Chapter XXIII
Cera versus a sharptooth
A few minutes ago Ali and Littlefoot had reached the ledge on which Ali had left Cera the eve. They were both very nervous because underway they had heard, muffled by the forest, roaring like from a sharptooth and, more silent, screams. When they reached the base of the ledge Ali had looked around carefully. But they hadn't seen a sharptooth anywhere. If they had known that the sharptooth was only a short distance away at the entrance of the ravine that separated the two ledges they would have fled immediately. But they neared the ledge from the side so the sharptooth was out of sight for them, sheltered by the ledge itself. Neither they heard it since it had just calmed down of its disappointment. So Littlefoot and Ali climbed upon the ledge hastily. "Where is she?" asked Littlefoot worried when they didn't come upon Cera at the top. "Cera?" Ali asked frowning but she didn't get an answer. "You believe she has hidden?" Littlefoot asked grievingly. Ali shook her head. "But where is she then?" Littlefoot asked faltering, thinking of the roars they had heard. Ali bit herself on the lower lip. "Maybe she went down to drink at the river", she said after a moment. Littlefoot swallowed and dared to speak out what they both thought: "Do you believe she has ran into the sharptooth?" Ali looked at him as if he had done something repugnant by asking that. After all she nodded: "Maybe, dunno" Littlefoot bowed his head and Ali noticed that he was mumbling something like: "I've not even reconciliated with her. And now..." "Don't speak on! We have no idea what has happened! But at all events we have to warn the others! Spike, Ducky and Petrie are in the forest too!" Littlefoot looked up again and nodded. For Ali's consternation every color seemed to have vanished from his face. Suddenly a shadow grew over them and they felt a slight tremor of the ground. They looked back surprised. A loud roaring cut through the air. On the slant that led down to the valley stood the sharptooth. They screamed terrified.
"Ali!" Cera cried frightened. "Littlefoot!" Petrie and Ducky shouted like out of one mouth in the same moment while Spike looked up to the top summit of the big ledge from which the screams had come. "Ali?" Ducky asked surprised and Spike looked at Cera and Petrie, who seemed not as surprised, with an asking look. "Littlefoot?" asked Cera; her eyes seemed to flash and a manic gleaming appeared in her eyes while her whole face seemed to become radiant with joy. A new roaring of the sharptooth let everybody recognise that there was no time left for long explanations. "Littlefoot!" shouted Cera, she snorted and began as fast as possible to jump up the small ledges that towered from the dale's wall. The movement came so suddenly that Petrie lost his balance and tumbled down from Cera's back. A short distance over the ground he could pull out of his fall, by flapping fiercely. Also Ducky had to clamber cling to Cera's napeshield as fierce as she could not to fall down like Petrie. Spike followed Cera with long leaps unable to catch up with her. "Wait for Petrie!" the tiny flyer cried and began to flap hastily behind the others of whom nobody thought of waiting for him.
The sharptooth uttered a howl of triumph. After it's first three victims had escaped it so unexpected the two young longnecks in front of it seemed to be a save booty. After it had vainly tried to follow its victims through the ravine it had suddenly heard silent noises from the top of the bigger ledge. It had quietly sneaked around the ledge to the side that sloped gently and had climbed up. Like on the silver salver it had the longnecks in front now. Littlefoot stared at the sharptooth trembling and with open mouth, unable to move; it eyed them seemingly derogatory. Littlefoot stood upright on his hind legs leaned upon a boulder that lay nearby the brink of the ledge. Ali lay aside him, closed her eyes as fierce as possible and covered her head additionally with her forelegs. Only a wonder could rescue them, Littlefoot thought; but wonders were rarely. An enraged whoop let Littlefoot jerk. Surprised and scared he looked in the direction from where it came. Only a short distance away, close to the wall of rock somebody had appeared. In the shadow of the wall of rock Littlefoot recognised a threehorn distinctly. The threehorn snorted and pawed with one hoof, then it rushed forward uttering a whoop again. "Cera!" Littlefoot shouted in an indescribable mix of joy and horror. Startled up by the whoop and Littlefoot's shout Ali cast a careful look past her hooves. At First she saw nothing but the sharptooth. The view let her blood froze. It stood close in front of Littlefoot and herself. Directly aside it was the edge of the ledge where it sloped vertically and far below was the meadow. The next instant Ali noticed that Littlefoot starred thunderstruck in the opposite direction. And then Ali saw Cera too. She rushed against the sharptooth with an amazing speed. Spike and Petrie appeared nearby the wall of rock too in that instant, but where was Ducky?
