Chapter V
A fateful decision
Nothing changed in the following days. Littlefoot's fury at Cera didn't remit. Ducky's, Petrie's and Spike's thought began to waver that the time was such a great healer as they had thought. They stayed with Littlefoot, but nothing was like it had been before. Their friendship with Littlefoot suffered from his bad mood, and Ducky, Petrie and Spike felt more helpless with every new day. Their parents had noticed the quarrel too, but they didn't pay much attention to it, and none of the children tried to raise their attention. The only exception was Daddy Topps, Cera's father. When Cera came home one evening after a long, lonely, boring day he was already waiting for her. He smiled happily and seemed to be in very good spirits. It had been ages since Cera had seen him in such a good mood. She was pleasantly surprised about the cordial welcome her father gave her and for a moment she forgot even the quarrel, till she heard the reason for her fathers good mood. Her father invited Cera to go for a walk with him and Cera understood that he wanted to speak with her undisturbed by other dinosaurs, and that she would hear the reason for his merriment. Something great must have happened. They sauntered along the shore of the river that crossed the Great Valley supplied by the thundering waterfalls, for a while. Now there were only a few dinosaurs dwelling there because it began already to grow dark and the sky shined in deep purple. "I've noticed that you don't hang around with these longneck and his friends anymore." Cera twitched as if he had dealt her a blow. She anticipated what would come now and with an aggressive undertone in her voice she called defiantly: "So what?" Her father laughed. "Well so! You've stopped hanging around with them for scarcely a moment and already you start to behave like a real threehorn." "What do you mean by that?" Cera asked surprised. "Your response. Haven't you noticed that you have just responded in a much more severe tone as you would have done when they weren't your friends?" Cera became more and more furious, she snorted placed herself in her father's way scraped with one of her feet and cried enraged: "But Littlefoot, Petrie, Ducky and Spike are my friends! And they will always be my friends, you know that!" Cera wasn't sure if her words were right anymore and the possibility that they could be wrong made her anxious. Daddy Topps's face and voice became more earnest when he answered: "The longneck seems to have another opinion. And the others..." Cera didn't want to hear anything more. She wanted her father to be silent and she couldn't hold back any longer. She stormed against her father and let her bowed head crash against his. Cera rebounded of her father's head. She was dizzy and her head hurt while her father seemed to be not in the least disturbed, quite the contrary. He laughed cheerfully while Cera rubbed her hurting head. He established satisfied: "You become a real threehorn faster as I've ever ventured to hope." A real threehorn! Cera knew what her father meant. She had always been pugnacious, much more than any of her friends, but nevertheless she was much more sociable than the other threehorns, a fact that had always disturbed her father. Cera hadn't admitted it very often to her friends, but she didn't like most other threehorns very much. They were so arrogant, fierce and dogmatic. And she should become like them? No! She didn't want that. She cast a furious look at Daddy Topps; then she turned round and went back to her nest. Daddy Topps looked after her smiling, but a bit disappointed too. When he was sure that Cera couldn't see him anymore he moaned and rubbed his head. Although he hadn't showed it his head hurt very much. He was impressed; his daughter seemed to be really on the right way.
Cera cowered fury down in her nest. Her father had always been a bit conservative regarding her friends, but that! Now! Never before she had been so enraged with him. Vexed she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. But she was unable to fall asleep. To many thoughts whirled around in her head. And one of it formed more and more clearly. "Run off!"
Nothing became better during the next days. One evening Cera lay again by her place in the sedge. Since the beginning of the quarrel she had spent her most time here. Her father had become worse during the last days and Littlefoot and the others hadn't deviated a millimeter from their attitude. Cera employed herself with the thought she had repressed as silly when she had had it first time. Now it didn't seem to be so silly longer. She had no more friends. And she couldn't endure anymore to be so lonely. Out there she would be lonely too, but at least she wouldn't be forced to see what she had lost every day. Thinking too much about the ifs and buts would make everything even harder Cera decided. Yes, she would run off! This very night!
