"The Skullcrawlers took Ducky?!" Chomper panicked, having heard the news from Petrie with Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, and Ruby all present in his and Ruby's cave.
"Shhhh, not so loud, Chomper," Ruby hushed.
"B-but, but, what if they come for me next?!" Chomper hyperventilated.
"That's EXACTLY what they'll do if you don't stop talking," Cera teased, causing Chomper to whimper and curl himself up in a ball, trembling. "Panicking attracts Skullcrawlers. They loooove to feed on fear."
"Leave him alone, Cera!" Ruby snapped.
"Everybody calm down," Littlefoot soothed. "We have to think about Ducky."
"I'd hate to break it to you, Littlefoot, but the Skullcrawlers probably gobbled her up by now," Cera said. "She's gone."
Spike began to cry, and he whimpered, "Ducky."
"No, Ducky NOT gone!" Petrie argued. "Skullcrawlers took Petrie too! Petrie saw Ducky, and Speaking Skullcrawler told Petrie come back and tell all of you! He say we must go meet him in Mysterious Beyond if we want Ducky back! That what Petrie was trying to tell you guys!"
"Then we've got to go into the Mysterious Beyond and save Ducky!" Littlefoot told his friends.
"Littlefoot, what if it's a trap?" Cera asked.
"We'll have to take our chances," Littlefoot answered. "We rescued Ducky before, and we can do it again! We can't let the Skullcrawlers hurt her!"
"Me agree, Littlefoot!" Petrie said.
"Eh-heh," Spike nodded, smiling.
"I will help find Ducky," Ruby joined. "Ducky needs our help!"
Cera groaned and said, "We're going to get in SO much trouble."
"Chomper, are you coming?" Littlefoot asked his little sharptooth friend.
Chomper was still curled up, shaking and whimpering.
"Guess it's best we leave him behind," Cera said. "Besides, panicking young Sharpteeth attract Skullcrawlers, so Chomper would only put us in danger."
"Chomper, Cera is lying to you!" Ruby told her friend. "What Cera told you is a lie!"
"It is?" Chomper questioned, looking up at Ruby.
Cera huffed and rolled her eyes, annoyed with Ruby, but Chomper was still a bit hesitant to let go of his fear.
"But what about-" the young sharptooth began.
"I'm right here with you," Ruby soothed, extending a hand to Chomper. Chomper then took Ruby's hand and got up.
"Alright, there's no time to lose, let's go!" Littlefoot enjoined.
Littlefoot and all his friends ran for the Mysterious Beyond. Surprisingly, there were no Skullcrawlers in sight as they ran. No sign of the Great Valley residents who volunteered for night patrol either. They managed to reach the Mysterious Beyond within a few minutes and took a brief moment to rest so they could catch their breath and think about what they were going to do next. The Mysterious Beyond was more dangerous territory, home to some of the most ghastly predators they've ever seen, so they had to be careful.
"Alright, Petrie, at this point, I need you to take the lead," Littlefoot panted. "You know where to find Ducky, right?"
Before Petrie could answer, a female voice inquired, "Ducky? You mean that little green creature in the boneyard?"
Somewhat startled, Littlefoot and his friends looked around, and the female voice said to them, "Up here."
Littlefoot and his friends all looked up and saw the golden chatterer hanging from a rocky pillar above them. She quickly swung and climbed her way down to talk to them.
"You all must be Ducky's friends," the golden chatterer said.
"How did you know that?" Littlefoot asked.
"Who are you?" Cera interrogated. "And WHAT are you?"
"That's a chatterer," Chomper said.
"Yep, that's me, a chatterer," the golden chatterer affirmed.
"A what?" Cera questioned.
"You'll see what we're known for later on, kid, but I'm not going to embarrass myself in front of you guys," the golden chatterer explained. "Anyways, my name's Goldie. My brother rescued your friend Ducky. Last I saw them, they were hiding in one of the skulls in the boneyard. My brother sent me to come find you guys while he and my boyfriend kept the Skullcrawlers busy."
"Wait a minute, how did you guys know about us?" Cera inquired suspiciously.
"You guys? Easy, the Speaking Skullcrawler gave it away when he told the little birdie to come back and tell you guys that they had Ducky," Goldie replied. "We heard the whole thing, and that's when we developed our little rescue plan."
"Rescue plan?" Cera asked.
"Don't worry, kid, we've got it figured out," Goldie answered. "Now come on, all of you! Follow me if you want your friend back!"
"Let's go, guys!" Littlefoot commanded, as he and his friends all followed after Goldie.
