Welcome back! Well, it's been long time no see for far too many characters ... And it's about time we catch up with some of them! While the last Dark Valley chapter took place primarily in the central prison, frilled, and longneck zones, this time, we're going to take a look at the tailed and twofooter zones and see what the rest of the cast has been up to, so we can set up Day 2's events for next time.

Another note, I am aware at how bleak and dark the last chapter and this one may seem at times ... This is at the heart of a dark regime after all. But make sure to pay attention to all the little victories here!

Again for clarification, this chapter takes place roughly at the same time as the events of the last chapter and when Ducky was discovering the prickly plants in the first one - so there will be events mentioned from the past two chapters which will be happening simultaneously. Only next time do we finally get deeper into Day 2 following all of the setup that takes place here.

Same old closing stuff: Please fav/follow/review/PM, and Land Before Time belongs to Universal.

Chapter 27 – Dark Valley: Part 2

Early Morning Hours – Day 2

Gracefully gliding down into the Great Valley, Avie went to look for Sophie. It had been easy to find the spiketail herd, clustered together in the Valley's far northwest corner, wanting to be as far away from the aggressive herds and border patrol as possible. Though they had only been permanent residents of the Great Valley for a short while, the kindly, laidback spiketail herd had long known the Circle of Elders, established themselves as friendly, loyal allies to them, and had no problem fitting in, sharing in their gentle, peaceful culture. And when considering that no other dinosaurs besides her easygoing herdmates would be around, Avie knew that waking Sophie up would most likely be very safe.

Sophie too was easy to locate, with her light gray skin and light yellow plates making her stand out from the others in the herd, so Avie had no trouble identifying her from above. Upon spotting her, Avie quietly lowered herself to perch right on top of Sophie's head, to which the sleeping spiketail did not even seem to take any notice. Carefully, Avie gently pecked at her to wake her up. Sophie, however, didn't move.

"She must be a real deep sleeper," Avie thought to herself, so she tried pecking harder. But once again, Sophie did not move.

Avie stared. That kind of pecking would be enough to stop a runaway crawler or bore a hole into a tree, yet it still was not enough to awaken the incredibly lethargic spiketail. Shaking her head, she wondered what it would actually take to get Sophie to respond. Looking at the ground, Avie had an idea. Going to a low-growing plant, she ripped off a leaf, brought it to Sophie's nose, and wafted its smell for her, waiting for her to react.

But yet again, Sophie did not move.

Avie sighed exasperatedly. This spiketail was even harder to wake from a deep slumber than Spike, and she knew she needed a different, more direct approach. She then came up with an idea. She knew that most of the time, this approach would startle dinosaurs out of their skins, but perhaps it might be just what Sophie needed …

"Sophie," Avie hissed loudly right into her ear. "It's me, Avie!"

Yet amazingly, Sophie still did not budge. Incredulously, Avie was just about to give up, but as she rounded Sophie's face, she saw that while Sophie's body hadn't moved, her serene, deep blue eyes were open.

"Oh … hello," Sophie sighed dreamily as Avie could only stare in disbelief. "I did hear someone."

Avie stared at Sophie, whose eyes had already begun to droop back shut. Hurriedly taking ahold of Sophie's head, she knew she had to do something to make sure Sophie got the message before she fell back asleep. So loudly, she whispered into her ear, "Hey Sophie … Spike's alive!"

That did the trick, as Sophie looked at Avie, her eyes flashing brightly for a moment as a big smile spread across her face. But as soon as it happened, her excitement died down, and with another dreamy sigh, she simply said, "Spike's alive. That's good. Nice guy. I'm happy."

"Yeah, I know," said Avie as she whispered, wondering if it was even possible to get Sophie out of her incredibly calm frame of mind. She pressed on, "He and his friends are building a resistance in the Hidden Canyon!"

But rather than ask for specifics or what the Hidden Canyon even was, Sophie merely nodded sympathetically. "Wow. Sounds hard. Poor Spike."

"Yeah," Avie said, seeing at once both why Sophie's low-key personality was so attractive to Spike, yet at the same time, why she had never considered going on an adventure with the gang.

Sophie let out a big yawn and shut her eyes. Thinking Sophie had fallen back to sleep, she was about to turn back when she heard Sophie's slow, languid voice again. "I'll join. I want to help. I like Spike. His friends too. And Leigh is hiss head."

Avie chuckled. "Do you mean histrionic hollowhead?"

Sophie just sighed and smirked. "Why waste words?"

"Oh … Right," Avie said, still amazed at Sophie's incredible low-key simplicity. Then she asked, "Can you tell everyone?"

Sophie shook her head. "Bad idea."

"No, I mean, your herd, the clubtail family … Everyone we can trust," Avie explained.

Sophie yawned and nodded. "All right. Night."

And with that, Sophie instantly fell back to sleep, leaving Avie bemused as she searched the skies to look for Mama Swimmer and Flyer. Catching Sophie when she was half-asleep might not have been the best idea. But then again, like Spike, she probably thought a lot more than she spoke. And while she certainly was not the most reactive dinosaur, that also meant that she could easily spread the message without notice ...


Positioned protectively like a barrier around their hatchlings, the four grown clubtails, sisters Laurel and Tana and their husbands Kosh and Magnus sat, shielding their children from the horrors around them. None of them could sleep, between the whimpers and whines from their sleeping children and the pain from the injuries they had accumulated from their last skirmish, where they had unhesitatingly stood up to defend Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike as they escaped the Valley. A group of youngsters who they had so often thought of as mere mischief makers in cold times past …

"You think it's okay to talk, Magnus?" Tana asked her husband hesitantly.

"Eh, talking's not outlawed yet," Kosh boldly answered for him.

"You're right," sighed Magnus. "And here I was, thinking Old Threehorn was a potential threat … We might as well talk before Mr. …"

"He's not a Mister anything," interrupted Kosh daringly, chortling. "That little threehorn's right, he's the histrionic hollowhead."

Magnus sighed, shaking his head, but unable to fully conceal a smirk. "Before he and the mob ban it."

Sighing, they turned to face their eight sleeping children. It was actually because of young Littlefoot and his crazy group of friends that they even had their seven newborns in the first place. When their eggs had been stolen, they had wrongly concluded that the friendly sharptooth was responsible, and it was only through the efforts of the older kids that the babies had been recovered, safe and sound. The babies had even hatched under the older kids' care, and they were responsible for watching over the babies in those first critical days of life, during which time the babies were especially curious and prone to getting into trouble.

Since then, the clubtail parents, unable to know for sure which hatchling belonged to which clutch, had decided to co-parent their seven rambunctious hatchlings together. And even though Littlefoot and his friends were not acting as their guardians anymore, the babies always responded to their presence with joy and excitement. This was especially true with Ducky, for some of them had literally hatched in her hands, and to this day, they still referred to her as Mumma Swimma.

In the past, the clubtail parents would never refer to Littlefoot and his friends by name, merely as "those kids", in that same exasperated tone. It was only recently that they had begun to fully understand and appreciate everything that the original gang of youngsters did for both them and the Valley over the cold times, and outside of their immediate families, they were proud to count themselves as among their most fervent allies among the elders. And it was perhaps out of the spirit of their good deeds that the clubtails decided to open their hearts up to adopt another youngster.

But nothing could have prepared them for that eighth child, their eldest yet newest addition to the family. Ever since he had arrived in the Valley, with his big smile and melting emerald eyes, they couldn't help but be charmed by little Oplax. Yet as captivated as they were with him then, they still had to discover just how special of a kid he really was. In addition to being a polite, good-natured, easygoing and sweet adoptive son, he was a remarkably caring older brother and babysitter rolled into one chubby armored body. He could massage their babies in just the right places, keep them entertained with activities, even turning feeding time into a game, always with a remarkable amount of patience for the newborns' antics. He could even take the babies for long rides around the Great Valley without tiring, always making sure they were safely riding his scute-covered back.

Still, they knew the one thing that gave Oplax greatest joy was to spend time with his inseparable group of friends, fronted by the perky little threehorn. Whenever any of them showed up, little Oplax would immediately bolt over to greet them, that big toothy smile plastered all over his wide face. Seeing those moments was always a pleasure for the adult clubtails as they loved to take in the joyous greetings of hatchlings who just adored every moment they spent together.

Which made it all the more disheartening to see him like this. Surrounded by his saddened little siblings, the little clubtail was shivering in his sleep, tears streaming down his pudgy, normally cheerful face. So often a gentle voice of reassurance to both their newborns and his other friends, they had never seen their precious boy look so shaken.

"He must be having an awful sleep story," observed Laurel as the others nodded.

"Ever since he came here, he's always been with those adorable friends of his," sighed Tana.

"They're just like the other mischievous young'uns we used to have round these parts," said Kosh, shaking his head as he smiled. "Right down to how you can never pry them apart from each other."

Magnus swiveled his head, checking to make sure they weren't being eavesdropped upon. "Oplax and his friends sure seem to idolize the older kids. Not that I blame them, they're great young dinosaurs. But no wonder they're fighting so hard. As if it's not bad enough that they've been split apart themselves, they must feel really desperate, knowing that their heroes are not there to save them. They probably feel like they've got to do everything to fight back that the older kids would've done."

"Yes," agreed Laurel. "Plus, just like our other babies, Oplax owes his life to the older kids. He even owes meeting Tricia, Cassia and the twins to them. And with the types of things the older kids pulled off in their youth … You can imagine how they'd be a real inspiration for him and his friends."

"I'll say, look at the shenanigans they pulled off today," Kosh laughed. "What nerve those kids had … I never thought I'd be so proud of such a troublesome son!"

"You're right," Magnus said thoughtfully. "For being such goodhearted, loving kids, they sure get into a lot of trouble … Just like their idols."

"Now I'm beginning to imagine just how the older kids' parents felt back when they were kids," sighed Tana, shaking her head. "To tell you the truth, I thought it was just bad parenting, that the parents were just too lazy to control their kids … But now I understand what it's really like to have a truly precocious child. For we've truly got the junior gang on our paws."

Kosh nodded in agreement. "Honestly, I thought the older kids were just a bunch of whippersnappers with too much energy to burn, until they saved our babies," he said, shaking his head. "To think we even wanted them exiled … When in truth, they were and always have been true heroes, even as kids."

"Now I understand why their parents were so proud of them," smiled Laurel. "Just like we are of little Oppy. Like them, he and his friends are so amazingly loyal to one another and the Valley. You can always count on them to follow their hearts and do what they know is right. And you really couldn't ask for a more remarkable son."

Tana then sighed. "Poor kid … I know it's hard on all of them, but it must be even worse for poor Oppy. He's the only tailed dinosaur among his friends, leaving him all alone here. No wonder he's having such bad sleep stories. And if this segregation continues, he'll never be able to see any of his friends again."

The others then heard footsteps approaching. Hurriedly, they whirled around, making sure that their children were well-protected from whatever scoundrel was coming their way. But when they saw who it was, they were taken aback. Even though he had long resided in the Valley, they only knew him primarily by reputation. And though he was not an intimidating presence, he was one of the last dinosaurs they would have expected to see in a time like this.

"Um, hey," the shieldback said awkwardly, brushing his foot against the ground as he avoided looking into the older clubtails' eyes.

"You're Nod, right?" Magnus asked slowly.

Nod nodded. "Sorry to ask, um, I know it's late at night, but, well … May I talk to Oplax?"

