Chapter XXIX
The final fight
They had just reached the edge of the forest on this side of the river when Ali abruptly stopped and listened up. She had heard something that let her forget everything around and that could maybe portent the rescue. Calls and steps of longnecks! Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, Petrie and Ducky didn't notice it immediately and ran on. Only when they had covered already a short distance Littlefoot noticed Ali's absence. He stopped immediately and looked back. "Run Ali! Run! The sharptooth!" cried Littlefoot. Cera and Spike had noticed Ali's disappearance too now and stopped likewise. Ali harked strained. She was sure now that she hadn't erred. At least one longneck was nearby. Littlefoot's warning cry called her back to reality. She looked back and shrieked. The sharptooth had caught up with her and prepared to recover its failed meals of the day. Without turning her look back forward Ali jumped of. But already after a few leaps she tripped over a small rock she hadn't, her look still fixed upon the sharptooth, noticed timely. She tumbled and her head hit on the ground so severely that a black veil seemed to lie over her eyes. She remained lying on her back, unable to move. "Ali, watch out!" "Stand up, stand up, stand up!" "Run Ali!" "Attention!" Littlefoot, Ducky, Cera and Petrie cried confusedly. "She can't do it! She can't hear us!" shouted Cera. "I must help her!" cried Littlefoot and ran of. "But Littlefoot, what are you doing?" Cera called after him. But Littlefoot neither seemed to hear her nor he seemed to have an idea what he was going to do. Cera jerked round to Ducky, Petrie and Spike and gasped hasty: "Alone they have not the slightest chance! Ducky, take cover anywhere, sorry you can't help us. Petrie! All we can do is trying to take Ali away from there. Can you distract the sharptooth like you've done before?" Petrie sighed. "Always Petrie must risk his neck!" Then he flew towards the sharptooth as fast as he could. Cera snorted and ran after Littlefoot. Spike shook, and uttered some pitiable noises while Ducky jumped from his back and followed the others then. Ducky stayed behind lonely.
Ali opened her eyes and her look met directly the sharptooth's. It's thin arms with the apiece two horrible claws were only a tiny distance remote from her neck. She wanted to close her eyes again, but she was unable to do so. The paralysis that arose from the sharptooth's look had taken possession of her. Suddenly everything seemed to be indifferent to Ali. The world around her seemed to turn faster and faster, so she became dizzy.
Littlefoot rushed towards the sharptooth as fast as he could, but he saw felt that he would come to late. And even if he should arrive by the sharptooth in time, what would he be able to do?
The sharptooth jerked and howled up loudly. It thrashed with both arms around in the air to grab the tiny flyer that had pecked at its eyes with its claws and nib for the second time today. When Ali recognized what happened, all her indifference vanished at once. She wanted to jump up and run away, but the paralyzation the sharptooth's look had exerted on her hadn't vanished yet. "Ali, stand up!" called Littlefoot who had appeared aside her suddenly and bowed over her. "I can't", replied Ali. Littlefoot looked at her in surprise. "Ali! Come!" shouted Cera who had appeared here now too. "I can't move my legs!" cried Ali drowning out the roaring of the sharptooth. Dismayed Littlefoot and Cera looked at each other. Cera pointed at the sharptooth that was only a few steps away, but completely engaged with the chase on Petrie at the moment, with her head saying: "We don't know how long Petrie can keep that busy! Ali, you must try to go!" The sharptooth trampled around during its hunt in all directions. "Ali, try it! It tramples us dead otherwise! Please!" pleaded Littlefoot. Now Spike arrived at them too. He recognized the situation immediately; eventually he had been exposed to the uncanny paralyzation that arose from the sharptooth look himself today. Just the sharptooth changed its direction and stamped directly towards Ali, Littlefoot, Cera and Spike now.