Meanwhile, Ducky was still hiding in the three-horn skull, huddled and shivering, as the two male chatterers were struggling to keep both Bone Scar and the Speaking Skullcrawler distracted without being seen. Bone Scar was moving around wildly, shrieking in fury as he continued to be pelted with rocks. The Speaking Skullcrawler was lurking around in search of the ones who dared to throw rocks at him and Bone Scar, and the chatterers had to be very attentive and sneaky to avoid being spotted.
"Oh, I hope someone will rescue me soon," Ducky lamented. "I do, I do."
That moment, Goldie, Littlefoot, and the others had spotted the three-horn skull where Ducky was hiding, and Goldie pointed it out.
"There, that's where your friend is," Goldie whispered Littlefoot and his friends. "You guys know what to do, right?"
Littlefoot and his friends all nodded in affirmation. Petrie swiftly flew into the three-horn skull, and Goldie jumped, climbed, and swung her way on top behind one of the top horns. She beckoned Littlefoot and the others forward, and they all carefully made their way into the three-horn skull as Goldie kept watch. Unbeknownst to the group, someone else was watching them, and things were about to take a dark turn.
Inside the three-horn skull, Ducky was delighted to see Petrie return.
"Petrie, you came back, you did, you did!" Duckie silently squealed, struggling to contain her excitement as she hugged Petrie.
"Yes, and Petrie brought Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, Ruby, and Chomper too," Petrie said as the rest of their friends entered into the skull.
Before they could celebrate, the skull was suddenly lifted and flipped on its head. Goldie shrieked, as she was sent tumbling from one of the horns. Littlefoot and his friends all gasped, and Ducky and Petrie embraced each other in fear, as they saw a hungry Bone Scar standing right in front of them.
"It is a Skullcrawler!" Ducky cried.
All the young dinosaurs turned around as the fallen three-horn skull was rolled to the side by the Speaking Skullcrawler, who trapped a frightened Goldie by the tail before she could run off.
Goldie struggled to free herself as the Speaking Skullcrawler lowered his jaws down right above the nape of her neck and taunted her, saying, "Sssso, you thought you could interfere? You thought you could ssssneak our prey away from us, did you, CHATTERER?!"
Bone Scar laughed and licked his lips, as the Speaking Skullcrawler continued, "Quite a pathetic rescue plan if you assssk me. You've played all sssseven of these little ones into our handsss, which is eckssssactly what I wanted."
Lightning flashed, thunder boomed, and heavy rain fell. Bone Scar began to drool and cackle as the Speaking Skullcrawler looked up at Littlefoot and his friends, saying with a devilish smirk, "It'ssss quite a shhhame your time hassss come sssso ssssoon, little onessss."
SCHLAK! The Speaking Skullcrawler roared in pain as a makeshift bone spear jabbed into his side, causing him to let go of Goldie (who quickly joined Littlefoot and his friends). The bone spear was too small to be lethal, but strong enough to cause pain and temporarily stir him. He looked to his right, and there was the tan tufted chatterer that rescued Ducky earlier. The Speaking Skullcrawler menacingly growled at him, but he showed no signs of fear.
SCHLAK! Bone Scar was suddenly speared from the other side, just like the Speaking Skullcrawler, and he turned to see the muscular chatterer standing there. Bone Scar shrieked in the muscular chatterer's face, but he too showed no signs of fear.
"OOH! HOOH! HOOH! HOOH! HOO! AH! AH! AHHHH!" Both the tan tufted chattered and the muscular chatterer beat their chests, making loud calling noises. This immediately summoned more chatterers, with rocks and spears at hand to combat the Skullcrawlers. They all hooted and screamed, filling up the air with almost unbearable noise.
Littlefoot and his friends all cringed, and Petrie covered his ears, saying, "That why they called chatterers!"
"You mangy mammalssss want a war, do you? I'll give you a war," the Speaking Skullcrawler growled. He then threw his head back and loudly shrieked, summoning more Skullcrawlers up from the underground, and gave the command, "ATTACK!"
At that moment, Skullcrawlers lunged upon the chatterers, and chatterers dodged for their lives whilst hurling rocks and spears in defense. Some Skullcrawlers were brought down by the strategic attacks of the chatterers, whilst some of the chatterers were trampled and/or devoured. Goldie, Littlefoot, and all of Littlefoot's friends all shuffled around, trying to avoid getting trampled by the Skullcrawlers as the chatterers battled them. One attempted to gobble up Goldie in one bite, but the muscular chatterer dove and pushed her out of the way, taking her place. The muscular chatterer was strong though, and would not go down the Skullcrawler's throat without a fight, as he held the reptilian predator's jaws open with his hands and feet.