The clubtail parents stared at each other in bewilderment. Why was Nod, a rude delinquent who was known for having no respect for his elders, acting so polite to them? Why was he coming to visit them in the middle of the night? And why would he, a dinosaur more than twice Oplax's age, want to speak to their precious child?

"Please, sirs and madams," he continued, making them even more baffled. "I think it would help Oplax if he were to talk with me. I know it might not seem like it, but, uh … We have a lot in common. See, I've been cut off from all my friends too."

Staring at Nod, the clubtails didn't even consider this, but knowing that the rest of his gang consisted of twofooters, they realized he actually had a point, and that he perhaps was the only tailed dinosaur in the entire Valley who could really understand what Oplax was going through. So reluctantly, Laurel sighed, "All right, we'll wake him up, and if he wants to go with you, you can talk with him."

So Laurel went over to nuzzle her adoptive son, and after a few nudges, the little clubtail opened his eyes. "Huh … What is it?" Oplax groggily asked.

"Hey Oplax … Do you know Nod?" Magnus asked inquisitively.

Surprised, Oplax nodded. "Uh, yeah, I guess so … Why?"

"He wants to talk to you," Tana explained. "Do you want to talk to him?"

"Uh …" Oplax began, before suddenly, a spark began to kindle in the little clubtail's mind.

"Sure, why not?" Oplax said, trying to sound casual. "And uh … I think the babies would probably need a wee and a drink."

"Right," said Laurel before she and the other parents stood aside to allow Nod to get through.

So quickly, the two young tailed dinosaurs went to wake up the babies. Try as he might however, Nod was not used to waking up babies, and his clumsy attempts caused each of the babies that he awakened to cry. Luckily, as he had done countless times before, Oplax had no trouble in quickly tending to the startled hatchlings.

"It's okay, little ones," Oplax whispered soothingly, revealing his bright, reassuring smile to them. "We're just going for a little wee-wee and drink-drink! Climb on Papa Oppy's back, and we're going for a ride! And you guys will feel much better when we're done!"

The babies immediately calmed down, and giggling, they happily boarded onto Oplax's scute-covered back. Though it was a tight fit for seven hatchlings on one little clubtail, they had been so accustomed to riding Oplax that they each knew just where to curl up to all fit on his back.

"We'll be okay, promise," Oplax told his adoptive parents reassuringly, as the four of them silently nodded. Then without another word, Oplax and Nod strolled through the dark, open plains together.

As soon as his adoptive parents were out of sight however, Oplax turned to Nod eagerly, his eyes flashing and smile wide. "So? What's our plan?"

Nod stared at Oplax in disbelief. "What plan, kid?"

"Our escape plan, of course!" Oplax exclaimed. "You, me, and the babies! How are we gonna get past the border patrol?"

Nod pitifully shook his head. "Kid, I feel you, I really do. But don't you know when to quit? Just listen to yourself. You spent all day trying to get through those goons. And where did that get you?"

"I got the hollowhead right on the heel," Oplax happily reminisced, proudly waving his clubtail.

"And you're darn lucky you got away with it! But don't bet on it next time," Nod warned. "No, it got you right back where you started. Don't you get it? It's impossible to get past these goons! So you might as well stop trying before you get hurt, or worse."

Oplax looked up at Nod, an unmistakable expression of feeling betrayed plainly on his face. "How could you say that?" he spluttered as Nod frantically gestured him to be quiet. "I thought you'd understand! You have friends in the twofooter zone, and so do I! If we sneak over there together …"

Oplax trailed off however, as the tailed-twofooter border had just come into view. During the day, the border had been staffed by lines of spikethumbs and shieldbacks, but during the night, the shift had changed, meaning two new lines of dinosaurs were manning the border, marching along either side of it, and both of which were far more eerily intimidating than their predecessors. On their side of the border was a spiketail line. Having not known any spiketails growing up, the only spiketails Oplax had ever seen up close before were Spike, Sophie, Tippy, and the spiketail herd. But these spiketails were a far cry from their warm, friendly counterparts, with their sullen looks, cold, rock-like eyes, hard muscle replacing soft pudge, sharpened claws and sharptooth-like spikes, and perhaps most disconcertingly, their rigid, unrelaxed walk, yielding a distinctly harsher impression than the friendly spiketails did.

But the line on the other side of the border was if anything, even more disturbing. There marched a line of swimmers, and the mere sight of them made Oplax's stomach churn. With slit-like eyes, bulging muscles, jagged toenails and claws, and vicious, intimidating snarls, he could hardly believe that these brutes were the same kind of dinosaur as his friend Sam or Sam's big sister Ducky. Yet there they marched, rhythmically pacing back and forth, almost in a goose step as they coldly ignored the line of spiketails running parallel to them. Nod too looked uneasily at the lines, unable to help noticing just how vicious they looked, and just how much of a contrast they were from the sweet, gentle Ducky and Spike …

Feeling Oplax shake and grow tense from the horrors of the scene around them, Nod knew he had to do something to get the little clubtail to calm down. With a quick glance at the terrain, he saw that the segregated spiketail, shieldback and clubtail herds were sleeping far apart from one another, leaving an untouched patch of tall grass in the middle.

"In here, kid," Nod quietly ordered, and checking to make sure the coast was clear, Nod followed Oplax into the tall grasses. He thought he heard a little rustling around them, but then realized it was most likely just the wind. At least the cover of the plants could keep them safe from the dangers all around them.

Then Nod felt something soft and wet, and looking downward, he saw that the little clubtail had buried his round, pudgy face into his leg, and tears had started to roll off Oplax's face, trickling down Nod's leg all the way to his toes. Nod stared at Oplax's shivering body uncertainly. It was the first time anyone had depended on him for such dire emotional support. Nonetheless, he couldn't help but to be growing fonder of the kid, and so he wrapped a warm paw around him, doing his best to provide a supportive hug. The baby clubtails meanwhile had gotten off Oplax's back and with their pattering, tried to give Oplax a massage to ease his pain, just as he had done for them so many times before.

"Hey kid," sighed Nod gently, trying his best to sound reassuring. "I know it's scary … But we'll get through this, somehow …"

"How?" Oplax asked Nod, looking at him, his wide eyes wet and glistening. "If we can't escape, what can we do?"

Nod didn't have an answer, causing Oplax to sigh. "I don't know about you, but ... I need to do something. And not just me. Our whole gang. We all do. Ever since I was born, I've been with Mono and Rachelle … We learned to walk and talk together, even … They've always been there for me, and I for them."

Nod watched as Oplax continued, "And I was there to see Perri when she hatched. I could still remember when she peered out of the top of her egg, and how scared she was when she saw how big the world was around her. But I was there to comfort her, and she's always looked to me for support ever since … I know she really needs me right now. The four of us have always needed each other, so much so that we even left our families back home just so we could be together, here in the Great Valley. Where we met Trish, Cass, Garnet, Pearl, Sam, and Dess … Who feel like our long-lost soulmates that we've just been reunited with … I miss them all so much …"

Sniffling, Oplax's eyes hardened and he stamped on the ground, asking frustratedly, "Why? Why do I have to have a stupid club on my tail! If I had a frill or two feet, I could at least be with some of my friends!"

"You can't control what you are, kid," Nod tried to soothe. "But to tell you the truth, I wish I had two feet right now."

"I know," Oplax hiccupped, before crying out, "It's so unfair! I don't care that we look different! Because me and my friends are all the same, where it matters … Right here," Oplax said, putting his paw to his heart. "Just like you guys."

"Yeah," sighed Nod. "They're like my only family, actually. I was hatched by Mutt and his father, and well, Mutt and I found Hyp, who protected us from bullies … Then once we got older, we met the others … They're the only ones who I feel actually get me, even if they all only have two feet."

"See?" said Oplax firmly, and his eyes began to light up with passion again. "We both have a lot of friends on the other side! We both have friends that miss us! Which is why we must both cross that border … Together!"

Nod flinched, shaking his head. "Kid, I'm telling you, I'd really love to sneak over, but it's way too dangerous! And what about the babies! You'd be putting them in danger! What will your folks think?"

"They'll be happy!" Oplax exclaimed determinedly. "Because the babies will be safe and free, with us, in the Secret Spot! Which is right across the border, along with our friends!"

Nod stared as Oplax's eyes continued to glisten and his wide smile started to return to his face. He hated to dampen the little clubtail's heartfelt enthusiasm, but he had to give him some much-needed reality here.

"Kid, we can't do that!" Nod said, not able to fully conceal his exasperation. "Even if we somehow get past those guards, we don't have enough strength to move that boulder! Hyp, Mutt, Ann, Dispo and I alone can't move it! Even if all you kids try to help!"

"Well, I'm not giving up," Oplax insisted. "There's gotta be some other way to get out of here! And if you're not gonna help me, I'm gonna find it myself! Hop on, guys!"

And Nod could only gasp as at once, the clubtail babies quietly cheered and filed onto their adoptive brother, after which he began to tear through the tall grass with surprising speed.

"Kid, wait!" Nod shouted quietly, but it was too late. The little clubtail had disappeared through the thicket, and Nod knew there was nothing he could do to try to stop him without the risk of endangering them both.

"Ugh, kids!" Nod sighed, shaking his head impatiently.

Determinedly, the little clubtail ripped through the towering grasses, his face flushed, his eyes bright, and his big smile lighting up his face as the babies softly squeaked to him, encouraging him to go further. The thicket finally ended and as Oplax stuck his head out, he saw he was just a couple feet away from the trampled path laid out by all the repeated marching. Looking both ways, he saw that the marching spiketails had just begun to return back, so he knew he had to wait for them to pass. Luckily, they didn't seem to notice him as they passed, for they merely grunted and growled without looking in his direction. He could feel the tense gripping of the little clubtails on his plates as they stayed remarkably quiet, reciprocating the tension he felt.

Concentrating, Oplax continued to stare out. He had to wait for just the right moment for those spiketails to pass by. However, just as they began to disappear, the marching line of swimmers had just reappeared. Silently fuming at his bad luck, Oplax knew he had to wait for a time when neither the spiketails nor the swimmers were in sight.

Then, Oplax felt the ground begin to vibrate. As the little pebbles around him began to bob up and down, he realized that the little earthshake came from quick, heavy footsteps from the south. Looking above the trees marking the borders, Oplax could see the tall, very long neck of Mia, one of the very longnecks who had been involved in abducting his adoptive siblings, hurriedly drawing closer in a full-out gallop. Behind her, he could hear gruff voices shouting, "After her!"

Oplax stared, before hearing further footsteps closer by. Turning back, he saw that both the spiketail and swimmer patrols had stopped what they were doing and immediately began to charge toward Mia. He shook his head, unable to believe his luck. Any lingering ill feelings he may have harbored for the longneck for trying to eggnap his adoptive siblings had vanished, for in that one moment, she had literally cleared the last remaining obstacles standing between them and freedom.

Backing up into a running start, Oplax knew that the time for action had come. Dashing out of the grasses, Oplax felt his heart leap along with his body as like a fast runner, he hurled himself past the first line.

"I'm really doing it!" Oplax cheered quietly as he weaved his way through the trees at the border, hearing his adoptive siblings squeak with celebration on top of him. Then after carrying his pudgy little armored body a little further, the second line emerged, and as he broke through the border, the full feat of his accomplishment finally hit him, as the thrill of victory rushed through him inside ...

