Chapter Three
"Well? " Cera snickered. "Are you going to pledge?"
Rhett wasn't too sure. Ali was trying to encouraged him by pushing him towards the old tree.
"Okay, already." Rhett said startled. "I'll say your stupid pledge." He took some grass in his mouth, torn it, and tossed it to the old tree. "I swear to help Little foot protect the Great Valley."
"And!" Cera reminded.
"And what!" Rhett snapped.
"To protect Great Valley, no matter what!" Cera snapped back.
"Fine. I will protect the Great Valley, no matter what."
Cera smiled happily and then said, "There, now was that really that hard."
Rhett made no reply. He went to Ali who expressed her delight in his decision. "Thank you, Rhett."
"Yes, Thank you, Rhett" Little foot also said delighted. "I am so happy, you both have agreed to help me." Little foot exclaimed.
"For now, I suppose it will be all right." Rhett replied.
"Humph" was all that Cera could say.
"Ali, Ali" A stray female voice sounded. "It is time to go." It was Ali's mother.
"Oh no, it can't be. It is too soon, " Ali cried.
"We were here for several days." Rhett answered.
"Too much if you ask me." Cera muttered between her flat teeth.
"Come, Ali. It is time to go. We have to migrate again." Ali's mother approached her and the others.
"Do we have go so soon?" Ali asked.
"Yes, we are Long necks. Long necks are meant to migrate. Say goodbye to your friends."
"Bye" Rhett said.
"Little foot does not have to go." Ali asked.
"Little foot's clan is from the Great Valley Long neck herd. They belong to the Great Valley. We don't. We are only visitors here."
"Goodbye, Little foot, I am going to miss you as always."
"Bye, Ali, Bye, Rhett," Little foot cried.
"Little foot." Rhett replied, "Bye." Rhett, then said his farewells to the others.
Ali cried, "I am going to miss you all."
"Goodbye," The rest of the gang said. Duckie, Ruby, Petrie and Chomper all waved their hands, because they could. Petrie's eyes watered. Ruby and Chomper looked at each other sadly. Duckie shocked her head. "This is so so sad!"
Even Spike's eyes was wetting. Only Cera wasn't too upset that Ali and Rhett were leaving. She only commented. "They will be back."
"I hope so." Little foot answered her back as he looked at Ali and Rhett leave with their herds to the outside world beyond the Great Valley. It was nothing like the Great Valley. It was dangerous.
" Little foot still has other friends, you know, Little Foot." Cera snorted at him. "Like us?"
"I know." Little foot replied.
The Great Valley usually had plenty of food. It had plenty of fresh water. The outside world sometimes didn't get enough rain to fill rivers, lakes, or ponds. When rivers went dry, that meant herds went thirsty. They would only find a dry riverbed. They would drink nothing, but wet mud if they were lucky. Little foot imagine Ali and Rhett trotting along the herd without water. Falling to the ground, with their tongues gasping for water. His mind went wandering. He started thinking about a poor, tawny, young one who he seen before lose his father, Simba. This little creature was dying in barren dry land. He is lost and abandoned. Strange, dark flying feathered dinosaurs' like flyer creatures were hovering around him, waiting to pounce him. They were surrounding him to eat him like a sharp tooth. Then, he saw fast biters appear with Ali and Rhett on a parched riverbed, waiting to be eaten by fast biters. Little foot woke from his thoughts to see both Ali and Rhett rejoining their herd and slowly move with them. He watched slowly from a distance with his Great Valley friends. Little foot ran after Ali and Rhett to see if they had already left the Great Valley. He stopped on top of a cliff overlooking the exterior of the Great Valley. He started at them as they passed down below. Little foot thought for a moment. Maybe Rhett was right, protecting the Great Valley all his life and keeping his promise to his mother was going to be harder than he originally thought. He immediately shocked that idea out of his head. He had other friends besides Ali and Rhett. To be continued in Chapter Four.
