Chapter XV
Dawn
Warm sunbeams woke up Littlefoot the next morning. He felt completely reposed and had recuperated from the exertions of the last day. When he blinked he saw that Ducky and Petrie were already awake while Spike was still snorting. The bright circle stood already a respectable high on the sky; the dusk was over. Ducky and Petrie talked with low voices and although he hadn't planned to eavesdrop he noticed immediately that they were talking about him. Just then Ducky said: "Why he has come back so suddenly yesterday?" "I dunno. But Petrie is very, veeery full of joy about that." "Certainly me too. Yep, yep, yep! But why he has come back? He was so determined to stay in the valley before, but then he was not less determined to find Cera." "Petrie believes he is simply himself again. His terrible fury seems to be gone." Littlefoot pondered. He was very disburdened, their friendship, which had suffered of the quarrel with Cera, seemed to be what it had been before. He was still fiercely determined to find Cera although he had not at all forgotten his fury about what she had done. That troubled him still, but now he was ready to speak with Cera. Maybe he would tell his friends about the meeting with his mother sometime. Littlefoot opened his eyes entirely and set upright. Ducky and Petrie moved towards him immediately. "Slept well, Littlefoot?" Petrie croaked. "Yes, thanks Petrie!" Littlefoot yawned. "But I'm really feeling empty!" "Come along then!" Ducky said making an inviting gesture to a nearby tree. "Here is more than enough green food." With the keyword catchword "green food" Spike's equably snorting stopped suddenly. He cast his eyes open, raised his head and ran towards the tree Ducky had pointed at giving a pleased humming. He rammed against the trunk with full force; he had learned this by watching Cera. Even though he was not as successful as Cera, there was rarely a leaf left on a tree Cera had chosen, a respectable "rain of treestars" poured over him. Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie followed him, and they had to eat in a hurry, because Spike devoured real bundles of leaf. When they had finished their meal Littlefoot said: "Come on! One of the lakes we had seen yesterday must be near!" "Petrie is thirsty too!" "Yep, yep, yep!" chattered Ducky while Spike galloped of as if he was going to drain of the whole lake.
Meanwhile Cera extended and cast up her eyes. She looked around disconcerted. Lost of her orientation she walked in a circle again and again till she remembered the events of the last day. She sighed and let her eyes travel over the valley. She could overlook it completely from up here. That meant she saw the tree's tops that blocked the sight on the valley's floor. Like waves some trees towered over the others at many places. It was certainly because of the strange ground structure she had seen yesterday. The trees stood on plateaus of a different high. Here and there some big rocks rose over the treetops. The river with the three lakes divided the valley nearly in the middle. Only at very few points around the rocks the forest thinned. The stripe of grass at the bottom of the rocky walls made it impossible for everybody to approach without being seen from the ledge. "My new home", Cera thought sighting. Already now she missed every stem of grass that grew in the Great Valley. She turned round taking a short look down in the ravine that separated the two ledges. The ravine was broad enough that she would have been able to traverse it, (if the big boulder at the entrance hadn't blocked it) but it was far to narrow for the most grown up dinosaurs. This fact made the tiny dale to which the ravine led an eminent hiding place. Eventually a member of Ali's herd could come close at random. Moreover there were the tracks Ali had mentioned. If they were really from a sharptooth, then she would be sheltered in the dale, as long as it didn't come up the ledge. Without great appetite Cera began to chew on some leafs. She was thirsty, but she didn't dared to go down to the valley to take a drink at the river. She looked up to the sky to see how high the bright circle stood, and began to wait for Ali impatiently.
Dawn
Warm sunbeams woke up Littlefoot the next morning. He felt completely reposed and had recuperated from the exertions of the last day. When he blinked he saw that Ducky and Petrie were already awake while Spike was still snorting. The bright circle stood already a respectable high on the sky; the dusk was over. Ducky and Petrie talked with low voices and although he hadn't planned to eavesdrop he noticed immediately that they were talking about him. Just then Ducky said: "Why he has come back so suddenly yesterday?" "I dunno. But Petrie is very, veeery full of joy about that." "Certainly me too. Yep, yep, yep! But why he has come back? He was so determined to stay in the valley before, but then he was not less determined to find Cera." "Petrie believes he is simply himself again. His terrible fury seems to be gone." Littlefoot pondered. He was very disburdened, their friendship, which had suffered of the quarrel with Cera, seemed to be what it had been before. He was still fiercely determined to find Cera although he had not at all forgotten his fury about what she had done. That troubled him still, but now he was ready to speak with Cera. Maybe he would tell his friends about the meeting with his mother sometime. Littlefoot opened his eyes entirely and set upright. Ducky and Petrie moved towards him immediately. "Slept well, Littlefoot?" Petrie croaked. "Yes, thanks Petrie!" Littlefoot yawned. "But I'm really feeling empty!" "Come along then!" Ducky said making an inviting gesture to a nearby tree. "Here is more than enough green food." With the keyword catchword "green food" Spike's equably snorting stopped suddenly. He cast his eyes open, raised his head and ran towards the tree Ducky had pointed at giving a pleased humming. He rammed against the trunk with full force; he had learned this by watching Cera. Even though he was not as successful as Cera, there was rarely a leaf left on a tree Cera had chosen, a respectable "rain of treestars" poured over him. Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie followed him, and they had to eat in a hurry, because Spike devoured real bundles of leaf. When they had finished their meal Littlefoot said: "Come on! One of the lakes we had seen yesterday must be near!" "Petrie is thirsty too!" "Yep, yep, yep!" chattered Ducky while Spike galloped of as if he was going to drain of the whole lake.
Meanwhile Cera extended and cast up her eyes. She looked around disconcerted. Lost of her orientation she walked in a circle again and again till she remembered the events of the last day. She sighed and let her eyes travel over the valley. She could overlook it completely from up here. That meant she saw the tree's tops that blocked the sight on the valley's floor. Like waves some trees towered over the others at many places. It was certainly because of the strange ground structure she had seen yesterday. The trees stood on plateaus of a different high. Here and there some big rocks rose over the treetops. The river with the three lakes divided the valley nearly in the middle. Only at very few points around the rocks the forest thinned. The stripe of grass at the bottom of the rocky walls made it impossible for everybody to approach without being seen from the ledge. "My new home", Cera thought sighting. Already now she missed every stem of grass that grew in the Great Valley. She turned round taking a short look down in the ravine that separated the two ledges. The ravine was broad enough that she would have been able to traverse it, (if the big boulder at the entrance hadn't blocked it) but it was far to narrow for the most grown up dinosaurs. This fact made the tiny dale to which the ravine led an eminent hiding place. Eventually a member of Ali's herd could come close at random. Moreover there were the tracks Ali had mentioned. If they were really from a sharptooth, then she would be sheltered in the dale, as long as it didn't come up the ledge. Without great appetite Cera began to chew on some leafs. She was thirsty, but she didn't dared to go down to the valley to take a drink at the river. She looked up to the sky to see how high the bright circle stood, and began to wait for Ali impatiently.