"Simio, no!" Goldie screamed, reaching out a hand with tears welling in her eyes.
Before Simio's strength could give out… SCHLAK! The Skullcrawler shrieked in pain, releasing Simio from its jaws, as the same tan chatterer who rescued Ducky stabbed its neck with another makeshift bone spear.
"Oh, Simio!" Goldie cried, rushing to hug him. "Don't ever scare me like that again, you moron!"
"Babe, I was trying to save you," Simio told his girlfriend, wiping tears from her eyes.
The two chatterers then watched as the tan chatterer leapt onto the shrieking Skullcrawler's shoulders, rolled down its back, and weaved in between its shuffling legs before cartwheeling out in front of him. The Skullcrawler roared in fury at the tan chatterer, who seized upon the opportunity to pelt a rock right into its open mouth. The Skullcrawler immediately choked on the rock and struggled to keep its balance whilst clasping its throat and gagging. Cera gave charge and rammed into the Skullcrawler's free claw, causing it to fall down on its belly.
"Stay here, babe!" Simio ordered Goldie as he rushed toward the fallen Skullcrawler's side.
"Simio, what are you DOING?!" Goldie called after him.
Simio rammed and pushed against the Skullcrawler, attempting to roll the creature onto its back. Littlefoot and the others rushed to his aid and helped him push. After a brief struggle, the Skullcrawler was successfully rolled onto its back the tan chatterer made a finishing move by leaping up over the reptile and driving the spear into its heart.
The tan chatterer joined Goldie as the Skullcrawler writhed in agony and died, and Goldie said to him, "Nice work, Milo."
"I do my best, sis," Milo replied. "Now, we've got to focus on getting the kids outta here."
"Are you sure they can't handle the battle?" Simio asked. "They just helped us take down a Skullcrawler."
"Yeah, the same one that almost ate you alive!" Goldie reprimanded.
Milo and Goldie both dodged as another Skullcrawler attempted to catch them with its tongue.
"Like you fare any better, babe!" Simio argued.
Simio, Littlefoot, and the others scrambled out of the way as the Skullcrawler attempted to clamp down on them with its jaws. Goldie threw rocks to divert its attention away from her boyfriend and the kids, and Milo partially blinded the Skullcrawler with a spear to the eye. Simio then lifted Cera overhead and threw her horn-first into the Skullcrawler's side, injuring the predatory reptile and causing it to fall. More chatterers swarmed upon the fallen Skullcrawler and attacked it mercilessly, giving an opportunity for Milo, Goldie, and Simio to get Littlefoot and his friends to safety.
"Now's our chance, come on!" Milo beckoned.
Everyone followed after Milo, fighting their way through Skullcrawlers and weaving their way through dinosaur skeletons. Both chatterers and Skullcrawlers fell as they fled, but they were diligent to escape the battle so that Littlefoot and all his friends (especially Ducky) could return safely to the Great Valley. They all seemed to be carrying along well, but two Skullcrawlers had their sights set on them. The Speaking Skullcrawler and Bone Scar.
Eventually, Milo, Goldie, Simio, Littlefoot, and the others stopped to catch their breath in a somewhat circular, open area in the graveyard. There laid the skeletal remains of two gigantic creatures that were somewhat like the chatterers, but much broader, bulkier, and with mountainous heads and no tails. The atmosphere was silent and gave off somewhat of an eerie feeling. Petrie particularly did not take a liking to it.
"This place no feel right," Petrie commented.
"No," Ducky said, panting. "But we should be safe here for a little while. We should, we should."
"Well, we'd better get out of here soon before the Skullcrawlers find us," Cera huffed.
Chomper felt uneasy and trembled as he examined the skeletons, and Cera questioned him, saying, "Hey, Chomper, what's with you?"
"N-n-nothing," Chomper stammered. He looked around and asked Littlefoot, "Uh, L-Littlefoot, are you feeling rested up yet?"
"Pretty much," Littlefoot replied. "We have to think about everyone else though."
Littlefoot noticed Goldie mourning over the skeletons, and the young longneck innocently asked her, "Goldie, what's wrong?"
Goldie looked at Littlefoot sorrowfully, but before she could say anything, Simio called out, "KIDS, I FOUND A TUNNEL!"
Everyone looked up and saw a rocky tunnel in the distance, as Simio continued, "YOU CAN ALL ESCAPE THROUGH HERE!"
