then, why have you come to see us?" Littlefoot asked.
"To give you fair warning," the female rainbow face said cryptically.
Littlefoot heard Cera huff impatiently and the others look confusedly.
"Warning about what?" Ducky asked.
"Challenges," the female rainbow face said. "The outcome of which will impact billions and billions of future possibilities."
The group looked confused. "What's a billion?" Chomper asked as the others nodded.
"An amount beyond your wildest imaginations," the female rainbow face answered.
Cera lost patience. "Can you actually tell us something useful?" she barked.
"We don't tell, do we?" the female rainbow face said, at which point, the male rainbow face interjected. "You know Megte, I think we'd better give them a little more to go on."
The female rainbow face snapped. "Haven't I told you? Our names should be kept secret."
"Well I don't see why we shouldn't give them that," the male rainbow face insisted. "We keep seeing these young ones, and with everything that will happen, we will keep seeing them in the future. The name's Neo, by the way," he said as Megte tutted. "And I suggest we offer four clues."
"Oh all right," Megte said reluctantly.
"Here is the first clue," Neo said. "The stream of changes has only begun. Which if unabated might force your world to split into more than one."
"Second," Neo said. "Your path is darkened by your lack of years. But light may come from that of your peers."
"Third," Neo said. "Threads may snap and the web may break. But to keep it together, you must put new threads in their wake. "
"And fourth," Neo said. "When you know what you need, your actions must feed. For a lack of that vision can only lead to division."
Meg nodded approvingly as the gang tried processing all this. "What does this even mean?" Petrie asked.
"That would be telling, wouldn't it?" Neo said, and together, he and Megte disappeared into the light.
"Wait!" the group cried out, but it was no good. The rainbow faces were gone, just as suddenly as they had appeared.