It didn't take the gang long to reach the field where all new arrivals to the Great Valley are expected. The area had already attracted a large crowd as they skidded to a halt, almost running into another longneck's hind legs. Spreading out and giving each other a little more personal space, Littlefoot and his friends stood buzzing with anticipation and excitement.
"How did you know about Ali's herd coming in Petrie?" Littlefoot asked the flyer as he dropped Ducky on Spike's back and landing next to her.
"Another flyer see a herd coming in and told grown-ups at meeting this morning," Petrie replied.
"Yep, yep, yep! Petrie, Spike and I were nearby when we heard your Grandma say that it might be Ali's herd," Ducky added.
"Great! So where are they? I don't see them," Cera scorned scanning through the maze of legs and hanging tails. Spike then let out a gleeful yelp.
"Oh lookie! There they are! They are here!" Ducky cheered.
"Come on guys! Let's go!" Littlefoot called leading the way through the rows of towering legs.
Making their way to the front of the crowd, Littlefoot stopped and to see a number of longnecks slowly inching up the hill; their features becoming more and more distinguishable. As about half of the herd had emerged and were greeted by Littlefoot's grandparents, one dinosaur a fraction of the size of the elder travellers appeared.
"Ali!" the gang cried merrily. The young, female longneck turned to the unlikely bunch of friends and a great beaming smile spread across her face.
"Hi guys, long time no see," she replied as she walked stiffly towards them. Despite his overwhelming joy, Littlefoot seemed a little distracted by the awkward she was walking. She appeared to be hobbling almost.
"So how have you been? It's been quite a while since we saw you last," Cera said.
"Oh I'm fine…" Ali smiled but Littlefoot wasn't quite convinced. He noticed that there were a few scratches, dirty patches and a couple of bloody grazes on her side.
"Are you all right Ali? You look like you've been hurt," Littlefoot said bring her injuries to everyone's attention.
"Oooo. They do not look nice," Ducky hissed.
"It's okay, really. I just fell over on the way here. Nothing serious," Ali said matter-of-factly.
"They look a bit more they were caused by a bit more than just a trip. Are you sure you're okay?" Littlefoot asked again unable to shake the feeling that Ali was hiding something. His fears became apparent when Ali failed to look him in the eye.
"What happen to you Ali?" Petrie asked seriously but before she could answer, someone bellowed from the crowd.
"Attacked!" Nervous chatter broke out in the audience as the wise, old leader of the herd spoke.
"Attacked? What did she mean by attacked!" Cera gasped.
"Ali? What happened? Was your herd attacked on your way here?" Littlefoot asked very carefully.
"Yes…our herd was attacked. We were caught by surprise," Ali sighed, "I was knocked to one side as some of our herd fought back."
"But what attacked your herd? A pack of sharpteeth?" Ducky gulped.
"No…not a pack…just one…"
"Just ONE sharptooth! A herd your size was attacked and almost beaten by ONE sharptooth?" Cera questioned and Ali nodded.
"This was no ordinary sharptooth. He was huge! Much bigger than any sharptooth I had ever seen. He made some of our tallest longnecks look tiny and he was so vicious. The Old One suggested that we rest in the Great Valley since it was the closest place we knew was safe. We were lucky to escape," she explained, her body trembling from both fear and exhaustion.
"So…you not really supposed to be coming to Great Valley?" Petrie asked grimly.
"It was the nearest place we could rest peacefully. We couldn't sleep without that monster right behind us," Ali sighed.
"But you're here now right? So everything's okay," Littlefoot reassured her. Ali looked at him and smiled.
"Yeah…I guess…you're right," she said wearily before suddenly flopping to the ground, her last ounce of energy leaving her fatigued body.
"Poor Ali…she's must be so tired," Cera said sympathetically looking down on her. Littlefoot craned his head under Ali's neck and tried to lift her up onto her feet.
"Come on Ali. We know a nice quiet spot near the river where you can rest," he told her as she took an unsteady step forward. Taking her opposite side, Cera waddled alongside the weary longneck as Littlefoot quickly darted over to his grandparents to announce what they were doing. With a quick verifying nod, Littlefoot rejoined his friends as they propped and carried Ali to their secluded little spot next to the river.
After a brief rest and a soothing drink from the crystal clear river, Ali sat under a tree that swayed gentle in the warm wind. The day had worn on, turning the daytime sky into a hazy orange, dusk horizon as the approaching night began to settle in. The gang had been quizzing Ali about the sharptooth assault all day deeply concerned that this monstrous killer could possibly be wandering around just outside the Great Valley. The chilling thought was quickly lifted by the sounds of familiar voice echoing over the fields.
"Uh oh. That'll be our folks calling," Cera said looking behind her in the direction of her father's booming voice.
"Time to go home," Petrie announced taking off.
"You gonna be all right Ali?" Littlefoot asked as a figure appeared behind them. It was her mother. Standing up, Ali gingerly took a step forwards.
"Yeah, I think so," she smiled, "I'll see you guys tomorrow." The gang said their goodbyes to one another and departed for their nests, unaware that a strange glowing object, travelling faster than anything anyone in the Valley had seen, was hurdling towards the peaceful residents as they readied themselves for sleep.