Ducky risked a careful look over Cera's napeshield to which she clung not to fall down Cera's back. A strong head wind caused by Cera's high speed forced Ducky to narrow her eyes to slits. When her eyes had accustomed to it Ducky saw the giant shape of the sharptooth that had nearly phagocytized herself and the others before. Ducky shrieked and let herself drop behind the covering napeshield again. It seemed to Cera as if the time would pass slower than usual. Although she ran as fast as she could it seemed to her as if she didn't get on. Her eyes were fixed upon the sharptooth. Out of their angles she saw Ali and Littlefoot. And she heard Ducky's shrieking from her back as if she was far, far away. "Jump off, Ducky!" she shouted. But Ducky clung to Cera's napeshield frantically. "I can't! It's to fast; far to fast!" Ducky's answer pierced only unintelligible into Cera's ears. Cera didn't devote herself to any illusions. She knew that she had no chance against the sharptooth that seemed to grow the nearer she came to it. The sharptooth didn't seem to have noted her at least it didn't pay attention to her. Patently it had only eyes and ears for Ali and Littlefoot. Cera felt as if she would ran against the boulder in the ravine again. But the boulder hadn't had claws, teeth and the intention to kill. Again she recognised her father's face and his words "You become a real threehorn faster as I've ever ventured to hope!" were audible. But suddenly she saw something completely different. She saw Littlefoot storming towards her furiously. She saw herself evading and she saw how she had rammed her head into his flank so he had tumbled down the slope in the Great Valley. Like a lightning the knowledge flashed through her mind that she would have to do just the same with the sharptooth. It stood close to the brink of the ledge. If she would succeed to push one of its feet over the brink the sharptooth would loose its balance and fall down. Cera corrected her course a little bit so she would hit the sharptooth left foot. Then came the impact. Cera had hit the sharptooth's left foot, the foot that stood directly aside the brink, like she had intended. The foot seemed to be as inflexible as the boulder, but then Cera felt how the foot, that was as big as she skidded centimeter by centimeter towards the abyss. Cera had a lot of swing left from her run and she hopped that it was enough. If it wasn't... The sharptooth howled up with pain when Cera's head with the short dull horn rammed against its foot. It cast an angry look at the threehorn that was tiny compared with it and prepared for devouring it with one single bit. But in the same instant the sharptooth felt that it lost the halt below it's left foot. It recognised the intention of the threehorn that still leaned firmly against its foot. But it was to late for the sharptooth. The edge of the ledge couldn't withstand the weight any longer. The rock crumbled and the sharptooth toppled helpless over the brink into the deep. It's howling was only drown out by the two voice shriek of Ducky and Cera when Cera herself lost her balance and tumbled over the brink behind the sharptooth. A tremor could be felt when the sharptooth impacted down on the meadow. Then it became silent.
Cera versus a sharptooth
A few minutes ago Ali and Littlefoot had reached the ledge on which Ali had left Cera the eve. They were both very nervous because underway they had heard, muffled by the forest, roaring like from a sharptooth and, more silent, screams. When they reached the base of the ledge Ali had looked around carefully. But they hadn't seen a sharptooth anywhere. If they had known that the sharptooth was only a short distance away at the entrance of the ravine that separated the two ledges they would have fled immediately. But they neared the ledge from the side so the sharptooth was out of sight for them, sheltered by the ledge itself. Neither they heard it since it had just calmed down of its disappointment. So Littlefoot and Ali climbed upon the ledge hastily. "Where is she?" asked Littlefoot worried when they didn't come upon Cera at the top. "Cera?" Ali asked frowning but she didn't get an answer. "You believe she has hidden?" Littlefoot asked grievingly. Ali shook her head. "But where is she then?" Littlefoot asked faltering, thinking of the roars they had heard. Ali bit herself on the lower lip. "Maybe she went down to drink at the river", she said after a moment. Littlefoot swallowed and dared to speak out what they both thought: "Do you believe she has ran into the sharptooth?" Ali looked at him as if he had done something repugnant by asking that. After all she nodded: "Maybe, dunno" Littlefoot bowed his head and Ali noticed that he was mumbling something like: "I've not even reconciliated with her. And now..." "Don't speak on! We have no idea what has happened! But at all events we have to warn the others! Spike, Ducky and Petrie are in the forest too!" Littlefoot looked up again and nodded. For Ali's consternation every color seemed to have vanished from his face. Suddenly a shadow grew over them and they felt a slight tremor of the ground. They looked back surprised. A loud roaring cut through the air. On the slant that led down to the valley stood the sharptooth. They screamed terrified.
"Ali!" Cera cried frightened. "Littlefoot!" Petrie and Ducky shouted like out of one mouth in the same moment while Spike looked up to the top summit of the big ledge from which the screams had come. "Ali?" Ducky asked surprised and Spike looked at Cera and Petrie, who seemed not as surprised, with an asking look. "Littlefoot?" asked Cera; her eyes seemed to flash and a manic gleaming appeared in her eyes while her whole face seemed to become radiant with joy. A new roaring of the sharptooth let everybody recognise that there was no time left for long explanations. "Littlefoot!" shouted Cera, she snorted and began as fast as possible to jump up the small ledges that towered from the dale's wall. The movement came so suddenly that Petrie lost his balance and tumbled down from Cera's back. A short distance over the ground he could pull out of his fall, by flapping fiercely. Also Ducky had to clamber cling to Cera's napeshield as fierce as she could not to fall down like Petrie. Spike followed Cera with long leaps unable to catch up with her. "Wait for Petrie!" the tiny flyer cried and began to flap hastily behind the others of whom nobody thought of waiting for him.
