CHAPTER TWO: CHOMPER ALONE

Chomper, meanwhile, felt lonely. His friends still liked him, but he wasn't sure when he'd ever see them again, if ever. He had no idea what the mysterious Belly Dragger and Sharp Beak would be like.

Luckily it began to rain, so at least he wouldn't be thirsty. "Just great! Skywater!" Chomper grumbled. Though the skywater did little to raise Chomper's spirits, at the very least, it was a welcome reprieve from the Beyond's increasingly arid conditions; after that brief period of green from when he and his friends were young, the lands had once again started to dry up and die.

As unhappy as he was, Chomper did at least take this opportunity to bend down to a drink from a newly formed puddle.

As Chomper drank, an earth-shaking roar echoed through the mountains; a stark reminder that he wasn't in the Great Valley anymore, and he wasn't the only predator skulking about.

He recognized that roar only all too well. Red Claw, his archenemy! He'd stopped Red Claw, a thuggish Rex, from eating Ruby when they were younger, and Chomper's antics had resulted in injuring Red Claw's eye, turning it yellow. Red Claw had tracked him down and, together with his minions Screech and Thud, had attacked his parents. Though many Sharpteeth were afraid to even go near Red Claw, much less fight him, his parents had still fought him. They ended up perishing in the attempt, though Red Claw would bear the nasty scars they gave to his body for the rest of his days. Before he had died, Ruby had promised Chomper's father to take care of him as a thank you for Chomper saving her. They had made it to the Great Valley safely and eventually Ruby's parents, fearing Red Claw, had come to live there too.

Since their younger days, Red Claw had attracted many other Fast Biters to his side. Not that he ever treated them like equals, but they still were eager to please him, hoping to get a share of the prey he killed, or stole from other predators too intimidated to challenge him.

Chomper began to panic and ran. Red Claw sniffed the air and caught a whiff of his scent. He eagerly followed, though curious as to what Chomper was doing out here alone. Chomper, however, managed to find an end to the desert and found a beautiful pool at the bottom of a waterfall. He quickly ran across the stream, which wasn't too deep in some parts, and walked up some rocky ledges and into a cave, big enough for a full-grown Longneck to get into. He hoped that the rain would throw off his scent or else Red Claw would kill him for sure. He took off down a passage of the cave.

Red Claw arrived a few minutes later. Chomper's scent, as he'd hoped, was quite weak, thanks to the rain. It was impossible to guess which way he'd gone. And as the cave seemed like the Labyrinth of Crete with its many twists and turns, it didn't seem a good idea to go in there looking for him. He might not find him and also lose himself. Besides, he was king out here in the Mysterious Beyond. Chomper would have to come back eventually to return to the Great Valley. Red Claw left.

Chomper peered out from behind a stone wall as Red Claw left, getting a glimpse at the Sharptooth. Like himself, he had physically matured; since those first few skirmishes with him when he was much younger. He had grown a little, his scales had gotten darker and a little greener, and his eyes, still marred by the damage inflicted upon him by Chomper and his parents, had some black near their backs, like his parents' eyes did.

The sooner I get to the Land of Mists, the better, Chomper thought.

"Hey Ichy, I think I hear something coming. Could you go check to make sure it's not some kind of predator coming to kill us?" came a voice.

"Sure Dil." came a reply. A Sharp Beak came into view, then turned around and flew back the other way. "It's a Rex! Teenaged." Ichy said to Dil.

"Is he following you?" Dil asked.

"Not sure. Didn't stick around to find out. Doesn't appear to be." Ichy replied.

Hey wait! Chomper called after the Sharpteeth. There must be Leaf Eaters nearby for he had clearly heard the Flattooth language. Why hadn't the Sharpbeak seen them? Did the Leaf Eaters know there were Sharptooth was there? Interestingly, they seemed to have the same names as the Sharpteeth he was supposed to be looking for. His mind was quite fuzzy by now, having been already sleeping poorly due to worrying about leaving the Great Valley, then with his fight with the Clubtails, and lately, his near miss with Red Claw. It was already nearing morning. He really needed to sleep.

The Sharpbeak came back in again. Go away. Don't kill us. There's nothing to eat here and we taste awful. he said.

Chomper followed him, wanting to find the Leaf Eaters. Where are you going? Ichy snapped. He bit Chomper in his left claw. It hurt, but it was only like a stepping on a nail would be to a person.

OW! Chomper cried. I'm looking for the Leaf Eaters. One was named Dil and the other Ichy. I've had enough trouble with Leaf Eaters tonight already and I don't need any more! he said, swatting at Ichy, who dodged him, with his claws.

No, you idiot, there are no Leaf Eaters! I am Ichy and my hunting partner, the Bigmouthed Belly Dragger, is Dil. he scowled. He paused. How had Chomper understood them? "You know Leaf Eater?" he gasped.

"Yes, I do." Chomper replied.

"Why are you looking for Dil and I?" Ichy asked.

"Look, I'm really tired right now, I'll explain things once I got some sleep." Chomper pleaded, looking for a place to sleep unbothered.

"Hey, I want to know how why you are looking for us? If it's to kill us, I need to know so we can get out of here." Ichy demanded.

Chomper seized Ichy. The Sharpbeak looked up at him in fright. "If I was going to kill you, I'd do it right now. The question is, can I trust that you won't kill me?" Chomper asked, feeling more and more tired.

"All right! We won't! We won't! Just let us live!" Ichy pleaded

Chomper released him. "A Longneck told me. I knew you two could speak Leaf Eater and I was sent to seek help from you. To help get food." he replied, before laying down and falling asleep from exhaustion.

"A Longneck?" Ichy gasped. "Wowie, he is tired! I'll not wake him till the morning. Probably a very bad idea if I did." Ichy said to himself.

"Hey Ichy! What's going on in there?" came Dil's voice.

"Quiet leatherhead! The Rex is in here and he's asleep. He's got some crazy story about being sent by a Longneck. He looked pretty out of it. Perhaps he's just exhausted and not thinking clearly." Ichy replied.

"Should I come and kill him?" Dil asked, entering the room.

"Nah. He was afraid we'd kill him. Besides, he might prove useful." Ichy replied.

"What do you mean?" Dil asked.

"He knows Leaf Eater for one." Ichy said.

"He does?" Dil gasped. "I thought we were the only ones."

"So did I. Trust me. Though he seems to know we could too."

"How could that be?"

"How the heck am I supposed to know. But I do think I know one thing, based on one thing he said, about us being able to help him get food."

"What's that?"

"I believe we've got ourselves a new hunting partner!"