The raptors that stood on the cliffs hopped nimbly down onto the great boulders that dammed up the river, restricting its flow to the other side. Hungrily they glared down on Jason flashing their serrated, white teeth intimidatingly filling him with more dreaded thoughts of how they were going to feast on his flesh. Jason observed them with wide eyes not letting a single muscular twitch escape his view in case any one of them decided to pounce without warning. The three raptors were constantly nodding and screeching at each other as if to be talking to one another but he constantly found one of them watching him with a paralysing stare threatening, enforcing that Jason stay exactly where he was and not to try anything rash. Jason happily obliged fearing that he'd be losing a limb if he did.
For a time, none of the raptors appeared to be in the right frame of mind to actually attack but nevertheless, Jason decided that a hasty retreat would probably be exactly the response they'd want to begin a chase that he could not hope to win against one of the most well known carnivores next to the famous tyrannosaurus rex. Still, Jason needed a plan since it was only a matter of time before the raptors came down to finish him off. His mind raced with possible means of escape without drawing too much attention, keeping in mind that he was constantly under surveillance by the central raptor that stood towering over the other two who were either side of it. This particular raptor must have been the leader of the pack. Jason fumbled his hand in the dirt to aid his burning brain as he rejected one idea after another thinking that death would seize him in a blink of an eye and the slash of a bloodstained toe claw. As horrible images of him lying mangled in a bloody puddle burned into his mind, Jason flinched slightly as his fingers past over something sharp. With a quick glance, Jason saw a sharp rock fragment that must have broken off one of the tumbling boulders. Carefully, Jason, as discreetly as possible, clasped his fingers around the flint and held it tight. He had one chance to extend his time to escape. If he could hit the leading raptor, or at least injure it, the other two would come to its aid giving him a chance to slip away unnoticed and hide somewhere. But he only had one shot so it was all or nothing. The moment was intensifying, but he had to strike soon otherwise he'd never get away. Still, Jason was waiting for the perfect moment to launch his attack but so far it hadn't come. His nerves were running raw as the pumping adrenaline made him edgy but he tried hard to fight the urge to just fire randomly. He knew that the moment would come…
"C'mon…c'mon…hurry up…turn…turn…" he edged in a whisper.
The raptors were now chattering in some strange language of squeals and shrieks. They looked ready to pounce, Jason sensed he was running out of time but his moment hadn't come yet. Then, one raptor turned to the leader…the second turned to its leader…then, the leader turned in response…something then snapped in Jason's head.
"NOW!"
Jason launched the flint directly at the leading raptor, who quickly readjusted its focus onto him. Jason sat transfixed on the flying stone as it cut through the air and straight for its target…it was about to strike it right between the eyes. In a blink, Jason expression switched from determination to one of sheer horror. The raptor had ducked the flint and it sailed clear off over the boulders where it landed harmlessly with a clank on the rocks on the other side.
"Damn! It missed!" Jason cursed just as the leading raptor snapped around and hissed disgusted at Jason's attempt to harm it. The raptor leapt down off its boulder and landed heavily throwing water up from the slowly filling pool that had formed at the base of the dam. The raptor roared furiously at Jason as he back up as far as he could before bumping into a rock. The raptor was scowling at him threatening to seize him but it stood, firmly rooted on the riverbank just staring him straight in his eyes provokingly. Jason couldn't see a way out of his predicament as he silently cursed himself again for acting without thinking of the consequences if all else failed but what frightened him even more was that this time he couldn't simply walk away. Another hasty move would cost him his life.
The deadlocked gaze between Jason and the raptor was prolonged by the menacing screeches it made making sure he didn't move a muscle. Jason couldn't remove his eyes from the leader no matter how hard he tried. Its cold, murderous stare was hypnotising as his very existence hung in the balance. Suddenly, the leader roared for some reason that Jason couldn't understand but it was enough distraction for him to break out of his frozen position at the mercy of the rabid carnivore. As his sight came back into focus, Jason quickly noticed that the two other raptors that were on top of the damming boulders had disappeared. The leader continued to roared deafeningly into the clouds, totally ignoring Jason's presence merely metres from its own feet. Jason was completely perplexed by the leader's strange behaviour but something from the back of his mind suddenly took a giant leap forward.
"Wait a second…Raptors hunt in packs… they use strategies to hunt…" Jason thought aloud trying to rush his memory of his school years although he failed to notice that the leader suddenly stopped. "One subdues the prey by staring at it…whilst the others…!!!" Jason paused in mid-thought as the most vital part of information suddenly resurfaced, "ATTACK FROM BEHIND!!!"