The sharptooth uttered a howl of triumph. After it's first three victims had escaped it so unexpected the two young longnecks in front of it seemed to be a save booty. After it had vainly tried to follow its victims through the ravine it had suddenly heard silent noises from the top of the bigger ledge. It had quietly sneaked around the ledge to the side that sloped gently and had climbed up. Like on the silver salver it had the longnecks in front now. Littlefoot stared at the sharptooth trembling and with open mouth, unable to move; it eyed them seemingly derogatory. Littlefoot stood upright on his hind legs leaned upon a boulder that lay nearby the brink of the ledge. Ali lay aside him, closed her eyes as fierce as possible and covered her head additionally with her forelegs. Only a wonder could rescue them, Littlefoot thought; but wonders were rarely. An enraged whoop let Littlefoot jerk. Surprised and scared he looked in the direction from where it came. Only a short distance away, close to the wall of rock somebody had appeared. In the shadow of the wall of rock Littlefoot recognised a threehorn distinctly. The threehorn snorted and pawed with one hoof, then it rushed forward uttering a whoop again. "Cera!" Littlefoot shouted in an indescribable mix of joy and horror. Startled up by the whoop and Littlefoot's shout Ali cast a careful look past her hooves. At First she saw nothing but the sharptooth. The view let her blood froze. It stood close in front of Littlefoot and herself. Directly aside it was the edge of the ledge where it sloped vertically and far below was the meadow. The next instant Ali noticed that Littlefoot starred thunderstruck in the opposite direction. And then Ali saw Cera too. She rushed against the sharptooth with an amazing speed. Spike and Petrie appeared nearby the wall of rock too in that instant, but where was Ducky?
Ducky risked a careful look over Cera's napeshield to which she clung not to fall down Cera's back. A strong head wind caused by Cera's high speed forced Ducky to narrow her eyes to slits. When her eyes had accustomed to it Ducky saw the giant shape of the sharptooth that had nearly phagocytized herself and the others before. Ducky shrieked and let herself drop behind the covering napeshield again. It seemed to Cera as if the time would pass slower than usual. Although she ran as fast as she could it seemed to her as if she didn't get on. Her eyes were fixed upon the sharptooth. Out of their angles she saw Ali and Littlefoot. And she heard Ducky's shrieking from her back as if she was far, far away. "Jump off, Ducky!" she shouted. But Ducky clung to Cera's napeshield frantically. "I can't! It's to fast; far to fast!" Ducky's answer pierced only unintelligible into Cera's ears. Cera didn't devote herself to any illusions. She knew that she had no chance against the sharptooth that seemed to grow the nearer she came to it. The sharptooth didn't seem to have noted her at least it didn't pay attention to her. Patently it had only eyes and ears for Ali and Littlefoot. Cera felt as if she would ran against the boulder in the ravine again. But the boulder hadn't had claws, teeth and the intention to kill. Again she recognised her father's face and his words "You become a real threehorn faster as I've ever ventured to hope!" were audible. But suddenly she saw something completely different. She saw Littlefoot storming towards her furiously. She saw herself evading and she saw how she had rammed her head into his flank so he had tumbled down the slope in the Great Valley. Like a lightning the knowledge flashed through her mind that she would have to do just the same with the sharptooth. It stood close to the brink of the ledge. If she would succeed to push one of its feet over the brink the sharptooth would loose its balance and fall down. Cera corrected her course a little bit so she would hit the sharptooth left foot. Then came the impact. Cera had hit the sharptooth's left foot, the foot that stood directly aside the brink, like she had intended. The foot seemed to be as inflexible as the boulder, but then Cera felt how the foot, that was as big as she skidded centimeter by centimeter towards the abyss. Cera had a lot of swing left from her run and she hopped that it was enough. If it wasn't... The sharptooth howled up with pain when Cera's head with the short dull horn rammed against its foot. It cast an angry look at the threehorn that was tiny compared with it and prepared for devouring it with one single bit. But in the same instant the sharptooth felt that it lost the halt below it's left foot. It recognised the intention of the threehorn that still leaned firmly against its foot. But it was to late for the sharptooth. The edge of the ledge couldn't withstand the weight any longer. The rock crumbled and the sharptooth toppled helpless over the brink into the deep. It's howling was only drown out by the two voice shriek of Ducky and Cera when Cera herself lost her balance and tumbled over the brink behind the sharptooth. A tremor could be felt when the sharptooth impacted down on the meadow. Then it became silent.