"Nice work, Simio!" Milo told his comrade.
"But Milo, aren't you guys going with us?" Littlefoot asked.
"We have to help our kind," Milo told him, whilst quickly crafting another bone spear.
"Well, gee, thanks, we can get back to the Great Valley ourselves anyway!" Cera called after the tan chatterer.
"Goldie, come on, we have to go back and help our kind," Milo nudged his sister. Goldie would not move though.
"Goldie?" Milo questioned. He put down his bone spear, knelt in front of Goldie, put his hands on her face and asked with concern, "Goldie, sister, are you alright?"
Before Goldie could answer, there was some brief rumbling noise, followed by some predatory reptilian noise. Milo and Goldie both flinched, and Littlefoot and his friends all gasped when they noticed the Speaking Skullcrawler had pounced up on top of one of the skeletons.
"Missss me?" the Speaking Skullcrawler teased. He shot his tongue at the two chatterers, but they quickly leapt in opposite directions to dodge the attack.
Littlefoot and his friends all fled as the Speaking Skullcrawler lept in between the two skeletons, ready to give chase.
"In the tunnel, kids, quick!" Simio called, using his hands to guide them toward the entrance.
POW! Simio was forced to leap back as Bone Scar burst up out of the ground and shrieked in the faces of Littlefoot and his friends.
Littlefoot and his friends huddled up together, with the three chatters guarding them on all sides, as the Speaking Skullcrawler and Bone Scar closed in.
"Thissss petty little game endssss now!" the Speaking Skullcrawler menacingly hissed.
The Speaking Skullcrawler and Bone Scar both readied themselves to pounce, but before they could… "CHRAAOOAAAARR!"
A furious roar echoed its way down from the mountains, causing all the warring chatterers and Skullcrawlers to freeze in silence. Littlefoot and his friends were all petrified, but Milo, Goldie, and Simio all looked hopeful. The Speaking Skullcrawler growled in anger and contempt, but Bone Scar looked around and trembled in fear.
"Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Chomper, th-th-th-th-that-" Petrie began.
"Kong," Goldie whispered with a smile.
"KONG?!" Petrie squawked.
Bone Scar whimpered in fear and hastily buried himself underground as a huge shadow loomed overhead. Goldie knew what it was.
"Everyone, look out!" Goldie cried. Everyone scurried out of the way as the creature of that shadow landed between the two skeletons.
BOOM! Standing in front of the Speaking Skullcrawler was another monstrous creature somewhat like the chatterers, but like the skeletons, he was gigantic, broader, and with a mountainous head, but no tail. He stood on all fours, burly and battle-worn with particularly muscular arms and many scars. His face, chest, hands, and feet were dark gray, much of his body was covered in black fur, his back was covered in silver hair, and in his mouth were strong, yellowish teeth with sharp canines. This creature was none other than…
"KONG!" Petrie shrieked. The poor young flyer fainted in fear and shock.
"RUN!" Littlefoot cried. He, Cera, Spike, Chomper, and Ruby fled, screaming, with Milo and Goldie following.
"Petrie, come on!" Ducky shouted, attempting to drag her fallen friend.
"Come on, kids, into the tunnel, let's go!" Simio commanded, sitting Ducky on his shoulders and carrying Petrie under one arm as he ran for the tunnel.
Kong smashed his fists on the ground, raised himself up on his hind legs, and roared again whilst beating his chest in a display of dominance. The Speaking Skullcrawler shrieked back at Kong in defiance. The reptilian predator then threw his head back and let out an even louder shriek, as if to command the other Skullcrawlers to be ready for battle. The chatterers retreated from the graveyard as some Skullcrawlers buried themselves underground, while traveling on ground toward Kong like wild cats on the prowl.
Enraged, Kong attempted to smash the Speaking Skullcrawler with his fists, but the lizard dodged with a cricket-like hop and landed on one of the two skeletons. Enraged, Kong charged and attempted to swipe at him. The Speaking Skullcrawler dodged again, leaping to the other skeleton, and then diving underground. Kong had lunged after him and slammed his fists over the hole the Skullcrawler burrowed, but roared in rage as he failed to catch him. He looked up and saw more Skullcrawlers creeping their way around him from above, around, and from underground. Kong growled, then beat his chest and roared in fury.
"CHREEEHH-EEEEEEHHRURR!" Kong let out another shrill, high-pitched roar as Goldie looked back at him from the tunnel that she, Milo, Simio, Littlefoot, and the others fled into.
"Good luck, big guy," Goldie whispered. The golden chatterer then turned and followed her comrades.