Hi all! After a number of short stories, I have decided to do a longer LBT story, one that'll lead our main characters on a long journey of wonder and self-discovery. This story, The Separate Ways, will be a long path that won't be easy for the characters involved and parts of the story will get rather intense but it will also contain times of happiness and relief. I truly hope you'll enjoy following this journey! On a side note, I'm doing this alongside "Under the Scarlet Banner", a World of Warcraft story. I'm writing one story at a time in turns and both of them will receive equal focus. Be sure to check out that one also if you're interested! :)

The Unanswered Question

A heavy rustle filled the air when a gentle breath of wind flowed through the trees. The noon was high and the unusually hot rays of the Bright Circle forced many of the dinosaurs to seek shelter or at least wait until the hot hours were over. This kind of weather was a perfect time for a group of seven young dinosaurs to learn new things from their long-time teacher, Mr. Thicknose. Ever since their first times together, the old dinosaur had grown very fond of the seven and their conversations had become more usual since then. The curious questions and glad answers continued for a long time in the same manner as they usually had.

"Hmph! Are we supposed to believe the Cold Times become more usual and severe just because of moving far enough in one direction?" Cera snorted as the old dinosaur told his tale about the stories the wandering fliers had told him about their travels a long time ago. Thicknose didn't seem offended as he had learned to accept that not all of his many stories were true. Once, he had done his best to convince himself of his infallibility but those thoughts had long since vanished from his mind. Thicknose still saw his stories as a source of great knowledge but he nowadays told them with some reservations. However, he still wished that many of his lessons carried some truth in them and that those younger to him would learn something from them.

"Well, I honestly cannot say if that's the whole truth. Not many fliers go that far and return here. Those lands are so far away that none of us landwalkers can go there. Yet, not every place is like the next one. The way I see it, there could be anything out there. What a shame I'm too old to even the slightest of hopes of seeing them." The grey elder sighed as he was preparing to conclude his lesson. The hottest hour of the day was slowly starting to pass and the sweet chill of the afternoon started to flow in the air. However, he was immediately alerted when Ducky spoke in an excited voice.

"They might be right. Farwalkers have seen quite a number of things, they have!" Cera sighed as she was about to answer to the Swimmer's hopeful words. However, Littlefoot knew that things could quickly turn into arguing and decided to end the brewing fight and spoke to the older dinosaur in a thankful voice.

"Thanks for the lesson, Mr. Thicknose. We've planned to go look if there's anything left to be seen in the Canyon of Shiny Stones. It's likely safe at this point. See ya later!" The whole Valley knew of the incident which the whole Southern Valley had to be evacuated for weeks. Thicknose couldn't say he was happy to hear about the younglings' destination but it wasn't his place to prevent them anymore. The group turned to walk away when Thicknose suddenly called after them.

"Just be safe! Ruby, could I change a few words with you?" His voice was somewhat tired from all the speaking but it still carried the unmistakable tone of genuine curiosity. The fast runner turned around and approached him swiftly.

"Sure, Mr. Thicknose! But I'll have to know which you want to talk about f I'll have to speak about it." Her voice was interested and her face held her usual amount of cheer and friendliness. Each of those present saw that Thicknose wanted to talk with Ruby in private when Ducky called to her as the others started to depart towards the Smoking Mountain.

"We'll see you in the Canyon later on! Have fun, Ruby!"

"I'll come after you soon!" Ruby called as she turned back on the others to look at the older dinosaur. She was really interested to hear what the other dinosaur was going to ask and she was happy to answer whatever was on his mind. The fast runner was extremely grateful to the aged male for sharing so much of his knowledge with her. All her life Ruby had been a curious soul and she loved to gain and share the information she had gathered in the Beyond. Maybe there was something he thought only she should know?