"I'm in the twofooter zone!" Oplax cheered as he rocketed forward. "I really did …"

But then, Oplax saw a big tail come out of nowhere to block his path, and before Oplax could react, he found himself tripping over it, causing the babies to scatter off his back and begin to cry despairingly. Then he heard a voice wheezily mutter, "Heh heh heh … I'm afraid your luck's run out, you bad little clubtail boy."

Freezing hard water filled Oplax's veins as he looked up to see an adult female swimmer, her eyes bearing down at him. From purely a surface level perspective, she looked a tad like Sam and Ducky's mother, but her aura suggested anything but. With her cold heartless eyes looking at him like prey and her jagged claws held up those of a sharptooth's, along with a sickening, triumphant smirk, this dinosaur was clearly anything but friendly. "And I see you have little clubtail scum with you too ... How lovely."

Then he heard footsteps behind him as the swimmer's smile widened. His heart churning even worse than before as he squirmed frantically, he could imagine the swimmer patrol was on their way to throw him back into the tailed zone at any moment now ... If he was lucky ...

"Hargh!" came a fierce growl, and Oplax turned, expecting to see a ferocious border guard. However, to his amazement, he saw that it was Nod who had arrived, anger burning in his eyes. With a running start, he jumped up to hit the swimmer right in the ankle, knocking her off balance as Oplax wiggled free from her grip. As Oplax quickly collected the clubtail babies back onto his back and began to scamper away, he saw that the swimmer had gotten back to her feet.

"Heh heh heh … It's my lucky day … Two roundbacked rulebreakers. How disgusted I am to see such ugly creatures, with the foulest breath so typical of your dirty kinds. You messed with the wrong dinosaur," she smirked, causing Oplax to grind to an involuntarily halt. "Do you even know who I am, filthy brats? I am Phuru of the criminal jury that hands out sentences for lawless scum like yourselves. And after I inform Mr. Leigh, I will ensure just punishment for the both …"

But she never got to complete her sentence. Hearing a fierce growl, Oplax turned and saw that rushing across the border was a young but massive fully grown maroon-colored clubtail, looking at the swimmer with a fury terrible to behold. Before Phuru could even respond, he began to immediately whack his club at her ankle, causing a sickening sound of breaking bone as she tumbled to the ground.

"Come on, run kid," Nod told him urgently as he rushed past, hearing Phuru make a terrible shriek for assistance. Yet as Oplax blindly followed Nod's lead, trying to block out the sound of the returning border patrol, he still couldn't take his mind off what he just saw. He had hardly ever seen the grouchy, nocturnal, seemingly speciesist clubtail awake since he was reprimanded by Tricia's father at that herd meeting, for ironically of all things, insulting Bella and Leigh's interspecies relationship. Yet ever since then, Veno had lived in the Great Valley, only waking up when the Night Circle was high in the sky and everyone else was asleep, so he could live his desired life of peace and quiet. As it was best to avoid waking him up and he slept in the cover of shade, Veno was so inconspicuous most of the time that despite being a fellow clubtail, Oplax had hardly given him a second look. But now, Oplax couldn't help but wonder if there was more to the enigmatic clubtail than met the eye …

Oplax was jolted back to reality when he saw Nod make an odd turn towards a circle of rocks, and as Oplax rounded the entrance, he saw that two spikethumbs were sleeping inside. "In here kid," Nod ordered.

Knowing better than to ask questions under the circumstances, Oplax followed him inside. "Who … who are they?" he asked blankly, looking at the spikethumbs.

"This is my friend Weald and his dad," explained Nod quietly. "His dad's a herd elder, who unfortunately you're gonna have to meet when you get older. And Weald … What the …" For Nod had just observed that Weald had fresh, large scars on his chest and face.

"I'll find out what happened to him," Nod finally said as Oplax eyed Weald concernedly. "But as for you, I'll wake his dad up. He's not the nicest guy, but he's all right. He'll know where your friends' parents are sleeping, and he can take you to them."

"Right," said Oplax, and so Nod walked over to the sleeping father spikethumb and prodded him gently. "Hey … Mr. Spikethumb."

The older spikethumb woke up and looked at Nod. "Why Mr. Nod," he muttered in a posh, heavily accented voice. "You shouldn't be here ... But I can't say I'm surprised to see you. Especially considering that your friends have been acting most peculiarly …"

"It wasn't his fault, Sir," Oplax said politely. "It was my idea to sneak in here. He only came to save me from a bad swimmer."

Mr. Spikethumb stared at Oplax thoughtfully. "You're one of those little hooligans, aren't you?"

"Please Sir," Oplax said tentatively, looking at Mr. Spikethumb with passionate eyes. "I don't want to cause trouble. I only want to be with my friends … Just like Nod wants to be with his."

Mr. Spikethumb stared at Oplax before he turned to Nod. "Well, you were right in guessing that I'd think the segregation order is poppycock, especially when it comes to separating friends, and you came to the right dinosaur," Mr. Spikethumb said uneasily. "But still, I don't want any trouble, especially now that my son has been hurt. The last thing I want is for those brutes to add further insult to injury … Tell you what, Mr. Nod. You look so much like one of my rocks you could hide in my place for the night, so long as you don't make any noise or bring attention to yourself. Your friends will most likely be up at my place tomorrow anyway, so they can pick you up then."

"They will?" Nod asked bewilderedly.

Mr. Spikethumb shook his head, smiling ruefully. "You really don't know what they've been up to, do you? Well, Mr. Mutt claimed that he is finally serious about studying his shieldback scales, and Mr. Hyp, Ms. Ann and Mr. Dispo have been studying with him. They have been up here all day trying to memorize conversions, and I'm still not sure they've succeeded. From what I understand, they are still practicing down by the heat vents. Of course, all of this was most likely a rockheaded attempt to rescue you," he said with a smirk. "But now that you're here, well … Who am I to discourage further studying for a shieldback scales test?"

Oplax looked puzzled. "What's a shieldback scales test?"

Nod shook his head. "Trust me kid. Enjoy being too young for it while you can."

"Not surprised to hear you say that, especially since you still have not passed yours I might add," Mr. Spikethumb said wryly, to which Nod chuckled sheepishly. "Mr. Nod, you stay there until your friends collect you. As for you, young clubtail, I will escort you to who you are looking for."

Oplax nodded thankfully. "Thank you, Sir … I really appreciate it."

"I would advise you to be very careful," said Mr. Spikethumb seriously. "But I do wish you best of luck, Mr. Clubtail … Now follow me and I will take you to where you belong."


Shieldback scaling was the bane of an adolescent's education in the Great Valley, one of the upper-level courses of its arithmetic program. While children had to learn counting and relative dinosaur weights for basic safety, the subject of shieldback scaling was far more precise. It was an oral tradition taught by Weald's father Gideon Spikethumb to the Valley's older students that was considered one of the rites of passage to intellectual adulthood.

The subject centered around the shieldback as a base unit of dinosaur mass, and the memorization of weights of other dinosaurs relative to the shieldback. These were used to perform equivalence conversions, and through a grueling oral examination, Mr. Spikethumb quizzed students on questions like how many spiketails would it take to equal one whiptail. This knowledge was considered important for approximating the natural strength capabilities of the different kinds, which in turn helped to promote understanding of one another and to expedite problem solving. More advanced arithmetic courses were taught to a select few prospective members of the Circle of Elders in order to help make decisions on behalf of the entire Valley that the rest of the Valley took for granted, such as food and water management, estimating the mass of rocks and walls, assessing the safety of cliffs, determining cave capacity in case of inclement weather, and predicting the location and velocity of sharptooth attacks. But shieldback scaling was complicated enough for most of the Great Valley's populace, and Hyp, Mutt, Ann and Dispo were certainly no exception.

The four of them, all having been cynical adolescents, did not take shieldback scaling seriously then, never believing they would have to use it. As a result, they all barely scraped by their exams, or in Mutt's case, did not even pass them. Mutt's and Nod's failure to ever pass their tests was cause for many jokes at their expense, but now Mutt's failure gave them an excuse to get Mr. Spikethumb, who had nothing else to do due to Leigh having dismissed all the old teachers, to spend the whole day orally reciting conversions of how many shieldbacks different dinosaurs weighed. Though most of the data was dull and useless and the four of them struggled to even pretend to be interested, there were some relevant conversions in there that they found useful. They also interjected with oddly specific questions which made Mr. Spikethumb curious, as they tried to obtain better estimates of certain dinosaurs' weights without providing any names. They only left when Mr. Spikethumb found out that Weald was injured and told them they needed to leave so he could tend to his son in peace.

But the four of them were far from being finished. As it was getting dark, they moved to the heat vents providing light in the night sky, where they brought together several small rocks to assist them with counting. When word got around in the crowded twofooter zone that four thirty-cold-time-old dinosaurs were practicing their shieldback scales, they attracted much attention. Some wondered if they had lost their right to Valley citizenship, others mockingly mused the possibility of the four of them having leadership ambitions, others thought it might be a type of new punishment for these delinquents, and many of those from the segregated herds mocked their studies entirely. Yet the four of them remained so busy that they didn't even bother to respond. Still, the unwanted attention was very distracting, and it was only after everyone started going to sleep that they could finally concentrate and work together in peace.

Indeed, they did have a specific reason for this sudden interest in shieldback scales that they did not reveal to Mr. Spikethumb. With the segregation order in full effect and with many of those who could have helped them before now unavailable, they had to come up with a new way to move the gigantic boulder at the Secret Spot's entrance. As many of the segregated herds had settled near the boulder itself, it would be extremely foolhardy to actually be seen attempting to push the boulder themselves for a prolonged period of time, which would provoke far too many questions and potentially destroy the secrecy of the Secret Spot altogether. Instead, they knew they would have to figure out the strength they would need to move the boulder from afar before actually trying to move it, and since boulder mass was far too complicated of a subject, they had no choice but to do what they swore they would never again – tedious, exhausting shieldback scaling.

"All right," Hyp groaned in exasperation, trying to do this for the umpteenth time as the four of them lay down beside the heat vents. "Littlefoot, Cera and Spike can move the boulder together, and the three of them weigh 16 shieldbacks."

"That can't be right," Ann said irritably. "They're way younger than us!"

Hyp shook his head in annoyance. "Longnecks are huge, and even if Littlefoot's not that big for a longneck, he's still probably about eight shieldbacks. Cera's a pretty big threehorn, so she's probably at four and a half. And while spiketails aren't as big as threehorns, he's still plenty big, a good three and a half. So that's 16 shieldbacks."

"Littlefoot's probably more like seven, Cera four, and Spike three," Ann argued. "That makes them 14."

"That's still a lot," Hyp replied. "How can the four of us move something that takes 14 shieldbacks to move?"

Dispo frowned as he tried to concentrate. "Let's see … No offense Hyp, but you're a lightweight, so I'd put you at zero shieldbacks."

"Hey! I've got to weigh something," Hyp snapped back, turning to Dispo accusatorily. "You remember wrong because you were taking spiky flowers during class and were all messed up!"

"Well at least I didn't have to cheat to pass the test," Dispo smirked back. "Like you had to get a far walker to take the test for you."

"What's cheating, Hyp?" Mutt asked curiously.

"Ugh ... Something that would actually help you out," Hyp explained exasperatedly.