Whirling around, Jason caught the two raptors in mid-flight as they attempted to leap on his back. With no time to think anymore, Jason rolled to the side just as the two sailing raptors collided in mid-air and crashed to the ground in a heap. Jason glanced up quickly and saw the two raptors struggling to untangle each other from one another but to his shock, the leader had leapt onto him and pinned him to the rocky floor. Horrified to find himself staring directly into the beast's mouth, Jason gave a shriek as the leader roared over him, ready to sink its teeth into his torso. Jason slammed his eyelids shut unable to watch his cruel fate about to be unleashed upon him. To his amazement, he heard a deafening, high-pitched squeal of pain. Opening his eyes slowly, Jason saw the leading raptor shaking its head where one of the squirming sidekick raptors had slapped it in the face with its tail. Taking this golden opportunity, Jason folded his legs back and shoved them upwards into the beast's belly as it stood dazed over him. The force of the blow knocked the raptor staggering backwards until it tripped on a stone and fell to the ground.
Not wasting another second, Jason leapt to his feet and sprinted away from the three sprawling raptors knowing that as soon as they righted themselves, they would be after him. Jason knew full well he could never outrun a dinosaur so specially designed for speed but at least he could get a good distance from them before they hunted him down. In the few metres he had covered, he could already hear the raptors' roars and hurried footsteps heading right for him. Running was no good…he had to hide. In his dash, Jason spotted a small hideout formed from fallen rocks. In between the rocks was a little hole where Jason decided was his only chance of losing his predators. He clambered inside the small crevice and tried to control his heavy breathing. The tiny area made his breaths echo a little too loud to be discreet and the raptors were closing in fast. As they appeared, Jason held his breath having just seen the raptors stop to investigate the area. They obviously knew that he was around since there was very little that could outrun a velociraptor. They began sniffing the air and listening for any signs of Jason. Jason, however, was nervously racking his brain for more information on the raptors that he had learned what seemed like centuries ago. What was it that the raptors specialised in besides their incredible speed and agility? Was it their sense of hearing? Or was it a keen sense of smell? Suddenly, he froze as one of the raptors past right in front of the mouth of the crevice he was hiding in. It stopped abruptly making Jason flinch…had it sensed him?
The raptor sniffed the air peculiarly which made Jason panic. If it was a keen sense of smell, then it was highly likely that it could smell fear as the majority of carnivorous creatures could. Jason shrunk back as far as he could into the shadows of the little cave as the raptor continued to smell the air for a scent. It obviously hadn't sniffed him out otherwise he'd be a three-course meal by now. Failing to find anything, the raptor walked away from the cave enabling Jason to stretch out from his tight ball he had rolled himself into. His relief was short-lived as the second raptor strolled in front of the crevice. Jason shrivelled up again as its menacing face came into view. Unfortunately, as Jason drew his legs up close to his chest, his sliding feet kicked the loose stones on the ground causing them to rattle noisily in the claustrophobic, little hideout. Jason gasped quietly as the raptor flinched in response to the abnormal sound that shattered the tranquil outset of the flowing river. Jason now became worried about how sensitive the raptor's hearing was, wondering if his pounding heart was echoing in the cave at a pitch that was unrecognisable to him but at a perfect level for the raptor to pick up on. The thought made Jason fidget even more as he brushed past more stones. Jason's insides turned ice cold as the raptors glance suddenly shot into the crevice. Jason shrunk back as far as he could into the shadows as the raptor poked its elongated head through the hole. It looked around and sniffed once or twice. Jason was shaking uncontrollably which was making it harder for him to hold his breath. He pleaded silently that his heartbeat wouldn't give him away as he could now hear it pulsing in his ears and thumping hard on his chest. After a few intense seconds, the raptor pulled its head out of the crevice. Jason unravelled himself cautiously and was greatly relieved to be hearing the sound of footsteps trotting away.
Slowly, Jason poked his head out of the hole in between the rocks peered out into the warm sunlight. The raptors had gone but they had disappeared a little too quickly for Jason's liking. Climbing out of his hideout, Jason stood pondering. At the rate they were walking away as their footsteps fell, they couldn't possibly have gone out of sight. That's when Jason heard a roar from the on top of a boulder to his left. The leading raptor was standing on it and was calling to its two sidekicks for assistance. Before backup could arrive, Jason, against his better judgement, took flight. Fearing they would lose their kill for a second time, the leader gave chase. Jason weaved in and out of the fallen boulders hoping that he could lose them in the maze they had formed. The raptor, however, had found a much easier way to keep Jason in sight, which was to leap from one boulder to the next. Jason heard two audible cries come from behind him which meant that the leader's two accomplishes had acknowledged its roar having relocated their prey.