"You know, Ruby, there has been a lot of stories about different leaf-eaters and sharpteeth but actually very few about you fast runners or half-teeth in general. I'd like to know more about your kind and why there has been so little stories going around about you." Thicknose's voice was friendly and Ruby could see that his curiosity was genuine. However, the fast runner wasn't exactly thrilled by the question. There were many reasons for the relative isolation of her kind, many of which she wasn't exactly encouraged to share with outsiders. The younger dinosaur wasn't sure if there was any harm in doing so but many of the wisdoms she had learned seemed underline the importance of knowledge. She hesitated a bit as she started to speak but quickly recovered her usual confidence.

"Well… we don't usually wish to be causing any messes. My family has always preferred to live in a bit more unhospitable places that provide us with shelter from attention." Thicknose listened to her and then answered deep in thought. The answer was quite what he had expected but did the fast runner know all of the implications of her words?

"I see… few of us here in the Valley trusted you initially and I can see that in the Mysterious Beyond things get even more dangerous. But I've heard that your kind has managed to survive quite well despite all of the distrust and even hostility that exists between our kinds out there." The indirect question puzzled Ruby at first but she quickly understood what the other dinosaur meant.

"I don't usually think about it like that. I don't have to eat red food whereas poor Chomper… But I can see what you mean. The fliers still don't trust us completely because if they did, they wouldn't fear us all the time. Then again, I was always taught to get to no one's bad side because of the distrust towards us half-teeth. Mother told me that I'll stay safe if I stay out of danger and make no enemies." Ruby swiftly shifted into a more melancholic expression as she recalled her departure from her family. Even with their brief reunification just before the last Cold Time, she still missed them dearly. As long as Red Claw held his reign of terror in the Mysterious Beyond, she and Chomper would forced to stay in the Valley.

Thicknose looked at her in sympathy as he weighed the younger dinosaur's words. It was clear that she wouldn't tell her everything she knew but he was happy to that she had decided to share some of her knowledge with him. He chuckled heavily as he answered.

"That's quite a different way to survive in life than the one my kind teach their offspring. But at my age I think your advice seems even better. After all, I cannot pick many fights anymore." Thicknose looked at the fast runner in appreciation when she continued to speak after some hesitation.

"We cannot do so most of the time. We are only fast so we have no choice but to hide and stalk. Luckily, that's what we're good at doing. Also, we can eat pretty much anything we need to. I guess there's some reason why fast runners act the way they do." Ruby looked at Thicknose in slight uneasiness as she saw the older dinosaur's slightly resentful look at this knowledge. The older dinosaur seemed thoughtful, as if he was still holding something back. It seemed like the male was trying to take the conversation somewhere Ruby hadn't expected. She was happy to share her knowledge but she couldn't help but think about her friends and how their trip to the canyon was going.

The Smoking Mountain was completely silent as the cold wind of late Warm Time blew around it. Everywhere around the volcano the remnants of its last eruption could be seen. The small canyons and ravines that had once dotted the landscape were filled with grey, hardened fire water that had turned most of the mountain's surroundings into a mostly flat, gray desert. Littlefoot frowned as he looked at the sight before him.

"Doesn't look too good. I wonder if any of the Canyon survived this…" He still shuddered as he remembered the last trip here. It was once of the closest calls in his life and if it hadn't for his grandparents, he and his friends would have met their ends there. It had been two Cold Times since that day and only now did the six dinosaurs found the courage to return there.

"There has to be something left… hopefully the Smoking Mountain is kinder to us this time!" Chomper said in deep worry, his mind fixed on their last trip. Petrie's fear about displeasing the Mountain had also affected him too since the seemingly impossible timing of the eruption.

"It won't be because it's just a big, stupid mountain! There's nothing in there that we can do to please it!" Cera was really getting fed up with trying to calm Petrie and Chomper down over their superstitions. There might have been unfortunate accidents before but that's all they were.

"Coming here no good way to prepare for Late Warm Time's Day! This place bring bad luck and could make the next Warm Time cold and rainy!" Petrie's voice was frightened as he saw the Mountain to his right. Ducky quickly answered to her friend in a consoling voice.

"The Day will go just fine, Petrie. We'll be back in time to prepare for it, we will." Petrie looked at her with a still-worried expression and answered quickly.