"We must get away from here!" cried Cera panicky. Spike nudged Ali with his head and tried to prop her up. Littlefoot recognized Spike's intention. "Cera, come on! We must try to prop Ali! Ali, do you believe that you'll be able to walk then?" "I'll try!" promised Ali. Littlefoot helped her to stand up, Cera propped her from the other side and Spike shoved her on carefully. Ali suddenly felt her legs again and began to go slowly. "Hurry away!" cried Cera. The inspiring seemed to help; Ali made still propped by the others some faster steps. Instants later one of the sharptooth's feet stamped directly at the place where they all had been moments ago leaving a deep print. Ali felt how the paralyzation the sharptooth look had exerted on her dwindled diminished with every step she made. And after a few further steps it had vanished completely. Ali jumped forth so suddenly that Spike, who shoved her on from behind, lost his balance and felt forward. Littlefoot, Spike and Cera changed a relieved look and ran after Ali then. Ali halted after a few steps and turned to the others. "Is everything alright Ali?" shouted Littlefoot already before he had caught up with Ali. "Yeah, I think so!" Ali answered. When she, Littlefoot and Spike had caught up with Ali Cera inquired worriedly: "Is it still far to the resting place of your herd Ali?" "No, not far anymore. Where are Ducky and Petrie? We must get on!" Cera, Littlefoot and Spike looked back alarmed. Petrie still flapped around the sharptooth that still moved into their direction. H didn't attack the sharptooth anymore. It sufficed satisfied was enough that the sharptooth was busy with hunting him, whereby Petrie did everything to shun the nostrils of the sharptooth. "And where is Ducky?" asked Littlefoot nearly a bit irritated, because he had heard this question recently this very day. "I told her to take cover anywhere", said Cera while she looked searching seeking around in every direction. Spike uttered some of his noises and pointed at the top of a palm with his head. The palm was not far from the point where Littlefoot, Cera and Spike had turned back to save Ali. In the meantime the sharptooth had reached this point during its skirmish with Petrie. There in the palm's top Ducky had cowered up, watched the chase of the sharptooth and nearly didn't dare to breathe, not to call the sharptooth attention on her. "Oh no!" Littlefoot groaned resigned. Today the problems didn't seem to come to an end. "Ducky, Petrie come here! We must go on!" cried Ali without thinking about that at least Ducky had hardly a chance to come here without being snatched by the sharptooth. Petrie was distract by Ali's call for a very short instant and forgot to evade the sharptooth. This seized the chance and snapped up. Petrie shrieked struck with panicky horror. He was not really injured, but one of his legs was jammed between the sharptooth's teeth like in a vise. Ducky upon the palm pressed both hands on her eyes not to be forced to see the ghastly view and nearly lost her balance and fell down by this. Spike let himself drop on the ground and covered his head with his forefeet. Littlefoot, Cera and Ali starred horrified at Petrie. They were unable to help him, and they knew that. Petrie flapped as fiercely as he could, but he had to recognize, that it was of no use. He stopped flapping, closed his eyes as fierce as possible and covered them with his wings. "Petrie!" Littlefoot, Cera, Ali and Ducky, who looked over to Petrie now, forced to use her arms to cling to the palm, cried like out of one mouth desperately. Spike looked up too and wailed pitiably. The sharptooth had its victim sure now. With one of its scrawny arms armed with two terrible claws it snatched at Petrie to finish him finally. The sharptooth never finished the movement. Somebody rushed out of the dense undergrowth and a mighty, tail-lash whipped through the air. The lash hit the head of the sharptooth at full tilt, tearing it from its feet. It roared tormented whereby Petrie was hurled somewhere far away into the dense thicket brushwood by the force of the lash. Spike looked after him solicitously giving a piteously wail. "Mum!" cried Ali while her mother lifted up her tail for another lash. Unable to tear their gaze away from the sight Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, Ali and, from the top of the palm, Ducky observed the fight. Ali's mother lashed another time, but the sharptooth, who had recovered amazingly fast from the first lash evaded the lash light footed, so the tail-lash whipped through the air inefficiently. The sharptooth snapped, but its bite missed too, when Ali's mother evaded with a nimble step. The opponents began to circle each other and either of them kept their eyes on the other. Both awaited the other ones attack to