The slalom motion of Jason's sprint led him through a natural archway formed by two adjoining cliffs. With the raptors hot on his heels, Jason blindly charged straight through the archway but came to a screeching halt as he found himself at the base of a steeply sloped cliff face. The cliff bore no foot holes, only an old tree covered in vines right at the top, out of reach. Jason damned himself for his fatal mistake. He now had nowhere to go. He had intended to follow the river but his path through the boulders had obscured his vision of the river and he had strayed further and further from it without realising. Jason attention was immediately drawn to the great snarls of the raptors as they entered through the archway, slowly coming into view. Jason backed up against the wall knowing that escape was now impossible. The raptors daunting stature and glaring teeth re-enforced the petrifying status upon Jason's body as every muscle in him locked tight. The raptors edged forwards gradually, bathing in the moment and the fear that was etched into Jason's terrified expression. Jason found himself slipping down the slope as he tried to back up even further having managed to revive the feeling in his legs to move again. No luck.
With the raptors nearly upon him and nowhere to run, Jason pleaded silently and thought.
"Why was I so stupid? Why'd I ever leave the Great Valley? I'm done for now!" His words brought no comfort to him as he took one last glance at the raptors who had paused a few metres from him. If Jason didn't know any better, he could have sworn he'd saw them almost smiling at him. Smiling malevolently. Jason slammed his eyes shut unable to watch. Just as the raptors were all about to pounce, Jason heard something rumble from overhead accompanied by a voice.
"LOOK OUT!"
Looking up, Jason gasped as a number of boulders came crashing down the steep slope and headed right for him. In response to the voice, Jason leapt and rolled out of the boulders' path as they smashed into the rocks where the raptors stood, sending them sprawling. Jason whirled around to look up at his miraculous rescuer. The sunlight obscured his vision at first, but as soon as a cloud blotted the bright light out, Jason's face lit up with a joy he could not describe.
"Littlefoot!" he cried.
Chapter 22: Brotherhood and True FriendshipJason couldn't believe his luck let alone his own eyes as the noble, young brontosaurus beamed down on him.
"I've been searching all over for you!" Littlefoot exclaimed overjoyed that he had found him at last.
"Hey buddy! How'ya been?" Jason smiled just as relieve as Littlefoot was. Littlefoot's expression suddenly turned serious as he saw the raptors scrambling to their feet again.
"Jason! Behind you!" Jason spun around and saw all three raptors roaring and glaring at him. They looked enraged and bloodthirsty.
"Littlefoot…help me out here would you!" he called up the cliff, keeping a watchful eye on the stalking raptors that were approaching striking distance. He pushed himself up against the wall. Littlefoot searched around for something to fight the raptors off. He had pushed all the boulders down so he had no artillery left. Then, he spied the dead tree with the shrivelling vine wrapped loosely around it. Snatching it between his teeth, he threw one end down to Jason whilst holding the other and in a mumbled sort of voice he yelled,
"Jason! Grab on!" Jason looked around just as the vine's end slapped him in the face. Without another word, Jason grabbed the vine and started pulling himself up the slope. The raptors saw their meal escaping and they all made one last, desperate lunge for him. Jason turned just as one of them made a slash for him. Jason winced as the attacking claw caught him on his left arm forcing him to let go.
"JASON!" Littlefoot screamed as Jason slid down the vine. Responding to his cry, Jason gripped the vine with his right hand and he stopped suddenly. Jason yelped as he saw the raptors snapping for him. Ignoring the burning on his hand from the friction, Jason held on as tightly as he could as Littlefoot began pulling him up the slope having realised his left arm had been disabled.
Pulling him up little by little, Jason watched his predators yapping harmlessly under his feet. He began taunting them as Littlefoot inched him up slope.
"Ha ha! Pathetic morons! You guys couldn't catch a cold!!!" Then, something suddenly occurred to him. There were only two of the three raptors trying to snap at his heels. He looked around just as the leading raptor leapt off one of the boulders lying on the ground and launched itself directly at him. Jason tucked his legs up just as it collided with the slope and slid down empty-handed. Determined not to let him escape, the raptor swung a claw round and clamped it on the edge of Jason's jeans. Jason squirmed as he felt the vine being pulled back down as the raptor began overpowering Littlefoot who was straining to keep him up. Jason was getting agitated by his stalkers. He was fed up of running scared.