"If only bad luck not get in those preparations too…" Cera looked at the flier in chagrin. She could listen about Petrie's celebrations or bad luck on the same day but simultaneously they were starting to get on her nerves.

"Just calm down, Petrie. There won't be any bad luck waiting for us because there isn't any! Is that clear?" She struggled not to raise her voice when Littlefoot decided to calm down the situation. He had never taken any real sides with those arguments and he wasn't willing to begin now. He was having a hard time believing everything Petrie said but in the on the hand, he had seen far stranger things during his lifetime. Silence was the best policy here.

"Be careful here. The fire water doesn't seem to have sank the whole Canyon but the way down there has been mostly cut. Let's try to see if there's any way we can use it." The longneck looked at the formerly downhill path that had led to the Canyon. Now, a monolith of petrified fire water opened up before him, almost turning the old path into a continuation of the Smoking Mountain's crater. However, the Canyon itself seemed to have been submerged only partially. Maybe there was something left of it. The longneck looked at the scene in front of him before he started to slowly walk down the petrified mass towards the cliffs that had marked the borders of the Canyon.

"Petrie, could please take a look if the way's still open before we get there?" Cera asked as she looked at Littlefoot's carefully moving downhill. The flier shuddered at the question, clearly disturbed as he remembered his attempt to fly over the Mountain itself. However, he wasn't asked to do that now so those fears would be irrational now. With slight hesitation, he answered.

"Me will take a look. Wait a moment." The flier took off quickly and followed the flow of the fire water and he saw the answer to Cera's question. He called his friends as he looked at the remnants of the eruption two Cold Times ago.

"There be some high rocks on the way but you able to get over them. Me think." His voice was relieved as he returned to the ground. The trip would be easier this time, unless the Smoking Mountain decided to erupt again. Cera sighed as she started to follow Littlefoot.

"You think? That's always reassuring…"

Mr. Thicknose looked at Ruby with a thoughtful expression. The young fast runner possessed a great decree of knowledge and insight about life and all its wonders. However, there was something the older dinosaur wished to ask from his purple counterpart.

"Not many of all the kinds I've heard about have possessed so many Wisdoms about survival. I can see that the fast runners are quite extraordinary in many ways." Thicknose didn't know if he had chosen his words correctly but Ruby looked at him in clear confusion.

"Wh… what do you mean?" She asked in an unsure voice, not understanding what the larger dinosaur was aiming at.

"I mean that fast runners are in many ways better suited for survival in the Beyond. Of course, here in the Valley our kinds do not matter that much but if something ever happens, know that your place in this world is luckier than many others'." Thicknose seemed a bit hesitant to say it but he knew he was right. He wanted Ruby to know a bit more of her own kind as some kind of exchange for her contributions to his own knowledge. Ruby looked a bit puzzled as she answered once again. Her voice wavered a little as she spoke slowly.

"Well, I guess you're right… mommy often told me that there are many good things in being what I am… because if I weren't that… I wouldn't be what I am. But there are many good things in being a longneck or a flier, too!" Ruby tried to take away the conversation from the subject. She was falling ever deeper in thought by the older dinosaur's words even if she couldn't deny them. Thicknose answered in a slow voice.

"There are… But few kinds can escape the danger as well as yours. A longneck can fall to a two-footer sharptooth while fliers have their own adversaries. Of course, you have the fastbiters but I've heard that they usually wish to find an easier meal." Thicknose finished with a firm voice. Ruby looked at him in deep puzzlement and after a moment, she whispered in a wondering voice the only thing she could.

"Why do you tell me this, Mr. Thicknose?" The young fast runner's question was a one Thicknose had expected and he answered in an honest and friendly voice.

"As I said, I know very little of your kind but I also wanted to share my own knowledge about them. I hope you understand the importance of your kind's wisdoms, if only for your future." Thicknose's answer laid a huge weight on Ruby's shoulders. Apparently Thicknose thought her departure from the Valley inevitable, if not because of her diet, then at least because of her kind's way of life. Her voice was low and deep as she answered.