parry it and to attack themselves at the right moment. Ali's mother yelled several times a loud shout of which Littlefoot supposed that it was any signal to the herd. An eternity seemed to pass off in which nothing happened but exposing teeth by the sharptooth and intimated tail lashes by Ali's mother. Neither the sharptooth nor Ali's mother gave the other one an opportunity for an attack; both of them didn't let their enemy out of sight. Littlefoot and Cera felt queer. The sight seemed to be known to them. Suddenly a rustling and cracking was audible from the undergrowth. Ali's mother cast a look back; the rustling noises could mean the rescue. It was only an instant of diversion, but the sharptooth seized the opportunity immediately. With a wide leap the sharptooth pounced upon Ali's mother who looked back immediately, but hadn't enough time left to lift her tail for a repulsing lash or to evade. "Mum!" cried Ali and Littlefoot and Cera cried too. They knew this sight. It had looked just like this when the sharptooth then had pounced upon Littlefoot's mother, bitten to her back and killed her. But this time it didn't happen. A tail-lash whipped through the air and hit the sharptooth, at the highest point of its leap with such a force that it was thrown meters through the air. With a loud crash the sharptooth bounded against the palm on which Ducky had taken cover, with its back. By its bounce such a fierce shock ran through the ground that Littlefoot, Cera, Spike and Ali who kept a safe distance to the sharptooth felt it very distinctly and fell back some more steps. Ducky shrieked when the palm sagged under the impact and broke with a crack whereby she was hurled far away into the dense undergrowth. Spike hummed terrified and wanted to run over to look after Ducky, but Cera pulled him back on his tail. "Stop Spiky! The sharptooth!" Spike cast a desperate look on Cera. She was right; he had, as hard as he found it, to wait till the danger was over. "The old one!" Ali mumbled respectfully. Littlefoot stared over to the border of the undergrowth from which the old one had broken out. Ali's mother cast a transient look on the old one, thankful for the rescue. But the old one's look was firmly fixed upon the slowly getting up sharptooth. The old one stepped forth lifting her tail for another lash. The quick movements of the old one and the strong lash she had inflict upon the sharptooth disagreed with her age and her nearly clumsy appearance. Her eyes nearly seemed to spark. Littlefoot, Ali, Spike and Cera watched the happenings anxiously. The sharptooth had gotten up, roared furiously and tried to fix its eyes upon both of its opponents. But Ali's mother and the old one took positions on two opposite directions with the sharptooth between them so it was unable to keep its eyes on both of them. As soon as it concentrated on one of the enemies the other attacked so it was difficult for the sharptooth to evade the strong tail-lashes. The situation had deteriorated distinctly for the sharptooth. With a loud cracking another longneck of the herd broke out of the thicket. The moment after another two longnecks appeared and some instants later the half herd seemed to be present. All together they advanced laterally walking against the sharptooth the tails lifted for lashing. Littlefoot starred at the seemingly invincible line of longnecks that let the sharptooth look small and forlorn fascinated. The sharptooth starred at the longnecks too, but its look was not fascinated, but exceedingly anxiously. Its gestures of threatening seemed somehow laughable and his roaring answered by dozens of longnecks with a really deafening booming sounded hoarse and far from being as loud and threatening as it had been before. Theer thetooth fell back before the many longnecks step by step going backwards without paying attention to Ali's mother and the old one. Their tail-lashes hit it at the same moment with such a force that it could hardly hold on its feet and it saw that there was nothing left to win for it. Howling up it jerked round and ran away towards the river as fast as it could. This was really not its day. The longnecks pursued the sharptooth a few steps but then the old one stopped and with her the rest of the herd. Littlefoot cast a look of boundless relief on Ali and had to recognize for his dismay that she looked hardly relieved, but far more intimidated. Littlefoot didn't saw the reason for her anxiousness and he didn't found an opportunity to ask Ali about that, because she set in motion lingeringly towards her mother and the old one. Littlefoot followed her and Cera did it too after a short hesitating. Spike remained slightly confused. Had his friends forgotten Petrie and Ducky? Only when they had nearly reached the longnecks he followed them hasty.
