CHAPTER FOUR: BACK IN THE VALLEY
Littlefoot, meanwhile, wondered how his old friend was doing.
"Do you think Chomper's ok?" he asked Ruby.
"I think there's more to Chomper than you think there is to Chomper." she replied.
Littlefoot didn't want to think about what Chomper might be doing at that very moment, perhaps slaying some unfortunate Leaf Eater. As Rooter had told him, it was part of the Circle of Life, for Sharpteeth as well as Flatteeth. Still, at the moment, the nearly full-grown Longneck couldn't have fathomed that Chomper had already killed an old friend of his, though if he had, he would have agreed with Archie's assessment that it was best for Chomper to eat him in order to live and to give him a quick end.
Littlefoot looked longingly beyond the mountain walls of the Great Valley, dearly hoping that the little rex was doing well out there.
But, in another part of the valley, very different opinions on Chomper were being exchanged.
"If I see that little steakscoffer ever again, he'll be lucky to have a single one of his limbs intact once I'm through with him," Maia growled, pounding her forefeet together.
"I want him dead too." said Haley. "But we don't even know where he is."
"Maybe he is hiding up in the Smoking Mountains." a Threehorn said.
"It's possible he could go up there. Easy to spot victims up there and he doesn't mind heights." Maia said.
"Why don't we find who else wants that pesky Rex gone and get them together. Then we'll go hunting for the hunter." Haley said.
The few leaf-eaters around her thought that was a great idea. Cheers of approval rang in Haley's ears.
The search party headed out toward Threehorn Peak. Unfortunately, for them, they didn't find Chomper anyway. They did find Fast Biter footprints and even some Hookthumb footprints, but no Rex footprints could be found. Perhaps the rain may have washed them away, but the fact that they couldn't find even so much as one Rex footprint going that direction made them think that Chomper had not gone that route at all. Disappointed, they returned back to the Great Valley.
"Where did you go?" Littlefoot asked them, though he already believed he knew what they were up to.
"Looking for that Sharptooth pest." Maia replied.
"I sent Chomper somewhere where you'll have a hard time finding him." he replied. The Land of Mists would fit that description. However, they were unlikely to crack the riddle and he found it fun to toy with the vigilantes.
"Where is that?" asked a Clubtail.
"If I told you that, then you'd find him." Littlefoot replied, chuckling.
"Can we at least have a hint?" Lambi asked, frowning.
"I already did. I said I sent him somewhere where it would be hard for you to find him." Littlefoot replied, still laughing.
"A better hint than that," Lambi reiterated. He squinted his eyes, a little irritated.
"Nope." Littlefoot replied, leaving. Lambi was furious.
"Now what are we going to do? Stubborn fool won't tell us anything!" he complained to Haley.
"Don't worry, I have a plan. We'll drive every last meat eater out of this valley, including his friend Ruby the Halftooth, her family, and that Glider Guido. That ought to help him find his tongue." she replied.
That night, Ruby was asleep. Some creatures snuck up on her and began attacking her, cutting and bruising her.
"Take that meat eater!" one yelled.
"We'll teach you to hide that Sharptooth!" another cried.
Ruby yelled "Help, I'm under attack!" and began shoving and pushing at her attackers. Though they outnumbered her, they turned tail and ran. Sometime later, Littlefoot came to her, concerned.
"Ruby, what happened?" he asked.
"I was sleeping and then suddenly I wasn't sleeping but was under attack by some dinosaurs. I think this is over Chomper but I don't know who did it. They called me a 'meat eater' too." she replied.
"I bet Haley is behind this." Littlefoot grumbled.
"But how can you prove it if I didn't see who attacked me?" Ruby asked.
"I can tell the Great Valley council about it." Littlefoot replied. He approached some of the elders and told them what had happened. Though some were concerned, others, shockingly, appeared apathetic.
"We're not sure where the attackers went. Maybe they went to some place that's hard to find." one said mockingly.
Alarmed, he told Grandpa and Grandma Longneck, but with the Council divided, there was no way to punish anyone without actual evidence. So Littlefoot went and confronted Haley. "This has to stop now!" he shouted at it.
Haley laughed. "It certainly will. Just tell us where Chomper is." she replied with mock sweetness.
"Never!" Littlefoot replied.
"Then I'm afraid your problems here have only just begun!" she laughed coldly. And with that, Haley walked off, lightly swinging her clubbed tail as she shuffled into the underbrush.