Chapter VIII
Cera's purpose
The landscape had scarcely altered since the setting out. A giant sandy plane extended to the horizon. It was covered by numerous big and shapeless boulders and small rocks. The first sunbeams dipped the landscape in an orange light and the shadows of the rocks and boulders seemed to cover the plain unlimitedly. Cera hurried up to get on. She was acquainted with the environment and she knew that nearly unbearable heat would replace the pleasant coolness of the night when the bright circle would rise. Cera was tired, but she wanted to reach her purpose as soon as possible. When she had left the Great Valley some hours ago she hadn't had a definite purpose. She had only run of without considering where to. Her only intention had been to enlarge the distance between herself and the Great Valley as quickly as possible. But soon she became conscious that she knew the environment she crossed. She had considered shortly and had remembered that this was the way to the land of mists. Some time ago she had already covered the lonely way. Then a herd of migrating longnecks had come into the Great Valley for a few days. They had left their home because changing climate and nearly constant rain had made it uninhabitable for them. The once marvelous land had become the dangerous land of mists, which was full of odd creatures. Among these longnecks had been a young longneck female named Ali. Littlefoot and Ali had made very close friends. But Ali had been educated following the old rule that everybody had to stick to his sort. During her nomadic live she had never come to know anybody except longnecks. So Ali hadn't wanted to make friends with herself, Ducky, Petrie and Spike first. Cera had disliked Ali, taking her for an arrogant snob. Shortly after Littlefoot's grandfather had become very ill and the old one, the wise leader of the migrating longnecks had told that only the petals of the golden Nightflower, that grew only in the land of mists could heal him and save his life. None of the grown up longnecks wanted to show his grandmother the way to the land of mists and to the Nightflower. They were too afraid of this inhospitable and perilous country. So Littlefoot had asked Ali to describe him the way to the Nightflowers. He had been resolute to find the Nightflowers although he had to leave the Great Valley furtively because the grownups would have never allowed him to go. But Ali hadn't described to him the way, she had accompanied him herself to lead him to the Nightflowers, but only on condition that they went alone, without Cera, Spike, Petrie and Ducky. And so Littlefoot and Ali had gone alone to find the Nightflowers. Ducky, Spike, Petrie and especially Cera herself had been very angry about that. Shortly after Ali had appeared in the Great Valley without Littlefoot and reported them hastily that Littlefoot had been buried by an earthquake in the cave that was the entrance to the land of mists. Ducky, Petrie and Spike had accompanied Ali immediately, to rescue Littlefoot. But Cera's mistrust against Ali had been so great that she hadn't believed Ali at once and had stayed in the Great Valley. But Cera's anxiety for Littlefoot had soon got the upper hand of their mistrust and she had speedy followed the tracks of the others. The tracks had led exactly through the environment she crossed at the moment. Then she had reached a mountain range in which she had found a great waterfall with the cave in which Littlefoot had been buried behind it. She had helped the others decisively to free Littlefoot and saved him from being devoured by two very strange "sharpteeth" out of the land of mists. But this hadn't made her becoming Ali's friend, although she had abandoned of her mentality against non-longnecks. But when Ali had rescued Cera later from drowning and being devoured they had come to know each other better and had become nearly inseparable friends. Then on her way up to the cave Cera had seen a valley aside the waterfall. The water that came down the waterfall crossed this valley as a winding river. Indeed the valley was small compared with the Great Valley, but Cera wanted to reach this valley now. There was more than enough green food to eat and fresh water to drink. Besides the valley was close enough to the Great Valley, so she would always be able to return if she should ever want to. Cera forced herself to stop thinking of the former. These memories could only made her sadder. First time she became aware of the fact that she was really lonely now. If Littlefoot would forgive her anytime? She forced herself again not to finish the thought. Instead of this she hastened her tempo to reach her purpose soon.
They had followed Cera's tracks for hours. Fortunately Cera's feed had left very distinctly prints in the softly, sandy ground. The sun stood high on the sky in the meanwhile; the air began to glimmer and the rock's and boulder's shadows were shrunk considerably. Spike stopped for a moment and pawed in the sand with one of his feet. His foot hit on hard ground after a few centimeters. The loose sand was only a thin stratum covering sand that had changed to sandstone by lying motionless since many millenniums. It seemed not to be a very windy region. How greatly Spike wished to be home in the Great Valley. If he hadn't known what was at stake, he would have turned round and ran back to the Valley. But so he gritted his teeth and plodded on. For a swimmer who loved the water like Ducky the heat was especially hard to endure. She crouched down in the tiny shadow of Spike's back plates. Petrie did the same. He had stopped flying already some time ago to set down on Spike's back. They all had recognised the environs like Cera had done. They anticipated what was Cera's purpose. It was probably the small valley near the cave that led to the land of the mists. But they also apprehended the dangerous and inhospitable land of the mists itself could be Cera's purpose. If this should take place Cera must have been become really mad. Since they had left the Great Valley they had spoken nearly no single word. A depressing silence ruled over them. They all thought the same: "Why Littlefoot must be so unforgiving?" Although they could understand his anger about what Cera had done, their own anger with Littlefoot grew with every step Spike took. When he had refused to accompany them he had forsaken not only Cera, but also themselves.