"I… think I understand. Thank you for sharing this with me. I'll think more about this later, I'll need to put my thoughts together. Anyway, see you Mr. Thicknose!" Ruby said before she turned around and started to sprint away. Thicknose answered her before she started to run back to her friends.

"Likewise. See you some other day!"

Ruby was deep in thought as she headed towards the Canyon of Shiny Stones. She had never thought about her own kind before as most of those worries had been driven towards Chomper. She had promised to look after him and to try to shelter him from Red Claw. However, she had long since accepted the fact that Chomper couldn't live in the Valley forever but what about herself? She wasn't a leaf-eater and as Thicknose had pointed out, it wasn't usual for her kind to live with the other kinds. Maybe even her own future wasn't as set in stone as she had previously thought.

Petrie felt his nervousness calm down a little as his friends slowly climb over the lines of rocks blocking the entrance into the Canyon. Not surprisingly, Spike had a hard time trying to get himself over them but with a little help, the spiketail managed to lift himself over them. The five dinosaurs panted a little before they started to look at the sight around them. What had once been a deep canyon now seemed like a tiny plateau surrounded by two lines of stone which resembled a dinosaur's back sails. But most importantly, the thing that gave the whole place its name was still there.

"Shiny Stones! They're still here!" Littlefoot called as he looked at the sight around him. Even if most of the Canyon wasn't there anymore, the former highest part of still contained the gems the place was known for.

"And they're still as pretty as they were last time! They are!" Ducky said as she admired a large blue crystal sticking out of a wall.

"Maybe you can finally give Tria the stone you lost back then?" Chomper asked in a cheeky smile from Cera who thought for a moment before she answered. The unsavory memory of the long-ago accident returned to her mind only after a moment's thinking.

"You still remind me of that? Well, I'll take a look…" She spoke in a normal voice as she realized that Chomper was right. Tria would be surprised to receive the gift she had waited for so long.

Petrie was searching the walls for the prettiest stones he could find. Maybe, if he found something truly spectacular, the passed Warm Time would also like it and pass its good mood to the next one. He didn't want to think of the possibility that he or his friends would doom themselves to a long time of bad luck.

After some time of searching, the flier's eyes fixed on a large purple crystal, which was noticeably stinging off from the wall of stone. He could clearly see that he couldn't break it off by himself. Petrie was about to ask someone do the job for him before Spike hit the shiny stone with his tail. It broke off from the wall and Petrie grabbed it from the ground.

"Thanks, Spike! Me sure the Warm Time will be very happy with this!" Littlefoot smiled at his friend's joy and was about to answer him before he heard something that caught his attention in an unwelcome way. The ground was shaking slightly, hardly noticeably but he wasn't about to let history repeat itself. He quickly called on to his friends.

"Uhhh, guys… The ground is shaking slightly. It doesn't feel the same as last time but I don't want to see whether it's going to get worse." The others looked at the longneck in worry and Chomper was the next one to speak.

"You're right! Let's go, it seems the Smoking Mountain really doesn't like us." His voice was miserable and the sharptooth looked even more disturbed by Cera's response. The threehorn quickly hit the wall and a small, yellow crystal fell down from it.

"Stop it already! I can hear it too now but I'm not blaming anyone for it! Still, let's go!" Her voice lacked her usual firmness as she couldn't deny the situation's eeriness. A small pathway could be seen heading away from Canyon leading away from the Smoking Mountain. It didn't take a long time until all of the six dinosaurs had escaped the unsteady surroundings of the Smoking Mountain.

Ruby looked at the sight in front of her. The way to the crater opened just before the fast runner but the mountain itself seemed to be emitting thicker than usual smoke. Her expression immediately turned into one of concern as she looked at the sight before her. Even if the volcano still seemed somewhat calm, she knew using the crater itself would be out of question.

They cannot stay there for any longer which they know but… which way can they get away from there? We don't know if there are any ways out of there anymore!

