Chapter XII
An old friend
At the same time Cera woke up on the rocky ledge where she had fallen asleep, just at the entrance of the valley that should be her new home now. She wasn't very safe here, this valley was open to every sharptooth and she was entirely lonely at last. But at least here was enough to eat and to drink. This thought made Cera notice her hunger, that made conspicuous with painfully belly aches in the meantime, and her stinging thirst. She ran down to the ground of the valley towards a group of trees that had treestars in their tops. Cera took a run and rammed before the trunk of one tree with all her might. She bounced of backwards and landed painfully on her back, but the floating treestars that poured out over her head compensated her for that. She ate till she felt unable to eat a single spear of grass anymore and the bellyaches ceased. But her neck was still oven dry and her throat was parched. From the ledge she had seen that the river widened to a lake nearby and she began to seek for it. She roved a while around in the primeval forest. Again and again her way was blocked by impenetrable thicket of brushwood. The valley ground consisted of innumerable plateaus. Most of them were not very big and the altitude difference of the bordering plateaus was rarely bigger than a meter. Some of these plateaus were slanting and seemed to shove over other plateaus. This strange structure of the ground was probably result from earthquakes. The trees and plants that grew here were the same like in the Great Valley. Now and then there were small glades overgrown with grass. Cera noticed that many ways were trampled through the bushes. Thus she was not alone in the valley and had to be carefully. Eventually she couldn't know who else was in the valley, but it was probably better not to meet him or her or them. But at the moment all that was equal to Cera. She was thirsty and she began already to become angry on herself for not drinking immediately at the river instead of searching the lake, when the forest ended and opened the sight on the lake she had sought for. The lake was indeed relatively large, but only very shallow; Cera would have been able to wade through it without any problems. Only at some spots the dark color of the water betrayed that it was deeper at the concerning spots. Cera quenched her thirst at one of these spots that could be reached with dry feet by walking on a small, rocky peninsula that towered into the lake. After she had drunk Cera looked at her reflected image on the surface of the water that shone purple in the dwindling sunlight. She thought about what had happened during the last few days. This time had changed her entire life thoroughly. For the first time she thought about how Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike and Petrie would have reacted. Regardless of everything Cera couldn't imagine that Littlefoot was pleased with this situation. And Ducky, Spike and Petrie were surely even more displeased with it. For a short moment Cera felt very silly and for an even shorter moment she thought of going back. But then she decided that it was to late. She couldn't go home anymore; never! She would have to stay here forever. A noise behind her startled Cera up from her thoughts. She just wanted to turn round when she saw something on the surface of water out of the angle of her eye. She glanced at it and twitched. Behind her own reflected image that of a young longneck had appeared! "Littlefoot!" it flashed through her mind. If she would have seen the reflected image of a sharptooth her scare could not have been bigger. She shrieked, tried simultaneous to turn round and flinch slipped on the slippery rock and fell down into the water. During the few seconds she needed to crop up again innumerable thoughts buzzed around in her head like a swarm of bees. Why Littlefoot was here? His face had looked very happy. Were Ducky Spike and Petrie here too? Should she be glad, run away or... In this moment she broke through the surface of water. "Cera! Are you that?" That hadn't been Littlefoot's voice, it had sounded far clearer. Cera risked a careful look back. The longneck that stood at the shore resembled Littlefoot at the first sight, but this longneck had blue eyes instead of Littlefoot's brown. That was not at all Littlefoot, that was a girl, that was... "Ali?" "Cera, you are it really?" the longneck asked hopefully. "Ali!" Cera shouted again still completely disconcerted. "You are it!" Ali answered her own question. Cera jumped out of the lake shook of the water away and ran over to her friend laughing and forgetting her sorrows for a moment. "Cera, that's super! We haven't seen us for such a long time!" "Ali, what are you doing here?" Cera said with a voice that was mixed of gladness, surprise and a trace of alarm. There were so many unpleasant things to explain Ali. "Our herd has come to this valley yesterday. The old one had decided that we will stay for some days before we will migrate." Cera felt frightened. If the longnecks would find her, they would probably bring her back to the Great Valley. Ali noticed Cera's dismay. "What's the matter, Cera?" she asked worriedly. "The other members of your herd, they mustn't find me!" Cera said nearly whispering as if she