The final fight
They had just reached the edge of the forest on this side of the river when Ali abruptly stopped and listened up. She had heard something that let her forget everything around and that could maybe portent the rescue. Calls and steps of longnecks! Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, Petrie and Ducky didn't notice it immediately and ran on. Only when they had covered already a short distance Littlefoot noticed Ali's absence. He stopped immediately and looked back. "Run Ali! Run! The sharptooth!" cried Littlefoot. Cera and Spike had noticed Ali's disappearance too now and stopped likewise. Ali harked strained. She was sure now that she hadn't erred. At least one longneck was nearby. Littlefoot's warning cry called her back to reality. She looked back and shrieked. The sharptooth had caught up with her and prepared to recover its failed meals of the day. Without turning her look back forward Ali jumped of. But already after a few leaps she tripped over a small rock she hadn't, her look still fixed upon the sharptooth, noticed timely. She tumbled and her head hit on the ground so severely that a black veil seemed to lie over her eyes. She remained lying on her back, unable to move. "Ali, watch out!" "Stand up, stand up, stand up!" "Run Ali!" "Attention!" Littlefoot, Ducky, Cera and Petrie cried confusedly. "She can't do it! She can't hear us!" shouted Cera. "I must help her!" cried Littlefoot and ran of. "But Littlefoot, what are you doing?" Cera called after him. But Littlefoot neither seemed to hear her nor he seemed to have an idea what he was going to do. Cera jerked round to Ducky, Petrie and Spike and gasped hasty: "Alone they have not the slightest chance! Ducky, take cover anywhere, sorry you can't help us. Petrie! All we can do is trying to take Ali away from there. Can you distract the sharptooth like you've done before?" Petrie sighed. "Always Petrie must risk his neck!" Then he flew towards the sharptooth as fast as he could. Cera snorted and ran after Littlefoot. Spike shook, and uttered some pitiable noises while Ducky jumped from his back and followed the others then. Ducky stayed behind lonely.
Ali opened her eyes and her look met directly the sharptooth's. It's thin arms with the apiece two horrible claws were only a tiny distance remote from her neck. She wanted to close her eyes again, but she was unable to do so. The paralysis that arose from the sharptooth's look had taken possession of her. Suddenly everything seemed to be indifferent to Ali. The world around her seemed to turn faster and faster, so she became dizzy.
Littlefoot rushed towards the sharptooth as fast as he could, but he saw felt that he would come to late. And even if he should arrive by the sharptooth in time, what would he be able to do?
The sharptooth jerked and howled up loudly. It thrashed with both arms around in the air to grab the tiny flyer that had pecked at its eyes with its claws and nib for the second time today. When Ali recognized what happened, all her indifference vanished at once. She wanted to jump up and run away, but the paralyzation the sharptooth's look had exerted on her hadn't vanished yet. "Ali, stand up!" called Littlefoot who had appeared aside her suddenly and bowed over her. "I can't", replied Ali. Littlefoot looked at her in surprise. "Ali! Come!" shouted Cera who had appeared here now too. "I can't move my legs!" cried Ali drowning out the roaring of the sharptooth. Dismayed Littlefoot and Cera looked at each other. Cera pointed at the sharptooth that was only a few steps away, but completely engaged with the chase on Petrie at the moment, with her head saying: "We don't know how long Petrie can keep that busy! Ali, you must try to go!" The sharptooth trampled around during its hunt in all directions. "Ali, try it! It tramples us dead otherwise! Please!" pleaded Littlefoot. Now Spike arrived at them too. He recognized the situation immediately; eventually he had been exposed to the uncanny paralyzation that arose from the sharptooth look himself today. Just the sharptooth changed its direction and stamped directly towards Ali, Littlefoot, Cera and Spike now.