The fast runner looked at her surroundings in case there were any new paths that gave her any hope of bypassing the Smoking Mountain. After a moment, she noticed there was a small ravine leading to the right direction not far to her left. Ruby sprinted towards it quickly and followed it for some time until the path ended in a dead end. What had looked like a long, usable path was in reality little more than a cleft in the cliffs surrounding the Mountain. She was quickly getting frustrated at her inability to find a way to her friends and was about to turn around to look for another way when she heard a familiar voice from above her.

"We're almost out of there! The way is already beginning to go downwards!" Littlefoot called as he looked at the narrow, winding pathways in front of him. Only small cracks opened between the high cliffs on the dinosaurs' sides, with small cliffs here and there. From behind one of them, Petrie thought he heard a faint voice calling for him. The flier thought for a moment before he reacted, thinking the situation only made him imagine things. However, after a moment of thinking he decided that he had actually heard what he thought.

"Me think me heard Ruby call! Petrie check!" He took off before anyone could answer to him and to his relief, he could soon see he was right. The fast runner was standing on a gorge far below the pathway the others used, looking at the approaching flier in relief.

"What you do there, Ruby? That be no way to the Canyon!" Petrie's voice was somewhat amused as he spoke. He had relaxed somewhat after the Smoking Mountain had calmed down. Ruby looked at him in relief, due to the fact that the flier had heard her call from the ravine.

"I thought you were in trouble and since I couldn't use the main way, I thought this would perhaps lead to you. It seems I was wrong." The fast runner shrugged as she answered. Petrie's antics signaled that nothing serious had happened during their trip even with the threatening behavior of the Smoking Mountain.

"Oh no, everyone safe already. The Canyon not completely buried and we even find good shiny stones for the Celebration! Uhh… what did Thicknose want to talk about?" Petrie smiled as he referred to the upcoming evening. He couldn't wait to spare his thanks to the Warm Time. Ruby looked slightly disappointed due to the fact that she had missed the apparently successful trip to the Canyon. She answered Petrie's question in an unsure voice, still not knowing what to make of the old dinosaur's words.

"Nothing important. He just wanted to know about fast runners and how we survive in the Beyond. Of course, I told him what I know." Ruby had begun to walk back towards the Valley to meet her friends when they would find the exit from their own trip.

"And what you know?" Petrie asked the obvious question to which Ruby shrugged slightly. She wasn't exactly excited to recite everything all over again but what else did she have to on the way back? The two friends' conversation went on as they walked through the narrow pathway back towards home.

"Where are we? This isn't the way we came here!" Chomper exclaimed as a view of a large forest opened up before him.

"The Smoking Mountain is over there so we shouldn't be too far away from the Valley." Littlefoot said as he looked at the scene around him. They had left the endless maze of tiny passages inside in the surrounding hills through what seemed like a mere small hole from the outside. Around him opened a small clearing near the cliffs and behind it opened a familiar woodland which led back to the Valley. The longneck sighed in relief as he noticed that shaking of the ground had stopped. They were safe once again and this time they had managed to bring the shiny stones with them.

"I hope we won't be going back there in a while, no no no. Something bad happens every time we go there! Hopefully Petrie is alright." Ducky sighed as she looked at the direction she thought the flier had went to look for Ruby.

"They are probably on their way back by now. We should go too or Petrie will remind us for weeks if we miss the evening's celebrations." Cera snorted as she spoke even if she wasn't exactly opposed to the idea anymore. Even if she had once shunned anything that didn't have a clear explanation to it, she had since accepted that it was alright to appreciate the good things around her once in a while. She wouldn't confess it to anyone but she was actually rather looking forward to the evening. Chomper smiled at her as he actually started to sniff heavily in the air. After a moment, he cheerfully exclaimed.

"I can smell them! They're waiting at the edge of the forest near the Smoking Mountain! Let's go after them!" The sharptooth started moving towards the forest and the direction where he had smelled the two. Without much hesitation the five followed the blue sharptooth, willing to rejoin their friends. The first, eerie events of the day still haunted the backs of their minds but, for now, all of them yearned to begin the preparations for the evening. Just like the Bright Circle Celebration, this was an occasion all of them waited eagerly. The coming evening and night would be ones to remember.