was afraid that anybody could hear her. Ali nodded, she had understood. "I know a place where they won't find you. Come on!" She started up and Cera pursued her closely. On the way Ali asked the questions that preyed on her mind since she had met Cera, and that Cera had feared since their meeting. On the one hand Cera was very glad to have met Ali and not to be alone anymore, but on the other hand she was in fear of answering Ali's questions. "What are you doing here?" Ali asked. "Are Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie and Spike nearby too?" "Let's go to your hiding place at first", Cera whispered back and Ali nodded silently although she could hardly await the answers of her questions. Cera had won time, and on the way she pondered innumerable excuses to explain Ali why she was here, lonely without Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie and Spike so far away from the Great Valley. But none of the excuses sounded credible and moreover Cera had the feeling that she owed Ali the truth. She decided to tell Ali everything when they would have reached her hiding place. But how would she react? Finally she was a longneck, just like Littlefoot. But Cera had no idea what else she should do. Ali led Cera to the border of the valley. The nearer they came to the walls of rock that restricted the valley, the more plane was the ground and the fewer was the number of the plateaus. When they left the forest they stood in front of a stripe covered with grass, which separated the rocks that elevated behind the stripe, from the forest. Two big ledges that were only separated by a very narrow ravine towered from the wall of rock in front of them. It had probably been one single ledge once before, that had become split up to two pieces by an earthquake. The walls of the left ledge rose nearly perpendicularly so that it looked like a giant pillar. But the side of the other, far bigger ledge, that was turned away from the ravine was an easy gradient, so they could walk up there comfortably. From the top Cera looked down into the ravine. Near it's entrance it was blocked by a huge boulder, so it was impossible to pass it. The ravine ended in a tiny dale that could be reached from up here by using the numerous ledges at the walls of rocks as steps inasmuch as jump down slowly from one ledge to the next lower one. From up here everything could be seen without being seen self. Even a few trees grew up on the great ledge. It was a marvelous hiding place. Ali's voice startled Cera up from her thoughts. "Cera, why are you here now? Are the others nearby too?" Cera sighed, turned to Ali and began to narrate from the outset.
An old friend
At the same time Cera woke up on the rocky ledge where she had fallen asleep, just at the entrance of the valley that should be her new home now. She wasn't very safe here, this valley was open to every sharptooth and she was entirely lonely at last. But at least here was enough to eat and to drink. This thought made Cera notice her hunger, that made conspicuous with painfully belly aches in the meantime, and her stinging thirst. She ran down to the ground of the valley towards a group of trees that had treestars in their tops. Cera took a run and rammed before the trunk of one tree with all her might. She bounced of backwards and landed painfully on her back, but the floating treestars that poured out over her head compensated her for that. She ate till she felt unable to eat a single spear of grass anymore and the bellyaches ceased. But her neck was still oven dry and her throat was parched. From the ledge she had seen that the river widened to a lake nearby and she began to seek for it. She roved a while around in the primeval forest. Again and again her way was blocked by impenetrable thicket of brushwood. The valley ground consisted of innumerable plateaus. Most of them were not very big and the altitude difference of the bordering plateaus was rarely bigger than a meter. Some of these plateaus were slanting and seemed to shove over other plateaus. This strange structure of the ground was probably result from earthquakes. The trees and plants that grew here were the same like in the Great Valley. Now and then there were small glades overgrown with grass. Cera noticed that many ways were trampled through the bushes. Thus she was not alone in the valley and had to be carefully. Eventually she couldn't know who else was in the valley, but it was probably better not to meet him or her or them. But at the moment all that was equal to Cera. She was thirsty and she began already to become angry on herself for not drinking immediately at the river instead of searching the lake, when the forest ended and opened the sight on the lake she had sought for. The lake was indeed relatively large, but only very shallow; Cera would have been able to wade through it without any problems. Only at some spots the dark color of the water betrayed that it was deeper at the concerning spots. Cera quenched her thirst at one of these spots that could be reached with dry feet by walking on a small, rocky peninsula that towered into the lake. After she had drunk Cera looked at her reflected image on the surface of the water that shone purple in the dwindling sunlight. She thought about what had