"Get the hell off me! I've had enough of you guys BUGGING ME!" he screamed in anger. In his rage, Jason swung his free leg around and kicked the raptor square in the jaw. The raptor jerked and released its grip sending it plummeting down the slope and crashing on top of its two friends. Feeling the lightened load on the end of the vine, Littlefoot gave a mighty yank and hauled Jason up to the cliff edge. Jason hastily leapt up the cliff edge but stumbled having not established his balance fully. He slipped on the crumbling edge and began sliding back down to the raptors. Jason tried to grab the vine again but the wear and tear of pulling him up earlier had weakened it as it snapped in his hand. He wailed as he feared he'd be back in the grimy clutched of the raptors and they'd waste no time in devouring him after the fight he put up until now. As he plummeted to the ground but he came to a choking halt as his jumper had tightened around his neck. Despite not receiving much air through his restricted windpipe, Jason was greatly relieved to find that Littlefoot had caught the hood of his jumper and was struggling to pull him back up.
After a long, strenuous tow, Littlefoot finally pull Jason up onto the ledge where they both collapsed completely exhausted leaving the raptors to slither off empty-handed and muttering in defeat. Once, they reclaimed their breath, Littlefoot and Jason both clamped each other close.
"Oh Littlefoot! I can't believe it! You saved my life!" Jason said with his hands on Littlefoot's shoulders.
"Just returning the favour," Littlefoot gleamed staring deep into his eyes.
"It's so good to see you again. How'd you know where to find me?"
"I followed your tracks up to that murky mud-water but I took another path round. After that, it was sheer luck that I found you but I saw you get attacked by the sharpteeth."
"Well, I'm sure glad you did! I thought I was a goner!"
"Well, you've saved me twice already so I had to make it up to you at least once." They both chortled but Jason's mind suddenly killed his laughter instantaneously.
"What's wrong?" Littlefoot asked once Jason had stopped so abruptly.
"Littlefoot…why did you come for me?" Jason sighed. Littlefoot looked at him perplexed.
"What do you mean?"
"I disgraced myself in front of you and everyone else…I acted like such a jerk…I was angry at everyone and yelled for no real reason. Sorry to say that if you came all his way to bring me back, you've wasted your time. I can't go back after that."
"About what Cera said…about being jealous of Ali?" Littlefoot asked trying hard to ignore what Jason said about not returning to the Great Valley.
"I dunno…it might have been…I didn't think I was but…perhaps that was it…"
"So are you jealous of Ali?" Jason felt silent and Littlefoot sighed, "I don't blame you for being angry because…well…" He paused wondering what to say. "You definitely are different since your not a dinosaur and all but…" Littlefoot was finding it difficult to express himself. He didn't want to shout at Jason for running away but felt he need to make Jason feel better about himself despite his great characteristical difference as a human being.
"Look. I don't think any littler of you just because your not a dinosaur but you have to understand that others might. I like you for who you are and what you've done for me and my friends and I'm sure they feel just the same at times but I think that Ali, Cera and others like them just need a little more convincing than me and my grandparents. After you stormed out this morning, I was the only one determined to find you again. I'm sure the others would have come too but they were just a little nervous. You just have to make them accept you for who you are."
Jason was dumbstruck by Littlefoot's words. He bowed his head almost in shame.
"I'm sorry," Littlefoot suddenly jumped in thinking that he had been too harsh on him, "I didn't mean for it to sound so hard. Did I upset you? I-I'm sorry I…" To his surprise, Jason smiled softly and shook his head.
"Not at all. On the contrary, what you just said made perfect sense…Thank you for your kind words of wisdom." His gentle smile slowly grew wider which Littlefoot returned with one of his own.
"C'mon, we'd better get out of here before those loud mouth ankle-biters regroup and track us down. They've been chasing me for this long so I doubt they'll give up now."
"Right," Littlefoot giggled, "let's go."
From the path up on the cliff, Jason could see how Littlefoot had managed to follow him and remain undiscovered. The cliff was so high up, it was impossible to see anything up on it from down by the river. Jason was so relieved to finally have shaken the raptors of his tail but was even more grateful that of all the dinosaurs to come to his rescue would be the very first one that he had saved since his arrival nearly a whole month ago. Littlefoot was just as relieved to have found Jason after scouring every inch of the Great Valley and braving the unforgiving environment of the Mysterious Beyond. He was even more relieved that he had decided to come back with him as he could sense that somewhere inside he did want to return. Neither of them said anything to each other until they reached the giant, damming boulders that were still in place. The water was beginning to flood the entire area behind the boulders and as they passed it, Jason was shocked to see very little water flowing out the other side.
"Hey Littlefoot," he called as Littlefoot strolled right past without noticing.