Cera's purpose
The landscape had scarcely altered since the setting out. A giant sandy plane extended to the horizon. It was covered by numerous big and shapeless boulders and small rocks. The first sunbeams dipped the landscape in an orange light and the shadows of the rocks and boulders seemed to cover the plain unlimitedly. Cera hurried up to get on. She was acquainted with the environment and she knew that nearly unbearable heat would replace the pleasant coolness of the night when the bright circle would rise. Cera was tired, but she wanted to reach her purpose as soon as possible. When she had left the Great Valley some hours ago she hadn't had a definite purpose. She had only run of without considering where to. Her only intention had been to enlarge the distance between herself and the Great Valley as quickly as possible. But soon she became conscious that she knew the environment she crossed. She had considered shortly and had remembered that this was the way to the land of mists. Some time ago she had already covered the lonely way. Then a herd of migrating longnecks had come into the Great Valley for a few days. They had left their home because changing climate and nearly constant rain had made it uninhabitable for them. The once marvelous land had become the dangerous land of mists, which was full of odd creatures. Among these longnecks had been a young longneck female named Ali. Littlefoot and Ali had made very close friends. But Ali had been educated following the old rule that everybody had to stick to his sort. During her nomadic live she had never come to know anybody except longnecks. So Ali hadn't wanted to make friends with herself, Ducky, Petrie and Spike first. Cera had disliked Ali, taking her for an arrogant snob. Shortly after Littlefoot's grandfather had become very ill and the old one, the wise leader of the migrating longnecks had told that only the petals of the golden Nightflower, that grew only in the land of mists could heal him and save his life. None of the grown up longnecks wanted to show his grandmother the way to the land of mists and to the Nightflower. They were too afraid of this inhospitable and perilous country. So Littlefoot had asked Ali to describe him the way to the Nightflowers. He had been resolute to find the Nightflowers although he had to leave the Great Valley furtively because the grownups would have never allowed him to go. But Ali hadn't described to him the way, she had accompanied him herself to lead him to the Nightflowers, but only on condition that they went alone, without Cera, Spike, Petrie and Ducky. And so Littlefoot and Ali had gone alone to find the Nightflowers. Ducky, Spike, Petrie and especially Cera herself had been very angry about that. Shortly after Ali had appeared in the Great Valley without Littlefoot and reported them hastily that Littlefoot had been buried by an earthquake in the cave that was the entrance to the land of mists. Ducky, Petrie and Spike had accompanied Ali immediately, to rescue Littlefoot. But Cera's mistrust against Ali had been so great that she hadn't believed Ali at once and had stayed in the Great Valley. But Cera's anxiety for Littlefoot had soon got the upper hand of their mistrust and she had speedy followed the tracks of the others. The tracks had led exactly through the environment she crossed at the moment. Then she had reached a mountain range in which she had found a great waterfall with the cave in which Littlefoot had been buried behind it. She had helped the others decisively to free Littlefoot and saved him from being devoured by two very strange "sharpteeth" out of the land of mists. But this hadn't made her becoming Ali's friend, although she had abandoned of her mentality against non-longnecks. But when Ali had rescued Cera later from drowning and being devoured they had come to know each other better and had become nearly inseparable friends. Then on her way up to the cave Cera had seen a valley aside the waterfall. The water that came down the waterfall crossed this valley as a winding river. Indeed the valley was small compared with the Great Valley, but Cera wanted to reach this valley now. There was more than enough green food to eat and fresh water to drink. Besides the valley was close enough to the Great Valley, so she would always be able to return if she should ever want to. Cera forced herself to stop thinking of the former. These memories could only made her sadder. First time she became aware of the fact that she was really lonely now. If Littlefoot would forgive her anytime? She forced herself again not to finish the thought. Instead of this she hastened her tempo to reach her purpose soon.
They had followed Cera's tracks for hours. Fortunately Cera's feed had left very distinctly prints in the softly, sandy ground. The sun stood high on the sky in the meanwhile; the air began to glimmer and the rock's and boulder's shadows were shrunk considerably. Spike stopped for a moment and pawed in the sand with one of his feet. His foot hit on hard ground after a few centimeters. The loose sand was only a thin stratum covering sand that had changed to sandstone by lying motionless since many millenniums. It seemed not to be a very windy region. How greatly Spike wished to be home in the Great Valley. If he hadn't known what was at stake, he would have turned round and ran back to the Valley. But so he gritted his teeth and plodded on. For a swimmer who loved the water like Ducky the heat was especially hard to endure. She crouched down in the tiny shadow of Spike's back plates. Petrie did the same. He had stopped flying already some time ago to set down on Spike's back. They all had recognised the environs like Cera had done. They anticipated what was Cera's purpose. It was probably the small valley near the cave that led to the land of the mists. But they also apprehended the dangerous and inhospitable land of the mists itself could be Cera's purpose. If this should take place Cera must have been become really mad. Since they had left the Great Valley they had spoken nearly no single word. A depressing silence ruled over them. They all thought the same: "Why Littlefoot must be so unforgiving?" Although they could understand his anger about what Cera had done, their own anger with Littlefoot grew with every step Spike took. When he had refused to accompany them he had forsaken not only Cera, but also themselves.