happened during the last few days. This time had changed her entire life thoroughly. For the first time she thought about how Littlefoot, Ducky, Spike and Petrie would have reacted. Regardless of everything Cera couldn't imagine that Littlefoot was pleased with this situation. And Ducky, Spike and Petrie were surely even more displeased with it. For a short moment Cera felt very silly and for an even shorter moment she thought of going back. But then she decided that it was to late. She couldn't go home anymore; never! She would have to stay here forever. A noise behind her startled Cera up from her thoughts. She just wanted to turn round when she saw something on the surface of water out of the angle of her eye. She glanced at it and twitched. Behind her own reflected image that of a young longneck had appeared! "Littlefoot!" it flashed through her mind. If she would have seen the reflected image of a sharptooth her scare could not have been bigger. She shrieked, tried simultaneous to turn round and flinch slipped on the slippery rock and fell down into the water. During the few seconds she needed to crop up again innumerable thoughts buzzed around in her head like a swarm of bees. Why Littlefoot was here? His face had looked very happy. Were Ducky Spike and Petrie here too? Should she be glad, run away or... In this moment she broke through the surface of water. "Cera! Are you that?" That hadn't been Littlefoot's voice, it had sounded far clearer. Cera risked a careful look back. The longneck that stood at the shore resembled Littlefoot at the first sight, but this longneck had blue eyes instead of Littlefoot's brown. That was not at all Littlefoot, that was a girl, that was... "Ali?" "Cera, you are it really?" the longneck asked hopefully. "Ali!" Cera shouted again still completely disconcerted. "You are it!" Ali answered her own question. Cera jumped out of the lake shook of the water away and ran over to her friend laughing and forgetting her sorrows for a moment. "Cera, that's super! We haven't seen us for such a long time!" "Ali, what are you doing here?" Cera said with a voice that was mixed of gladness, surprise and a trace of alarm. There were so many unpleasant things to explain Ali. "Our herd has come to this valley yesterday. The old one had decided that we will stay for some days before we will migrate." Cera felt frightened. If the longnecks would find her, they would probably bring her back to the Great Valley. Ali noticed Cera's dismay. "What's the matter, Cera?" she asked worriedly. "The other members of your herd, they mustn't find me!" Cera said nearly whispering as if she was afraid that anybody could hear her. Ali nodded, she had understood. "I know a place where they won't find you. Come on!" She started up and Cera pursued her closely. On the way Ali asked the questions that preyed on her mind since she had met Cera, and that Cera had feared since their meeting. On the one hand Cera was very glad to have met Ali and not to be alone anymore, but on the other hand she was in fear of answering Ali's questions. "What are you doing here?" Ali asked. "Are Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie and Spike nearby too?" "Let's go to your hiding place at first", Cera whispered back and Ali nodded silently although she could hardly await the answers of her questions. Cera had won time, and on the way she pondered innumerable excuses to explain Ali why she was here, lonely without Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie and Spike so far away from the Great Valley. But none of the excuses sounded credible and moreover Cera had the feeling that she owed Ali the truth. She decided to tell Ali everything when they would have reached her hiding place. But how would she react? Finally she was a longneck, just like Littlefoot. But Cera had no idea what else she should do. Ali led Cera to the border of the valley. The nearer they came to the walls of rock that restricted the valley, the more plane was the ground and the fewer was the number of the plateaus. When they left the forest they stood in front of a stripe covered with grass, which separated the rocks that elevated behind the stripe, from the forest. Two big ledges that were only separated by a very narrow ravine towered from the wall of rock in front of them. It had probably been one single ledge once before, that had become split up to two pieces by an earthquake. The walls of the left ledge rose nearly perpendicularly so that it looked like a giant pillar. But the side of the other, far bigger ledge, that was turned away from the ravine was an easy gradient, so they could walk up there comfortably. From the top Cera looked down into the ravine. Near it's entrance it was blocked by a huge boulder, so it was impossible to pass it. The ravine ended in a tiny dale that could be reached from up here by using the numerous ledges at the walls of rocks as steps inasmuch as jump down slowly from one ledge to the next lower one. From up here everything could be seen without being seen self. Even a few trees grew up on the great ledge. It was a marvelous hiding place. Ali's voice startled Cera up from her thoughts. "Cera, why are you here now? Are the others nearby too?" Cera sighed, turned to Ali and began to narrate from the outset.