A fateful decision
Nothing changed in the following days. Littlefoot's fury at Cera didn't remit. Ducky's, Petrie's and Spike's thought began to waver that the time was such a great healer as they had thought. They stayed with Littlefoot, but nothing was like it had been before. Their friendship with Littlefoot suffered from his bad mood, and Ducky, Petrie and Spike felt more helpless with every new day. Their parents had noticed the quarrel too, but they didn't pay much attention to it, and none of the children tried to raise their attention. The only exception was Daddy Topps, Cera's father. When Cera came home one evening after a long, lonely, boring day he was already waiting for her. He smiled happily and seemed to be in very good spirits. It had been ages since Cera had seen him in such a good mood. She was pleasantly surprised about the cordial welcome her father gave her and for a moment she forgot even the quarrel, till she heard the reason for her fathers good mood. Her father invited Cera to go for a walk with him and Cera understood that he wanted to speak with her undisturbed by other dinosaurs, and that she would hear the reason for his merriment. Something great must have happened. They sauntered along the shore of the river that crossed the Great Valley supplied by the thundering waterfalls, for a while. Now there were only a few dinosaurs dwelling there because it began already to grow dark and the sky shined in deep purple. "I've noticed that you don't hang around with these longneck and his friends anymore." Cera twitched as if he had dealt her a blow. She anticipated what would come now and with an aggressive undertone in her voice she called defiantly: "So what?" Her father laughed. "Well so! You've stopped hanging around with them for scarcely a moment and already you start to behave like a real threehorn." "What do you mean by that?" Cera asked surprised. "Your response. Haven't you noticed that you have just responded in a much more severe tone as you would have done when they weren't your friends?" Cera became more and more furious, she snorted placed herself in her father's way scraped with one of her feet and cried enraged: "But Littlefoot, Petrie, Ducky and Spike are my friends! And they will always be my friends, you know that!" Cera wasn't sure if her words were right anymore and the possibility that they could be wrong made her anxious. Daddy Topps's face and voice became more earnest when he answered: "The longneck seems to have another opinion. And the others..." Cera didn't want to hear anything more. She wanted her father to be silent and she couldn't hold back any longer. She stormed against her father and let her bowed head crash against his. Cera rebounded of her father's head. She was dizzy and her head hurt while her father seemed to be not in the least disturbed, quite the contrary. He laughed cheerfully while Cera rubbed her hurting head. He established satisfied: "You become a real threehorn faster as I've ever ventured to hope." A real threehorn! Cera knew what her father meant. She had always been pugnacious, much more than any of her friends, but nevertheless she was much more sociable than the other threehorns, a fact that had always disturbed her father. Cera hadn't admitted it very often to her friends, but she didn't like most other threehorns very much. They were so arrogant, fierce and dogmatic. And she should become like them? No! She didn't want that. She cast a furious look at Daddy Topps; then she turned round and went back to her nest. Daddy Topps looked after her smiling, but a bit disappointed too. When he was sure that Cera couldn't see him anymore he moaned and rubbed his head. Although he hadn't showed it his head hurt very much. He was impressed; his daughter seemed to be really on the right way.
Cera cowered fury down in her nest. Her father had always been a bit conservative regarding her friends, but that! Now! Never before she had been so enraged with him. Vexed she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. But she was unable to fall asleep. To many thoughts whirled around in her head. And one of it formed more and more clearly. "Run off!"
Nothing became better during the next days. One evening Cera lay again by her place in the sedge. Since the beginning of the quarrel she had spent her most time here. Her father had become worse during the last days and Littlefoot and the others hadn't deviated a millimeter from their attitude. Cera employed herself with the thought she had repressed as silly when she had had it first time. Now it didn't seem to be so silly longer. She had no more friends. And she couldn't endure anymore to be so lonely. Out there she would be lonely too, but at least she wouldn't be forced to see what she had lost every day. Thinking too much about the ifs and buts would make everything even harder Cera decided. Yes, she would run off! This very night!