"So you did do it!" Dispo said triumphantly.

"No I didn't!" Hyp argued. "I'm not dumb enough to do that!"

"Or maybe Old Spikethumb just got so tired of you and your dad that he just gave you the pass," Dispo teased.

"Guys, enough!" Ann said seriously. "We've gotta focus on getting in! We're at, uh … What are we?"

"Well, if Hyp's nothing … Oh fine, we'll call him half a shieldback," Dispo shrugged.

"I thought you were a half shieldback?" asked Ann.

"Yeah, you're right … I guess that makes the creepy crawler over here nothing," snickered Dispo as Hyp fumed. "Mutt's a pretty large twofooter, so he's 1 and ½."

"I'm 1 and ¾," said Ann crestfallenly. "Which makes us, uh … 3 ¾. Nowhere near enough to move it."

"Ugh …" growled Hyp in exasperation. "I'm not zero! I bet I could knock you down!"

"Go ahead and try, midget," Dispo teased.

With a running start, Hyp went to try and tackle Dispo. Dispo however, was just too heavy for him, and Hyp fell back onto the ground.

"Well, you're not half a shieldback," Dispo laughed, his eyes glistening, before he asked, "Didn't you used to sing a song about being big?"

Hyp just glared. "Don't. Even. Go there."

"We can't just give up," Ann urged. "If we can get Nod over here …"

"How many shieldbacks is Nod?" Mutt interrupted innocently.

Hyp shook his head. "Sheesh, you're dumb. What is Nod?"

"Uh …" Mutt began as Hyp sighed. "He is a shieldback, so he's one shieldback!"

"So 4 ¾," said Ann seriously. "That puts all of us at just over Cera's weight."

"Ugh ... I didn't know she was that fat," Hyp said exasperatedly.

Discouraged with their findings, Dispo shook his head. "No way we can move that boulder. We need help."

"But ... No one else can help us," said Ann. "They're all in other zones. Maybe we could try to break Shorty out ..."

"Then we'd be stuck in there!" Mutt shouted in terror, forcing the others to shush him.

"You think we should get Rana, Weald, Ceph and Halle involved?" Dispo suggested.

Hyp shook his head impatiently. "Ceph and Halle are no use. I actually can knock Ceph down by running at him, so if you say I'm not any use, they certainly can't be much."

"Still, they're bigger than you," Dispo teased. "Maybe the two of them are a shieldback combined. So 5 ¾."

"Rana and Weald are pretty big though," observed Ann brightly. "Rana's about my size, so she's another 1 ¾ … Weald's a bit bigger, probably 2 ¼ … That's another four …"

"5 ¾ plus 4 is 9 ¾," said Hyp. "That's like Littlefoot and Nod. Still nowhere near 16."

"But it's gotta be!" Ann cried out, eyeing them desperately.

Beckoning them to come closer, Ann sighed. "Look, I don't care how we do it, but we've gotta get inside! My babies are in there! And I haven't seen Guido and Avie anywhere!"

"Yeah," Hyp agreed. "And it would be just the right place to hide Nod. Maybe we should tell …"

"No!" Ann interrupted. " Yes, we have to get in, but ... I don't want any others to find out about my babies! I don't even want to tell Weald, Rana, Ceph and Halle! I don't want them to know I'm a … I'm a …"

"You're a what?" came a voice behind them.

Turning, they all turned to see a young sailbacked spikethumb approaching them, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Uh … Hi Rana," Mutt said awkwardly as Ann looked at Hyp and Dispo desperately.

"What are you doing here?" Hyp asked protectively.

Rana raised her eyebrows. "Chill guys. I've heard you four were working on shieldback scales, so I thought you might need help from someone who actually passed her test the first time around."

"That's only because Mr. Spikethumb thought your sail was attractive," retorted Hyp.

"Well it is," Rana said proudly, feeling the smooth contours of her tall sail. "But regardless, this is hardly the first time you guys have been acting, well ... Totally weird."

"What are you talking about?" Hyp said impatiently, pretending to feign ignorance.

"Well let's see," Rana said in mock thought. "You've been acting totally spacy, Ann. Like your head is always in the sky puffies, or you've been eating spiky flowers."

With the mention of the spiky flowers, Dispo involuntarily lowered his head, a subconscious movement that unfortunately, was not lost on Rana.

"Wait a moment …" Rana said, in realization, before she moved in closer to them. "Did you seriously relapse again Dispo? After the warning you got?"

Dispo didn't answer, nor did any of the others, except Mutt who said, "Uh … I think …" he said, before Hyp hurriedly pulled on his arm and shook his head.

"You did, didn't you?" Rana pressed Dispo. "But how? There aren't any more spiky flowers in the Valley. The elders made sure of that."

Dispo sighed. "I found some in the Mysterious Beyond. But I've been better now, thanks to ..." before he trailed off as Hyp and Ann glared warningly at him.

Rana struggled not to laugh. "You guys don't need to worry about telling me. Unlike you, I'm not trying to get in good graces with the Circle of Elders. Though why you would is beyond me … Considering Leigh is the only one in power."

"You … wouldn't tell him, would you?" Dispo asked worriedly. "He'd kick me out for sure if he finds out."

Rana laughed. "Why would I want to see you kicked out? Besides, that kid tyrant doesn't deserve to know anything. Why would I want to help him when it's so much more fun to sit back and watch him suffer?"

"What are you talking about?" Hyp asked in disbelief. "We're the ones who have been suffering, not him!"

Rana ogled Hyp in disbelief. "You didn't see what happened today?"

"We've been too busy with Mr. Spikethumb," explained Ann.

"What are you talking about?" Dispo asked, annoyed.

Rana smirked, bringing them all in even closer. "You seriously were too busy studying shieldback scales to miss out on the tyke army?"

"What tyke army?" Hyp asked.

"You know that little threehorn and her gang of friends? They got into so much trouble today!" Rana cackled. "They blew raspberries, set up traps, threw mud, rocks and buzzer nests, soiled on and spat at the border patrol, broke Leigh's bones ... The threehorn even bit his arm and called him a histrionic hollowhead to his face!"

"Uh, what's that?" Mutt asked.

"It means he's a dramatic dummy. Old Threehorn probably came up with it and fed it to her. But yeah, they were a total scream!" Rana snickered.

Hyp, Mutt, Ann and Dispo looked at each other, amused but not able to hide their worry. "Nothing happened to them, right?" Ann asked.

Rana just gaped. "I thought you'd have at least laughed! Seriously, what is with all of you? This is the juiciest trouble I've ever seen in the Valley, and you missed out to study shieldback scales and now you're acting like you actually know the half-pints!"

When they didn't answer, Rana looked at them exasperatedly. "You four and Nod are up to something. You've been acting weird ever since the poop duty assignment and you've been keeping lots of secrets from me, when you shouldn't! I'm your friend, for crying out loud! And you're leaving me out of everything! Tell me why! What's going on?"

Rana looked at them expectantly as the others turned to Ann, who gulped. As much as she hated revealing to others her secret, Rana, despite her attitude at times, was trustworthy, and she seemed genuinely hurt about not being kept in the loop with them. And if they were going to try to get back into the Secret Spot, there was no way around the fact that they needed more help …

"All right," Ann muttered very quietly, scanning the area in terror for potential eavesdroppers. "Can you promise to keep a really big secret? That no one else can know about? Not even Weald, Ceph and Halle?"

Rana looked surprised. "Of course Ann! Why would I tell anyone? I have no family here, the closest thing I've got is you guys. If something's bothering you, I want to help out. Which is why I don't get why you wouldn't want to tell me."

Ann sighed. This was very hard to say so bluntly, but perhaps the simplest explanation was the best …

"The truth is … I'm a mom," Ann swallowed at last.

Rana stared at Ann thoughtfully. "Some creep hit on you? Without your consent?"

Slowly, Ann nodded, and she began to cry.

With a look of understanding, Rana bent down to comfort Ann. "So that's why … Now I get it. But ... Why did you feel like you had to keep it from me? It's not like you wanted it to happen! And I don't mind that you're a mom now! If anything, I want to help you."

"You … really mean it?" Ann asked, sniffling.

"What are friends for?" smiled Rana, and the two twofooters engaged in a brief hug. "But … I haven't seen any eggs at your place. Just where have you been keeping them?"


The twofooter zone was the most densely populated part of the newly segregated Great Valley. It consisted of domeheads, flyers, noteeth, spikethumbs, runners, bigmouths, hollowhorns, and swimmers. While few of these individuals were truly massive in size, with Leigh's kind of hollowhorn being the largest type of twofooter in the Valley, the sheer population in this zone nonetheless made it a tight fit.

While the flyers occupied the cliffs of the eastern edges of the zone and the runners and noteeth most of the ground of the northern and eastern edges, the rest of the zone was divided between the larger species of twofooters. With the northernmost part occupied by runners and the southernmost part occupied by a marching line of patrolling domeheads, the rest of the twofooter zone was roughly divided into three vertical rows.

The first and largest row was occupied by the segregated herds, who just like in the other zones, could easily be told apart from their warmhearted counterparts, with sharp, jagged, claw-like fingers and toes, chiseled faces, brawny, brutish bodies, strong sexual differences, and large families with eerily toughened, scowling kids. Even the related kinds, like the three distinct types of hollowhorn or the many varieties of spikethumb, had clearly defined territories within their areas, keeping as far away from the other kinds as possible. Their area was generally flat and open with only shallow water for drinking, as these herds were used to traversing large stretches of dry land and any spare time was spent toughening up, not wasting time with frivolities such as play, relaxation or bathing. On the eastern wall of this portion was a cavern in which Leigh himself resided, outside of which was stationed a personal army of guards.

In the middle was a row of relatively neutral twofooters, with prominent members including Madge and Maia Bigmouth and their large families, Juana Spikethumb and her children, legal expert Lance Bonehead, along with his son and girlfriend, Valley elder Gideon Spikethumb and his son, and the Swimmer Trio. These dinosaurs, above all, wanted nothing more than to have peace in the Valley, and thus, placed themselves as a firewall to separate the hardline factions. Many of them, like Gideon Spikethumb and the Swimmer Trio personally disapproved of the segregation order but did not want to see further conflict within the Valley. Others, like Madge and Maia's clan and Juana Spikethumb, had been suspicious of the Circle of Elders and had lived relatively segregated lives even before Leigh's rise to power, and so they were open to trying out Leigh's segregation policy, hoping it would improve the Valley's spate of bad luck. However, none of these dinosaurs liked the militaristic, rigid culture of the segregated herds, and the idea of forcibly separating friends from one another, especially children, made them very uncomfortable. This area was smaller in size than the area up north, but more heavily forested, making it an ideal buffer zone between the ideologically opposed groups.