"We must get away from here!" cried Cera panicky. Spike nudged Ali with his head and tried to prop her up. Littlefoot recognized Spike's intention. "Cera, come on! We must try to prop Ali! Ali, do you believe that you'll be able to walk then?" "I'll try!" promised Ali. Littlefoot helped her to stand up, Cera propped her from the other side and Spike shoved her on carefully. Ali suddenly felt her legs again and began to go slowly. "Hurry away!" cried Cera. The inspiring seemed to help; Ali made still propped by the others some faster steps. Instants later one of the sharptooth's feet stamped directly at the place where they all had been moments ago leaving a deep print. Ali felt how the paralyzation the sharptooth look had exerted on her dwindled diminished with every step she made. And after a few further steps it had vanished completely. Ali jumped forth so suddenly that Spike, who shoved her on from behind, lost his balance and felt forward. Littlefoot, Spike and Cera changed a relieved look and ran after Ali then. Ali halted after a few steps and turned to the others. "Is everything alright Ali?" shouted Littlefoot already before he had caught up with Ali. "Yeah, I think so!" Ali answered. When she, Littlefoot and Spike had caught up with Ali Cera inquired worriedly: "Is it still far to the resting place of your herd Ali?" "No, not far anymore. Where are Ducky and Petrie? We must get on!" Cera, Littlefoot and Spike looked back alarmed. Petrie still flapped around the sharptooth that still moved into their direction. H didn't attack the sharptooth anymore. It sufficed satisfied was enough that the sharptooth was busy with hunting him, whereby Petrie did everything to shun the nostrils of the sharptooth. "And where is Ducky?" asked Littlefoot nearly a bit irritated, because he had heard this question recently this very day. "I told her to take cover anywhere", said Cera while she looked searching seeking around in every direction. Spike uttered some of his noises and pointed at the top of a palm with his head. The palm was not far from the point where Littlefoot, Cera and Spike had turned back to save Ali. In the meantime the sharptooth had reached this point during its skirmish with Petrie. There in the palm's top Ducky had cowered up, watched the chase of the sharptooth and nearly didn't dare to breathe, not to call the sharptooth attention on her. "Oh no!" Littlefoot groaned resigned. Today the problems didn't seem to come to an end. "Ducky, Petrie come here! We must go on!" cried Ali without thinking about that at least Ducky had hardly a chance to come here without being snatched by the sharptooth. Petrie was distract by Ali's call for a very short instant and forgot to evade the sharptooth. This seized the chance and snapped up. Petrie shrieked struck with panicky horror. He was not really injured, but one of his legs was jammed between the sharptooth's teeth like in a vise. Ducky upon the palm pressed both hands on her eyes not to be forced to see the ghastly view and nearly lost her balance and fell down by this. Spike let himself drop on the ground and covered his head with his forefeet. Littlefoot, Cera and Ali starred horrified at Petrie. They were unable to help him, and they knew that. Petrie flapped as fiercely as he could, but he had to recognize, that it was of no use. He stopped flapping, closed his eyes as fierce as possible and covered them with his wings. "Petrie!" Littlefoot, Cera, Ali and Ducky, who looked over to Petrie now, forced to use her arms to cling to the palm, cried like out of one mouth desperately. Spike looked up too and wailed pitiably. The sharptooth had its victim sure now. With one of its scrawny arms armed with two terrible claws it snatched at Petrie to finish him finally. The sharptooth never finished the movement. Somebody rushed out of the dense undergrowth and a mighty, tail-lash whipped through the air. The lash hit the head of the sharptooth at full tilt, tearing it from its feet. It roared tormented whereby Petrie was hurled somewhere far away into the dense thicket brushwood by the force of the lash. Spike looked after him solicitously giving a piteously wail. "Mum!" cried Ali while her mother lifted up her tail for another lash. Unable to tear their gaze away from the sight Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, Ali and, from the top of the palm, Ducky observed the fight. Ali's mother lashed another time, but the sharptooth, who had recovered amazingly fast from the first lash evaded the lash light footed, so the tail-lash whipped through the air inefficiently. The sharptooth snapped, but its bite missed too, when Ali's mother evaded with a nimble step. The opponents began to circle each other and either of them kept their eyes on the other. Both awaited the other ones attack to