North of the border where the marching lines of domeheads and boxheads patrolled but south of the neutral zone was a thin strip of marshy, forested area with both dry patches and good-sized pools not just for drinking, but also for swimming, bathing and playing. Much as the segregationist herds tried to take control of the entire zone, the regime's dissenters banded together to preserve a small area where they could live in as much harmony with each other as possible. Being surrounded by border patrols on both the west and south, the segregationist herds to the north, and the Valley's walls on the east, the place was written off as a lawless area due to the sheer amount of opposition to the new regime inside. The regime didn't like it, but so long as they kept the contamination to within the zone, they could avoid a lot of hassle while establishing further control over the rest of the twofooter zone. And of course, as the regime would slowly coalesce more power, the dissenters' morale would steadily decrease, allowing for easier control when the time was right …

The twofooters here were staunchly against the segregation policy and made no secret of their dislike for it. Hyp and his friends Mutt, Ann and Dispo had camped out here, dragging Hyp's father along, who despite not wanting any trouble, reluctantly acquiesced to his son's demands. Swimmers were particularly well-represented in this lawless patch, with many of them being the younger swimmer's relatives, be they aunts, uncles or distant cousins. Despite their large family sizes, they were nothing like the segregated herds, for between them, they had very rounded features, wide, innocent eyes, a long history of respect and appreciation for other kinds, and very emotional natures.

Indeed, most of these twofooters had a very expressive culture, with lots of tears being shed and supportive hugging going on between them in an attempt to make themselves and one another feel better. Many of them took to the water to swim, bathe or play in an attempt to wash their sorrows away. And they took solace in all the beautiful nature around them, from the smells of the tree sweets to the way the gentle streams flowed to the way the marshy grasses felt against their skin.

But the most secluded part of this zone, a small pool surrounded by a dense forest and lots of beautiful flowers, was where the twofooters most affected of all resided. Protected by their sympathizers around them, a clan of ten young swimmers, seven young adults and three children, sat in a clearing of the forest in a circle, holding hands and lowering their heads as they silently meditated, appreciating each other's presence as they tried to convey their shared desire to the Night Circle that it would take care of their fallen potential spouses or siblings-in-law and bring both their sister and adoptive brother back to them.

Meanwhile, at the water's edge, three adult hollowhorns, Colby, Rythe and Beverly, watched as their two precious children and their friend lay in the cool, gentle water in back floats, staring up at the black, starry sky above them. Even though Cassia, Perri and Sam were all accomplished swimmers who were able to stay afloat and relax in the water without any trouble, they had never swum as a threesome together. For as much as they liked each other, they still felt woefully incomplete. While the twins had just been taken home by their parents, they had been completely cut off from five of their friends, with no word as to if they'd ever see them again.

"Cass?" Perri sniffled as she took hold of the older hollowhorn's hand. "When do you think we'll see the others again?"

"I don't know, Perri," Cassia sighed as she looked up at the skies and began to reminisce. Even though she was far away, she could still see the plump face and wide, excited, sparkling eyes of the little pink threehorn in the skies … Her first friend, and the one who filled her heart with agony to even think about. They had been together for so long … And now, she might not be able to ever play with her again …

"Cass ... Oh, never mind," Perri muttered.

"What is it, Perri?" Cassia asked, knowing Perri had something she had to get off her chest.

"Well, I don't wanna hurt your feelings," Perri mumbled concernedly.

"It's okay Perri," Cassia said to her friend supportively. "I won't mind, promise."

"Well, I love that you and Sam are still with me, but … I've never been without Oppy, Mono and Rachelle before," Perri sobbed. "I … I feel so lost and lonely without them. They're gone, and … I'm not happy … I hope you're not mad at me for saying that."

Cassia patted Perri's back. "Of course not, Perri. Actually … I think I know how you feel."

"You do?" Perri asked in surprise.

Cassia nodded. "Just like you guys have been friends since you were hatchlings … So have Trish and I," Cassia sighed, her eyes flickering, as she began to reminisce to Perri and Sam her story.

The little hollowhorn was lying down, her belly on the ground as she prodded the pink water lily pad, appreciating its soft, smooth touch against her fingers. She felt a ripple beneath, but assumed it must have just been the current. Returning her attention to the flower, she reached out toward the pistil, when all of a sudden, her hand begun to be lifted up, yet she didn't make a single movement. And as she looked underneath, the whole lily pad had floated upward, and underneath, was a great, pink form …

"Swimming sharptooth!" Cassia cried out as she backed away from the streambank. However, she was stopped by a tree behind her. As she closed her eyes and shielded herself, she heard footsteps come toward her, and then felt the monster's breath …

"You thought I was a sharptooth?" giggled a perky voice.

Cassia opened her eyes, and there before her stood a little pink threehorn. But she was unlike any threehorn she had seen before, for apart from being soaking wet, she had a pudgy face, doe-eyes, and a huge smile.

"Who … who are you?" Cassia asked nervously.

"My name's Tricia, but you can call me Trish!" Tricia exclaimed brightly. "Who are you?"

Cassia stared at her excited eyes. "Um … My name's Cassia."

Tricia smiled. "What a cute name! Mind if I call you Cass for short? Hey, you look like you need a hug."

And before Cassia could even react, Tricia rushed over and pulled her into a tight, squeezing hug.

"I thought threehorns didn't like hugs," Cassia said questioningly as Tricia finally let her go.

"Pfft!" Tricia laughed. "That's just my grumpy dad and big sis. But not me. I love 'em! Do you?"

"Uh … I guess," Cassia said shyly.

"Then come here," Tricia beamed, and gave Cassia another one. "I like you! Hey, wanna be friends?"

"What?" Cassia asked, surprised.

"You and me! We can be best friends! I can even swim, look!" Tricia said, as she jumped into the water and demonstrated her paddling skills. "You're a swimmer, but I'm a swimmer too!" she exclaimed, before hurriedly dashing back to Cassia, that eager grin on her face. "So how 'bout it?"

Cassia was still feeling shy, but the exuberant, melting look on the little threehorn's face was rapidly winning her over. "Um … okay," Cassia said with a little smile.

And at once, Tricia pulled her into another hug. "Oh yay! I hoped you'd say yes! Wait till I tell my big sis! You and I will be friends forever, just like she and her friends are!"

"I'd love that! But what's your big sis got to do with it?" Cassia asked curiously.

Tricia smirked. "Big Sis and her friends are only the coolest, most awesome group of friends out there! Until you and me, that is!"

And happily, the new best friends shared a cheek rub and giggled together, loving the feeling of warmth across one another's faces …

"And she was right," Cassia sighed, shaking her head as she fondly smiled. "We've been together ever since."

"Wow Cass, that's … adorable," cooed Perri.

"I only wish I met you guys earlier," Sam sighed. "But I was too shy … Oh well. At least I got to explore the Great Valley and learn all about its hiding places ..."

But at that moment, Cassia and Perri turned to look at Sam excitedly, and a second later, a sly grin appeared on Sam's face. Quietly, he motioned for Perri and Cassia to come over.

"Guys," Sam said breathlessly. "I think we might have found it ... All we need is …"

They were interrupted however, for right at that moment, Mama Swimmer walked through the woods, her tail oddly lowered to the ground as she beckoned Cassia, Perri and Sam to come over.

At once, the kids rushed out of the water to greet her. "What's going on, Mom?" Sam asked curiously.

Mama Swimmer bent down so that she was right next to the three kids. Very quietly, she whispered, "Sam, do you know of a good hiding spot?"

Amazed, the kids looked at each other. "Uh …" Sam began, but Mama Swimmer knew full well when her son was hiding something from her.

Beaming at the children, she nodded understandingly, before saying, "Promise me you'll be very quiet … And remember, we didn't have this conversation."

"What?" Perri asked, but at that point, Mama Swimmer lifted her tail up …

"Hi guys," came a quiet but very gleeful voice, and from underneath came a gaggle of seven tiny red clubtails, clutching onto the form of someone very familiar …

"Oppy!" Perri squeaked, her eyes teary with happiness as she ran over to hug her friend, both of them grinning ecstatically as he hugged her back. Cassia and Sam too beamed, but they knew this was no time for greetings … For Cassia knew just by the look in Sam's eyes that perhaps there would be something different about their newest scheme.

Kneeling, Mama Swimmer got into a huddle with the four children. "Listen, kids. The border patrol already knows Oplax and the babies have broken into the twofooter zone. It is only a matter of time before they search our place. Which is why you must make sure to find another place to keep them hidden at all times."

"I know Mom," winked Sam. "And I know just where to hide them! Follow me."

And after Mama Swimmer hurriedly got Mr. and Mrs. Twoped and Mrs. Hollowhorn up to speed, the group began to walk through the friendly twofooter zone. Sam led the way, low to the ground, while Cassia and Perri stood on either side of Oplax to block him from view, all of them shielded by the large bodies of the grownups as they followed. Most of their fellow twofooters were asleep, but a few of them were awake, and though they couldn't see the hidden children, many of them gave the four grownups nods, thumbs ups, and other gestures of silent support and solidarity.

At last, they got to a grassy patch at the far east side of the Valley, which fortunately was only populated by the notooth herd. As much as the kids were tempted to wake up Garnet and Pearl, they knew that they couldn't risk it yet, for they might inadvertently wake up a nearby hostile dinosaur, especially with Leigh's chambers not being too far away. But then, Sam stopped at a rock and pressed on it, nodding to the other kids.

The Twopeds and Mrs. Hollowhorn looked confused, but Mama Swimmer knowingly looked at them. Cassia, Oplax and Perri joined Sam in gathering around the rock, the little clubtails still remarkably clutching onto their big brother. Then together, the four of them pushed it aside to reveal a small hole in the ground.

Cassia, Oplax and Perri stared at each other in wide-eyed excitement as Sam held a finger to his mouth. Then he quietly jumped into the hole, with Cassia, Perri and Oplax following in his wake, and being bigger than Sam, they each landed with louder thuds. Understandingly, Mama Swimmer moved to block off the entrance by sleeping right on the spot, still leaving plenty enough light for the kids to see underneath while the other three adults pretended to go to sleep around them.

"What is this place?" Perri marveled.

But as if to answer her question, they heard footsteps, and Cassia, Oplax and Perri gasped as what looked to be two tiny longnecks, a green male and orange female, hurried over to them. They were even smaller than the bigger kids, and they looked as surprised as they were to see them. Sam however, was smiling broadly, for he was greeting old friends.

"Hi Skitter, Lizzie," Sam said quietly, his eyes flickering.

Skitter and Lizzie looked at each other in confusion, before Skitter turned to Sam. Having grown a deeper voice over the cold times, he surprised the other kids when they realized that rather than being a very young hatchling, this little longneck was a young adult. "Hey Sam … Who are they? And what are you doing down here at night?"

"Yeah," Lizzie whispered. "Everyone else is asleep."

"Guys," Sam sighed concernedly. "We need help …"

Skitter and Lizzie nodded, but the two of them both looked very worried themselves. "What's going on up there?" Skitter asked. "We're running out of food down here, but we're hearing all this stupid stomping above, and everyone's always yelling."

The four kids looked at each other. "These guys always live underground," Sam explained to the others. "They really don't know anything that's happened."

"What's happened?" Lizzie trembled.

Sam sighed. "You can't go up there anymore. Bad guys have taken over the Great Valley!"

"They segregated the Valley, and if you're not careful, you will be attacked!" Cassia warned them.

Skitter and Lizzie looked at each other, terrified. "What? Now?" Skitter asked. "But if we can't go up there … We'll starve!"

"So soon after Big Daddy passed …" Lizzie sighed, turning to Skitter. "We're supposed to be in charge of the herd, but I don't know if we can do this, Skitter."

But while Skitter looked worried, the other kids finally were beginning to see what this was about, and as they did, they looked at each other, all of their eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I suppose we should introduce ourselves," smiled Cassia reassuringly. "I'm Cassia, that's Oplax, and that's Perri."

"We're Sam's friends!" Perri added.

"And we're trying to escape the Great Valley," Oplax said brightly.

Just hearing those words gave them a thrill as Cassia hurriedly said, "And if you can help us … We know just where to go where there's food for you and a hiding spot for us!"

Grinning, Sam nodded. "That's right!" Pointing north, he explained, "We have a secret spot that way that's filled with food, and the bad guys don't know about it!"

Skitter and Lizzie looked at each other incredulously. "That sounds wonderful!" Lizzie exclaimed. "But … We don't know what place you're talking about … And our tunnels don't go much further that way."

Oplax however, gasped as he came to a realization. "Hey … I've got a club tail!" he exclaimed, waving it happily. "I can use it to push dirt or break rock and take your tunnels … All the way to our Secret Spot!"

"And I can make sure you keep going the right way!" Sam piped up.

"You two can work on building a tunnel …" Cassia began, as Perri finished, "While we can tell the others!"

And in shock, Cassia, Oplax, Perri and Sam looked at each other, huge smiles lining all their faces. At last, they had a plan not just on how to get into each other's zones, but to actually escape to the one place still in the safety of the Valley but untarnished by Leigh's cruelty. Unable to hold it in any longer, with celebratory tears streaming down their faces, the four friends begin to quietly dance, jump up and down, cheer and even sing in celebration.

"You're a genius, Sam!" Cassia exclaimed, bending down to hug him. "While you two work down here, Perri and I can tell Garnet and Pearl tomorrow. Then between the four of us, all we have to do is sneak the others into the twofooter zone tomorrow night, and then … We'll all be free!"

"We're gonna all be together again!" Perri squeaked, grinning broadly. "We … really are!"

"And we'll save the babies!" Oplax beamed as the babies too chirped in happiness. "We can all live together, with no bad guys to worry about!"

"Well, let's get started!" Sam cheered, nodding to Oplax. "Follow me!"

And with the clubtail babies hurriedly following alongside, they followed Sam down the underground labyrinth. They went quite a ways, until they found an undug, thick wall of dirt.

"Well, I know what that means," Oplax smiled, as he waved his tail in anticipation. "Boy, I'm glad I've got my whapper now!"

And backing up, Oplax swung his tail at the dirt and began to push it back. Following his example, the little clubtails went to help their big brother, and soon, they all started clubbing at the dirt together, slowly pushing it as they pressed further and further backward.

"All right guys, see you!" Sam giggled with a wink as Oplax waved a paw as he continued to swing his tail.

"See you tomorrow!" Cassia exclaimed.

"With all the others!" Perri added. "But can we have one last hug first?"

So Cassia, Oplax, Perri and Sam went to give each other one last group hug. Then, their hearts all alive and filled with excitement, Cassia and Perri ran back to the entrance while Oplax and Sam stayed behind to dig.

Upon being prodded, Mama Swimmer quickly stood aside. One look at Cassia and Perri's gleeful faces and the absence of Sam told her that whatever plan they had come up with looked to be a real breakthrough. Without another word, the elder dinosaurs closed off the hole to the burrow and silently, the four adults headed back, Cassia and Perri jubilantly hopping alongside them, struggling to avoid breaking into song about how they felt so happy.

When they got back to their pool, Cassia's parents and Perri's adoptive mother kept watch as Mama Swimmer bent down to debrief with them, the three of them entering a tight huddle together.

"You've succeeded, I see," Mama Swimmer whispered. "Is this … a hiding spot or an escape?"

"Escape!" quietly exclaimed Perri.

"We're going to be leaving tomorrow night," Cassia muttered. "We'll let the others know, sneak them in the hole, and come out ... Some place safe."

"We've been there already, but the bad guys don't know about it," Perri grinned.

Mama Swimmer looked incredulously at them. "You kids are so much like Ducky, Spike and their friends," she told Cassia and Perri, causing them both to glow with pride. "I think you really might have outsmarted the bad guys. Just … Don't make yourselves conspicuous."

"Conspicu-what?" Perri asked.

"Obvious," clarified Mama Swimmer.

"All right, we won't cause trouble," Cassia promised, but Mama Swimmer shook her head. "Hold on, I'll be right back."

And puzzledly, Cassia and Perri looked at each other, wondering just what Mama Swimmer was up to.

Mama Swimmer came back with another young swimmer who Cassia and Perri recognized as one of Sam's nestmates. "Cassia, Perri, this is Shine. He's Sam's twin brother."

"Hi," Shine said, waving as Cassia and Perri waved back at him.

Mama Swimmer first looked at Cassia and Perri. "You guys don't mind taking Sam's nestmates with you?"

"No, not at all," Cassia smiled.

"We'd love to help them!" Perri agreed.

"Great," Mama Swimmer smiled, before turning to Shine. "Listen. We've got a plan to get you, Lily and Sally out of the Great Valley with Sam and his friends to someplace safe. But it won't be ready until tomorrow night. So in order to keep the bad guys guessing … You're going to have to pretend to be Sam tomorrow."

"Me? Pretend to be Sam?" Shine asked curiously.

Mama Swimmer nodded. "That way, they won't know that the real Sam will be busy digging an escape path. You'll be going to school as Sam tomorrow, while we'll pretend that you're out sick with a contagious fever. Since you don't cause trouble like Sam, they'll ask much less questions about you being sick than they would him. This also means …" Mama Swimmer said cautiously, before very quietly whispering, "That you're gonna have to act just like Sam would."

Shine looked intrigued, and Cassia and Perri looked at Mama Swimmer confusedly. "But … You said not to cause trouble," Cassia asked.

Mama Swimmer shook her head. "No actually, quite the opposite," she smirked shiftily. "After everything you did yesterday, the bad guys would notice if you were too quiet and realize you're up to something. Instead, if you want the bad guys to not suspect anything, you've got to create another spectacle. I've heard that your class tomorrow will be a lecture at the Rock Circle … So the three of you, Garnet and Pearl have got to find a way to be … disruptive. But you didn't hear this from me."

And as Mama Swimmer went back to her sleeping spot, Cassia bent down to speak to Perri and Shine.

"Is Sam's mom actually asking us to cause trouble?" Perri asked Cassia.

Cassia nodded, before turning to Sam's twin. "Shine, do you like … entertaining?" she asked quietly.

Shine nodded. "Mmm-hmm! Sounds like fun!"

Cassia's eyes twinkled. "Okay then ... I've got an idea for what we can do."


Perhaps someday I shall return to the herd, and prove that I can be trustworthy. I know there is much I can contribute if given the chance.

Pterano could only sigh as he looked down at the fallen Valley below him. How wrong he was to think he ever could have contributed. It was not that his intentions were bad. Indeed, he always strove to fulfill his promise to be a different flyer than he was before. Yet the actions he had taken would suggest anything but. No sooner had the Longnecks passed away than he got into his first fight with Mr. Threehorn over the prickly plants, and things only got pricklier from there. Not only did the fights with Mr. Threehorn get uglier, but he had also fueled the flames between Mr. Threehorn and Mr. Longneck, undermined Mr. Thicknose's leadership, and of course, succumbed to his temptation to be in charge of the herd, believing only he could adequately lead it. He had truly learned nothing from his first pursuit of power, and once again, the herd had paid the price for it.

He shook his head silently, placing his paws on his head as he closed his eyes. He deserved punishment, just as he did the last time he tore apart the herd. Only this time, there was no wise and just leader who could hand him the punishment he deserved. Rather, there was only a youthful, malevolent tyrant, to which punishment was merely a tool to exert against threats to his imaginary segregationist utopia. And in that sense, rather than accepting responsibility, him accepting punishment would only be a form of compliance …

Opening his eyes, he looked down at the Valley in grim resolve. As terrible as he felt, he couldn't spend all his time dwelling on his mistakes. He had been paralyzed enough after his first incident, struggling with his own trauma and guilt with flashbacks and disturbing sleep stories plaguing him at every turn. There was no time to go through that again, especially with the preposterous excuse of a trial going on, where four young dinosaurs and his old rivals, Mr. Threehorn and Mr. Longneck, were effectively handed pending death sentences. He thought about the foolish rivalry the three of them had earlier. It was far too late when he finally realized that both Bron and Topps were selfless, courageous dinosaurs who would do anything for the Valley, just as he would. But with the two of them being confined to the Valley and their representative duties, there was only so much they could do to help out, and it was up to him to act on all three of their behalf. If nothing else, it was the least he could do to make it up to them.

Glancing around him, he saw that none of the wandering flyers were anywhere in sight. Most likely, they had gone to sleep for the night. He should have paid more attention to these creatures, knowing of several of them from his exile in the Mysterious Beyond, and they were hardly any more reputable than Rinkus and Sierra in character. But there was no time to dwell on that now. Taking a deep breath, Pterano began to flap his wings before diving off the Great Valley's walls, taking flight in the outside world as he began to scan the Mysterious Beyond for something, anything that could help them.

He couldn't help but smirk at how easy it was. As malevolent as the hollowhorn was, he was still a ground dweller, and so the segregation order had failed to take into account the natural abilities of flyers. While flyers were technically confined to the twofooter zone, the only sentries posted were a line of domeheads separating off the longneck zone and a line of swimmers separating off the tailed zone. As vicious as these enforcers undoubtedly were, none of them could fly, making the order effectively toothless for flyers, until the regime got wise to its weakness … Which he knew couldn't be very long, which is why he had to act while he still could.

As he scanned the Mysterious Beyond for any herds he could find, he thought about who could possibly help them. The segregated herds making up the bulwark of the opposition were certainly formidable, and he knew most herds, even the friendly ones, would be very apprehensive about challenging them, just as the longneck herd was. It would require a certain fortitude and gumption to take on this challenge. But apart from the weakened Circle of Elders, the only ones he could think of who displayed such behavior were Petrie's gang and possibly now the little threehorn's, and even both groups at full strength were not enough to prevent their enemies' rise to power.

It was then when something down below finally caught his eye. A strange group of twenty young leafeaters of all different types, all of them very bloodied, older than the little threehorn's gang but slightly younger than Petrie's, were sitting oddly still, a good distance away from one another. Despite the lateness of the night, they all looked to be wide awake, and were all silent and turned in the same direction he was facing, as if they were waiting to be addressed by an invisible herd leader. What's more, they all had piles of treestars sitting in front of them, covered by rocks, while nearby sat a lone tree, with all of the branches conspicuously having been torn off.

As he flapped to keep himself afloat, Pterano couldn't help but to be transfixed with the group. He had never seen such a group in the Mysterious Beyond. The only remotely comparable example was when the combined herds had made their first journey to the Great Valley together, yet there was far more discord among that group, eventually leading to the fracture that he himself generated, than what this group was demonstrating. Which was especially remarkable given that this group consisted entirely of adolescents, an age where dinosaurs were often at their orneriest. But these teenagers appeared remarkably dedicated, remaining fixed to their positions as they continued to sit and wait, without a herd leader in sight.

Cautiously, Pterano stealthily glided toward the ground, taking great effort not to make any kind of flapping noise, which could easily be recognized with five flyers among the group. Once he touched the ground's surface, he creeped very carefully over to the barren tree, preparing to listen in. He could not afford to not know just who these youngsters were, for judging by their diversity, commitment and loyalty, they looked to be a potentially valuable group of allies. Yet at the same time, he knew he couldn't be too careful. This could easily be a trap set up by Leigh, perhaps meant to take up the role of the conspicuously missing flyer patrol.