parry it and to attack themselves at the right moment. Ali's mother yelled several times a loud shout of which Littlefoot supposed that it was any signal to the herd. An eternity seemed to pass off in which nothing happened but exposing teeth by the sharptooth and intimated tail lashes by Ali's mother. Neither the sharptooth nor Ali's mother gave the other one an opportunity for an attack; both of them didn't let their enemy out of sight. Littlefoot and Cera felt queer. The sight seemed to be known to them. Suddenly a rustling and cracking was audible from the undergrowth. Ali's mother cast a look back; the rustling noises could mean the rescue. It was only an instant of diversion, but the sharptooth seized the opportunity immediately. With a wide leap the sharptooth pounced upon Ali's mother who looked back immediately, but hadn't enough time left to lift her tail for a repulsing lash or to evade. "Mum!" cried Ali and Littlefoot and Cera cried too. They knew this sight. It had looked just like this when the sharptooth then had pounced upon Littlefoot's mother, bitten to her back and killed her. But this time it didn't happen. A tail-lash whipped through the air and hit the sharptooth, at the highest point of its leap with such a force that it was thrown meters through the air. With a loud crash the sharptooth bounded against the palm on which Ducky had taken cover, with its back. By its bounce such a fierce shock ran through the ground that Littlefoot, Cera, Spike and Ali who kept a safe distance to the sharptooth felt it very distinctly and fell back some more steps. Ducky shrieked when the palm sagged under the impact and broke with a crack whereby she was hurled far away into the dense undergrowth. Spike hummed terrified and wanted to run over to look after Ducky, but Cera pulled him back on his tail. "Stop Spiky! The sharptooth!" Spike cast a desperate look on Cera. She was right; he had, as hard as he found it, to wait till the danger was over. "The old one!" Ali mumbled respectfully. Littlefoot stared over to the border of the undergrowth from which the old one had broken out. Ali's mother cast a transient look on the old one, thankful for the rescue. But the old one's look was firmly fixed upon the slowly getting up sharptooth. The old one stepped forth lifting her tail for another lash. The quick movements of the old one and the strong lash she had inflict upon the sharptooth disagreed with her age and her nearly clumsy appearance. Her eyes nearly seemed to spark. Littlefoot, Ali, Spike and Cera watched the happenings anxiously. The sharptooth had gotten up, roared furiously and tried to fix its eyes upon both of its opponents. But Ali's mother and the old one took positions on two opposite directions with the sharptooth between them so it was unable to keep its eyes on both of them. As soon as it concentrated on one of the enemies the other attacked so it was difficult for the sharptooth to evade the strong tail-lashes. The situation had deteriorated distinctly for the sharptooth. With a loud cracking another longneck of the herd broke out of the thicket. The moment after another two longnecks appeared and some instants later the half herd seemed to be present. All together they advanced laterally walking against the sharptooth the tails lifted for lashing. Littlefoot starred at the seemingly invincible line of longnecks that let the sharptooth look small and forlorn fascinated. The sharptooth starred at the longnecks too, but its look was not fascinated, but exceedingly anxiously. Its gestures of threatening seemed somehow laughable and his roaring answered by dozens of longnecks with a really deafening booming sounded hoarse and far from being as loud and threatening as it had been before. Theer thetooth fell back before the many longnecks step by step going backwards without paying attention to Ali's mother and the old one. Their tail-lashes hit it at the same moment with such a force that it could hardly hold on its feet and it saw that there was nothing left to win for it. Howling up it jerked round and ran away towards the river as fast as it could. This was really not its day. The longnecks pursued the sharptooth a few steps but then the old one stopped and with her the rest of the herd. Littlefoot cast a look of boundless relief on Ali and had to recognize for his dismay that she looked hardly relieved, but far more intimidated. Littlefoot didn't saw the reason for her anxiousness and he didn't found an opportunity to ask Ali about that, because she set in motion lingeringly towards her mother and the old one. Littlefoot followed her and Cera did it too after a short hesitating. Spike remained slightly confused. Had his friends forgotten Petrie and Ducky? Only when they had nearly reached the longnecks he followed them hasty.