Time went by and nothing seemed to be happening as the group continued to patiently sit. Remarkably, not one of them showed any inkling of wanting to go to sleep. As he sat, Pterano considered that his wait to hear them speak might end up in vain. But just as the Bright Circle began to peep over the horizon, voices finally began to speak up.

"Can you see the Bright Circle coming up?" asked a male spikeless spikethumb hopefully, who appeared to be one of the youngest of the group at about thirteen cold times.

"I think so," answered an older male curved onehorn at about nineteen cold times. "But we can't move yet. Not until she comes."

"Is everyone still passing?" asked a female pink flyer. Pterano gulped as he looked at her. She looked remarkably like his old crony Rinkus. Yet her softer facial features, lack of visible teeth, and concerned tone of voice belied him entirely. "Are you guys doing all right?"

The others murmured in assent. "Remember though," warned a male knobbed longneck. "We can't talk to anyone. They said they've got enemies who would kill them. We don't want to accidentally betray them."

"I still can't believe anyone would want to hurt them," said a female clubtailed longneck thoughtfully.

"I know," agreed a male flyer with two very long crests. "The way these guys fought ... It was totally awesome!"

"And for us, when we didn't deserve it!" observed a wide-mouthed male longneck.

His attention rapt, Pterano watched the group thoughtfully. This was clearly an initiation into some sort of secret club whose prospective inductees were young dinosaurs who seemed to be just getting to know one another themselves. The only thing they seemed to have in common apart from their age and apparently being orphans was a deep admiration for some individuals, presumably the club's leaders, who had fought on their behalf. Judging by the nature of the test, this club clearly valued mental fortitude and determination, to which these youngsters all seemed to have plenty of. And it was a strange test that these leaders had come up with, strongly suggesting to Pterano that these were new leaders not accustomed to initiations. Yet the test seemed to do a good job of measuring their prospects' dedication, indicating that despite not having much experience, these leaders were surprisingly creative. Not to mention they seemed to be good judges of character, seeing the potential in this strong-willed, mixed-species group of youngsters … Strong-willed, mixed-species group of youngsters …

And like a falling rock, it hit him. Everything about these club leaders seemed to be awfully familiar. But if this was the case, their entire strategy to protect the Valley would have to change significantly. Knowing he had to be absolutely sure, Pterano quietly remained in place, continuing to listen in for more clues and information.

"You're sure they're gonna come for us?" asked a male fourhorn worriedly. "We sure don't deserve it. They go and save our lives after we get done treating them like sharptooth dirt. "

"Well, they haven't sent the others back yet," said a female thicknose reassuringly. "I think at least it means they want to give us a chance." Sighing, she asked, "I wonder where they went, and how they're all doing?"

"It was really stupid how we made fun of them," observed the female clubtailed longneck sadly. "I can't believe all the things we said ... And yet they still saved us!"

"Just because they're different," nodded a female spikeside sadly. "But even after all we said, they actually paid attention to us! I don't know about you, but I can't wait to learn how to be a better dinosaur from them! I'm sure they can teach us all sorts of things!"

"You said it," agreed a male shieldback firmly. "We're gonna get way more than self-defense out of this! They've already taught me to not be so judgmental, and to see you guys not as enemies, but as … Well, we're herdmates, right?"

Pterano stared. Was this not just the formation of a childish club, but the birth of a whole new herd?

"Of course we're herdmates!" beamed a female nesting bigmouth. "Especially since we all have the same herd leaders now. That is, I hope … I know we're not worthy after we bullied them like that … But I want to leave behind all that! I really want to become a whole new dinosaur!"

"Me too!" piped up the female pink tailed flyer. "They're the herd leaders I've always wanted!"

"It would be awesome if we can start our lives over with them!" said a female clubtail. "I want to get another chance so bad! Even though none of us deserve it ..."

"Well, maybe that spikeneck Jada does," a male crested hollowhorn said admiringly. "She was really nice … Much nicer than the rest of us, except maybe Seth … She tried to get us to stop fighting even before they came. If anyone deserves their mentoring, it's her ..."

"You do too for saying that," complemented a male giant flyer. "That's just how they treat each other ... And how we should as well."

He sighed, before saying, "Even if they don't take us under their wing, and we certainly don't deserve it, I've got an idea. We can still follow their example and live as a herd ourselves! What have we got to lose? The swimmer told us we should all be friends, so ... Even if we can't live with them, we can still live by their advice!"

"You said it," beamed the male curved onehorn. "We've learned so much from them already! To think we started the day beating each other up over a stupid tree. And now, look at us! The same leaves are sitting right under our noses, and we aren't even taking a bite! Because even though we're all really hungry, we've got something much bigger to think about than food!"

"Now I feel really bad about how we treated the oneclaw," added the male fourhorn. "He seemed really scared of us, and we should have helped him feel at home with us rather than talk about killing him."

"We all may have done stupid things, and we may look different," said the male crested flyer. "But it doesn't matter! For we're all in this together, all part of one herd! We're all on the same journey to start anew, discover ourselves and find out where we really belong, hopefully with the help of our herd leaders!

"Yeah!" cheered the male wide-mouthed longneck. "And these bad guys that want to kill them? Well, whoever they are, we're not gonna let them! Once our herd leaders train us, we're gonna help keep them and each other safe against any monster that comes our way, just as any good herd would!"

"Right!" exclaimed the female nesting bigmouth. "I have complete faith in these guys, and I will do anything for them! I even believe they have a sharptooth friend, just as they said!"

As Pterano's heart began to pound, hearing a near giveaway as to the group's identity, he heard a female threehorn call out, "Guys, I know we're all looking for a purpose ... But now we've got one with our herd! They stood by us when we treated them like sharptooth dirt, and they're teaching us so much about who we can become! And so it's only right that we stand by them, no matter what, just as they stand by each other. We can all stand together as one big herd!"

As Pterano stared, he heard the female pale pink flyer pipe up, "They're all great herd leaders! The longneck's so kind and brave. The swimmer is really sweet. The flyer stood up for that kid when we all thought he was dangerous. And even though the spiketail doesn't talk and the threehorn doesn't trust us yet, I can tell he's really wise and she's really awesome!"

"You're right!" exclaimed the female shieldback determinedly. "Which means we've got to prove ourselves to them. We've got to train really hard, become a real awesome team, and really learn to trust one another! And if we do that ... Maybe we'll even become not just their followers, but also … Their friends!"

And at once, the group loudly whooped, making so much noise that Pterano had to look around to make sure that they hadn't attracted any sharpteeth. But no sooner was it apparent that no sharpteeth were coming than the female shieldback seemed to notice something on the horizon. Turning to the clubtailed longneck next to her, she asked, "Is that the Amazing Threehorn Lady?"

The longneck stretched her neck out. "It is! It's really her! She's come for us! They really care about us after all! Which means … We're going to become part of their herd!"

And at once, while still remaining seated, the group began to cheer and let out cries of delight. Taking advantage of the commotion, Pterano hurriedly took to the skies. Looking down, he saw that a familiar large, orange threehorn was approaching them. "Hush guys, be quiet," she called out in a gruff voice, but one which couldn't completely disguise her pride in seeing them all still sticking with it. A voice in which Pterano had absolutely no doubt as to who it belonged to.

And in amazement, Pterano saw that every last one of them fell quiet, before getting into positions of clear and unmistakable respect. Something he had so desperately craved from the herd once, but something he now understood had to be earned ...

"None of us ate a single leaf, Amazing Threehorn Lady," said the clubtailed longneck proudly, her eyes sparkling as the others murmured in excitement.

"Well, I'll be the judge of that," Cera said, her gruff affection becoming increasingly apparent. "I'll count your treestars, and if you have 213, you can eat your tree stars and you can get ready for training. The others will be your squad leaders, and one longneck, one frilled, one twofooter, one flyer, and one tailed per squad. Got it?"

"Right," they all nodded respectfully, before Cera went over to start counting the nearest pile of treestars as the others eagerly waited.

Still not able to believe what he was seeing, Pterano hurriedly flew away from the initiation and started heading back to the Valley, which fortunately was a good distance away from the birth of the young herd. The mere idea of his nephew and his friends leading a herd seemed crazy, but he had seen the evidence for himself. Petrie and his friends had somehow already inspired their own band of devoted, young followers, all seemingly ready to help save the Great Valley along their side …

"Ah, there you are Mr. Pterano," came a smooth voice.

Pterano turned, and at once, saw a flyer strikingly similar to himself emerge by his side, with a big smirk on her youthful face.

At once, his heart plummeted. He had been so distracted with what he had just seen that he didn't even realize that he had company. How long had she been following him? All night, perhaps? Had she seen everything he had?

"Brara?" Pterano asked, trying but failing to conceal the fear in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

Brara didn't answer, rather, she just continued to smirk. "You look like you've got something to tell," before whispering, "Might I ask, has it something to do with Peeping Petrie?"

"Well, I …" Pterano muttered, feeling a cold surge of dread go through him, but Brara cut him off.

"Say no more, Mr. Pterano. I've got some good news to tell the others too … Let's discuss it amongst ourselves first … And then we might as well tell everyone together."

And uncertainly, Pterano followed Brara back to the Valley, wondering just what she was up to.


"What? Petrie's alive … And he and his friends are in charge of a herd?"

In the safety of a small cave, Petrie's family had gathered to discuss the recent events. Future siblings-in-law Skyler and Curie guarded the cave's outside, allowing the flyer family the needed peace to discuss everything. While they were gleeful upon hearing that Petrie was still alive, they were in disbelief with Pterano's discovery.

Pterano nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but I saw what I saw. Petrie and his friends are alive, and they have just given an initiation test to a bunch of teenagers, to which they all appear to have passed."

May shook her head. "It's great that Petrie's alive, but he's too nice at these things. He'd pass everybody if he could."

"Yeah," said Tilly concernedly. "What if they betray Petrie?"

"I had that thought … But I don't think they will," Pterano said sagely. "While they may be a mixed-up herd of orphans, they all seem to be remarkably devoted. They say that they bullied Petrie and his friends before they turned around and saved their lives, and now they seem truly inspired by them. They say that they want to learn from them, and they have committed to starting their lives over together as a herd, even though they apparently just met. Two of them even called Petrie's friend Cera The Amazing Threehorn Lady."

Petrie's siblings all began to snicker. "Okay, since we've already got the Leigh cult ... Can we call them the Petrie cult now?" laughed Stern. "What are they gonna learn from Petrie? Me talk like Petrie. Me talk like Petrie too!"

"Just like those diggers who supposedly called Petrie leader once!" agreed Windy.

Pterano shook his head. "No kids, this is serious. I have tried to lead herds before by using my rhetoric to deliver promises for them. But this group doesn't seem like that. Rather than repeating phrases, they actually seem to follow Petrie and his friends for their character. They talked about how they admired their bravery, their friendship, their openness. They even talked about improving themselves and wanting to become different dinosaurs inside. These are wise young dinosaurs who are thinking very deeply about who they want to be and to find their place in the world. Petrie and his friends were not even present, so they were free to say anything they wanted, so this wasn't even an attempt to flatter them. They even said that if Petrie and his friends did not take them in, that they would start a herd amongst themselves."

Mama Flyer shook her head. "Crazy as it seems … I actually believe this," she said. "Those kids have always done the strangest things … Yet they also seem to do the most remarkable."

Petrie's siblings too finally had begun to understand the seriousness of the situation, and so they began to look more thoughtful as they asked questions.

"How many are there?" asked Storm.

"I counted 20, but they apparently have squad leaders, and Cera said five to a group. So it looks like 25," said Pterano.

"Squad leaders?" said Perkins, intrigued. "It sounds like they're building a resistance effort."

"That's what I think too," Pterano pondered. "They were talking about training, and they did vow to protect Petrie and his friends as well as each other."

At once, Petrie's siblings, as well as Skyler and Curie, looked excitedly at one another.

"That's it, we've got to join them!" exclaimed Jett, and at once, the rest of Petrie's siblings cheered.

"I'm sick of Leigh's nonsense!" exclaimed Windy.

"We can't leave poor Petrie out there without our help," said Tilly.

"Yeah, and we're flyers!" exclaimed Stern. "We can do so much to help them!"

"We're going to help our brother so he can live in the Valley again!" agreed Perkins.

"Our sister-in-law too!" agreed May. "So the two of them can be happy together!"

"Raise your wing if you want to fly over and join Petrie right now!" cheered Storm, and at once, Perkins, Jett, Stern, May, Tilly and Windy all cheered, while Skyler and Curie expressed their support from outside.

Mama Flyer was thrilled to hear both the good news about Petrie and his friends and felt very proud of them, as well as proud on how eager his siblings were to help him and the Valley, but she had concerns about their impetuous behavior. "Kids," she said cautiously. "I love seeing you all want to help out … But you realize there are flyers that are our enemies who would follow us if we were to suddenly go to wherever Petrie is and report back on their location?"

But at this point, a low chuckle occurred, and turning, the others saw Brara merely shaking her head.

"Children," Pterano said at last. "Brara and I have done some … talking. To find out who she really is. Neither of us really knew for sure ourselves. But now … I think we finally pieced together the whole story."

Intrigued, the other children listened in.

"As you may know, I have always been single," Pterano explained. "But … That is not to say I have always been … chaste. No, I must confess … I have had an affair with another flyer."

Mama Flyer looked unsurprised, but the others stared at Pterano curiously. "Do we know her?" May asked.

Pterano shook his head. "No, you wouldn't …" he said with a sigh, before continuing. "She was a very attractive flyer. Flirtatious, spirited, a fine sense of humor. But you see, she lured me under false pretenses, for I only found out later that she … was a sharptooth flyer."

The others gasped as Pterano sighed. "She looked just like one of us. But she came from a place by the Big Water, where green food was scarce and scaly swimmers plentiful. And there, the local flyers have adopted a diet of red food."

Shaking his head, Pterano continued, "When I found out that she was a sharptooth flyer, I panicked. But that was not before we had … consummated our relationship."

With a hollow, defeated voice, Pterano explained. "I never knew she was expecting. She never sought me out again, so I guess I had always hoped that nothing would have come of it. And to this day, I have never seen her again … But now, I must confess that … Something, or I should say someone, did come out of it."

Brara put her hand on her father consolingly. "Everything I said at my first herd meeting was true. I never knew who my parents were. My mother must have abandoned me as soon as she realized that I would be part flattooth. But Pterano had not known I existed, nor did he know for sure we were father and daughter until this morning. Because I had kept from everybody … These," Brara said, and opening her mouth up all the way, she revealed a pair of small, pointed fangs right at the top of her mouth.

"I am technically a bothtooth," she explained. "I grew up eating red food from the Big Water. But I was never comfortable living among sharptooth flyers and had more affinity with leafeaters, and so as soon as I was old enough, I have always eaten green food. But that doesn't mean …" Brara said shiftily, "That I can't use my sharp teeth in other ways."

The others paused before Windy asked, "What do you mean?"

Brara smirked. "You know those flyers? The ones your mother and my aunt warned about? Well, let's just say … I gave them a lesson," she said, her teeth gleaming.

The others gasped. "You didn't kill them, did you?" Jett asked.

Brara shook her head. "Oh no. That wouldn't be necessary, and would be far too dangerous for me to try to pull off. But while they were asleep … I did manage to bite each of their wings. And my teeth are sharp enough to puncture their wings … Meaning they are now unable to fly for a while."

And almost as if in response, they could suddenly hear voices of anger from the cliffs where they knew where the regime's flyers resided.

"So I think that solves the problem of any flyers trying to find out where Cousin Petrie and his friends are," Brara smirked. "And who knows what other trouble it might cause for the hollowhead."

The other flyers looked impressed. "So … Do you think we can go to Petrie and his friends now?" asked Windy eagerly.

But before Brara could answer, Pterano shook his head. "No, I'm afraid not quite yet."

"Why not?" asked Stern.

"Well, let's just say we are well-positioned right here," Pterano explained. "May I remind you that even if we may feel ready to revolt, we are still technically in good standing in the hollowhorn's Great Valley and have not committed any violation of the rules yet. Thus, we can use our status to our advantage ... And look to see if there is something we can do to help out here first before we leave and officially join the effort against the regime."

And curiously, the rest of the flyers looked at each other as Pterano began to ponder just what they might be able to pull off while still remaining inside the Great Valley's borders.


Far from the rising Bright Circle illuminating the rest of the Great Valley, a heavily guarded cave sat in shadowy darkness. Only small holes, which were created to perfectly view the paths of the rising and setting circles from the inside, illuminated the otherwise dark cave.

Comfortably sprawled out in a pool of steaming water filled with fragrant purple flowers, the young hollowhorn rested, basking in triumph. He had executed his master plan to perfection. It was so easy to take the gullible, impressionable threehorn under his arm, pretend to take on that silly, friendly and sympathetic persona, and accommodate her perverse desires … Her caretaker, supposedly watching over her, was also extremely easy to fool, especially after he had carefully orchestrated his little mix-up. There was never a chance he would ever be able to fully figure out the truth …

Grinning smugly, he closed his eyes. Getting into the Valley without question was all too easy as well. Pretending to be the stupid threehorn's lover immediately threw suspicion off him, while that dirty clubtail only helped him look more innocent through his pathetic effort to get him to show his true colors … And with the sneaky young flyer lurking around, not to mention that blowhard of a longneck, no one would suspect there was anything unusual about him. After all, he was such a nice guy …

Then of course there were the so-called wise elders. Chuckling to himself, he just shook his head. It had been so enjoyable to watch the old longneck, threehorn and flyer attempting to destroy each other's reputations, when in reality, they had not only done that, but destroyed the stability in the Valley in the process. All the while, he was able to lie low, except of course, to stealthily communicate to the herds that still remained committed to purity to align themselves under him, that he was on their side, and that if they banded together at just the right moment, they could overthrow the depraved new order of immorality and take their Valley back … And no one would ever suspect a thing.

His eyes flickered triumphantly as he thought back to that night. It had been so easy getting them into the Valley. All the while, his stupid little girlfriend was finally getting suspicious. She was not needed anymore, so she was disposable … But she could still serve him in death, for everyone would feel sorry for him if he pretended to grieve over her dead body, and only when everyone was most sympathetic to him could he pretend to have a conversion experience. Predictably, the arrogant elders tried fighting between themselves, and their precious children with their air of false righteousness tried playing the hero again, just as they always have … Only now, with everyone's trust in the Circle of Elders at an all-time low, between the spate of bad luck and their own stupidity, their children's reputation too would suffer … Especially if he told the others what he knew all along, that their immorality and contamination would drive the Valley to ruin.

He closed his eyes again with a smirk. The deaths of those followers was unfortunate but inevitable and more than worth it. They knew what they were getting into, for by sacrificing their lives, they would be rewarded with infinite treestars in the Great Above as the circles' thanks for framing the "friendly" sharptooth. As for the oafish whiptail, all the others had to do was finish off the work the silly boxhead already started … Yes, they still had that silly trial, but that was just a mere formality. The judges were true believers in the cause, installed for this very purpose, so the verdict was already assured. Two of the fathers of those disgusting spawn, as well as two of their disgusting friends, stupidly threw themselves into the smoking mountain's pit too, as an added bonus … And of course, the five most corrupted of all had to be dead ... If not by the circles' doing, by the doing of the others …

Smiling, he shook his head. All was going as smoothly as possible. Resistance was very thin indeed. Without the five troublemakers to rally them, the adults had been cowed into cooperation, separated by their zones. And while the new group of children had become unexpected nuisances and he hated disobedient children to his core, they were much too small and weak to have a chance of actually ruining his master plan. True, not everyone was on his side yet. The tallest trees don't grow in a day, after all. But with a few more accidents, some proper manipulation, and a little persuasion, he could establish firmer, tighter control … And perhaps land some devastating blows to his already crumbling opposition.

Getting out of the water, he made sure to carefully sniff himself. Nice and flowery, just like the cleansing he had completed. The succulent, floral smell of tree sweets was perfect to lower everyone's guard, helping him cultivate his charming persona so they would always know he is merely a humble, benevolent messenger ...

"Sir Leigh?" came a voice.

"Come in," Leigh said loftily.

One of his guards entered. "I've got some …"

"Kneel, please," Leigh interrupted gently. "Kneel before the circles' ordained messenger."

At once, the guard did as Leigh smiled icily. "So, what happened during my cleansing?"

"Lots of trouble, Sir. The longneck herd …"

"I know, I arranged for their departure myself. They know better than to try to resist the will of the circles … Making their control all that much stronger."

"I know Sir, but we've got a problem."

"Oh? A problem?" Leigh said, his eyes flickering. "What kind of problem?"

"It's the flyers, Sir. All loyal flyers have had their wings bitten, and so they cannot fly."

The guard had flinched, as if expecting Leigh to react angrily. Leigh however, only smiled.

"Oh dear … So we have not done enough to wipe out the filthy forces of evil ... I was afraid of that ... Very well then, we can use some of the longneck patrol to escort them out ..."

"We've had more ..."

"Don't interrupt m ... I mean, the messenger!" Leigh ordered, before regaining his cool. "But fine, go ahead."

"We've had more crime take place in the night too, Sir," informed the guard, bowing. "Two longnecks attacked the patrol, a third fed a threehorn's body to the sharptooth and fast runner, and a fourth longneck tried to break the third out. We've also discovered that the clubtail brat and his shieldback friend have escaped into the twofooter zone. Judge Phuru tried to stop them, but that red clubtail you told us about has wounded her. Sorry, sir. We have him in custody."

Leigh paused thoughtfully. "So, Phuru is wounded, is she?" he finally said.

"Yes Sir," the guard said, once again seeming to expect to hear Leigh's wrath. "Sorry for all the bad news."

"What a pity," Leigh said, his eyes gleaming. "But the circles know what is for the best ... And now that we know where darkness still exists ... We can react more effectively to eradicate it."

"But … Sir?"

"Go round up everyone in the Valley. I expect to see everyone around the Rock Circle, only standing with those of their kinds in a beautiful display of segregated purity. I best be prepared to deliver my remarks … Which I am sure they will find irresistible. After all, I am sure they will be pleased to know that I ... uh, the circles, have every intention of reacting accordingly."

And with a bow, the guard walked off, leaving Leigh alone to snicker icily. If those fools really wanted to cause that much trouble, he was more than ready for them. After all, nothing was sweeter than good, old-fashioned retribution.