"Yeah."
"Tell me something. Is that the river that runs over the Thundering Falls? You know the one Grandpa mentioned about being the main waterway into the Valley?" Littlefoot glanced down at the thinned river.
"Yeah. I think so. Why's it so thin?"
"Those boulders are blocking the water flow. Won't that seriously restrict the Valley's water supply?"
"You could be right. What should we do?"
"I don't know. They're much too big for us to move that's for sure."
"Maybe the elders could move them if we tell them about it."
"Sure…no wait! Won't they be a little upset with us that we were in the Mysterious Beyond in the first place?"
"Yeah, you may be right. But they've got to know though because it will be a much better for the Valley to have its water back even if it means we get into trouble for it."
"Can't argue with you there. So in that case, we'd better hurry back before this gets any worse." Just as Littlefoot and Jason were about to break into a run, Littlefoot looked ahead.
"Uh oh. The shortcut back to the Valley is blocked by rocks," he said turning to Jason, "What now?"
"We'll have to take the longer route down by the river and go back the way I came."
"What way is that?"
"Back through that swamp." Littlefoot looked as if he'd just been stung by a bee.
"You actually went through there? Wow! You must have been really brave!" he exclaimed.
"Not really," Jason shrugged, "just incredibly stupid. No bravery involved at all. I don't suppose you know another route do you?"
"Nope. Sorry."
"Well…then the river route it is then," Jason chirped hopping down onto the damming boulders with Littlefoot close behind.
Feet now on the ground, Jason stopped and examined the rock's surface.
"What are you doing?" Littlefoot asked inquisitively.
"Thinking how we could at least widened the gap so more water can get through," he replied with his face right in the crack were the water was seeping out. He then picked up a stone and began chipping away at the crack hoping to open it up more. Littlefoot, who had had his head in trying to get a better look, turned to look up ahead. The sight he saw was not a very nice one. He prodded Jason in his side to get his attention.
"Cut it out Littlefoot. That tickles," Jason giggled. Littlefoot wasn't kidding around as he jabbed him a little harder.
"Hey quit it Littlefoot. I'm trying to crack this rock a bit more. Just a sec."
"B-bb-bu-bbut-but…" Littlefoot stammered nervously still nudging him.
"Just a second Littlefoot. You're beginning to get annoying. What's wrong with you?" Jason frowned but didn't take his eyes off the crack.
"We may not have a second to talk about…" Littlefoot croaked. Jason stood upright and looked at him annoyed yet confused.
"What do you mean by that? And what's with the face?" Jason said but Littlefoot didn't speak. His eyes were cemented to the sight he was still staring at, "What's up?"
"S-s-sss-ssha-sshhaa…" he stuttered unable to get the words out.
"What? What is it? Spit it out!"
"SHARPTEETH!" he finally shrieked. Jason whirled around to see the three stalking raptors he had just narrowly escaped several times earlier were standing in a line in front of them.
"Not again!" Jason wailed as the raptors roared triumphantly having corner both of them against the boulder, "These creeps don't know when to give up do they?"
"What are we going to do?" Littlefoot cried seeing that there was no way past them.
"I…don't know. They've got us pinned here."
The raptors were not taking any chances this time and approached them from all angles. Jason and Littlefoot glanced hopelessly from one raptor to the next as they closed in. They both then flinched in shock as a jet of water hit them from behind. Jason looked back to see that the crack in the boulder he was working on was growing wider and the whole thing was shaking under the high pressure.
"This is bad," Jason whispered to Littlefoot, "the dam's not gonna hold much longer." Littlefoot shuffled his feet in the cold water refusing to take his eyes of the raptors, especially the one to his left that was getting uncomfortably close. He was also concerned that Jason was abnormally relaxed about their looming doom that approached them. He was pushed up against the boulder with his hands behind his back, fiddling with something but whatever he was doing, the flowing water coming out of a small hole in the crack had stopped.
"Littlefoot," he then whispered out of the corner of his mouth, "when I say now, start running." Littlefoot was flabbergasted at what he was telling him to do.
"Are you sure?"
"Trust me…" Littlefoot didn't know what to think. The raptor was close enough for him to smell its foul breath. He felt tense but stood poised to run on Jason's word. The leading raptor roared to order an attack.
"NOW!" Jason yelled at the top of his voice. With that, Jason shifted from the rock and the great pressure he had built up by plugging the hole shot a powerful jet of water straight in leader's face, temporarily blinding it. Littlefoot had taken off like a bullet from a gun on Jason's command. He had been worried that whatever Jason had planned, the raptor on his left would seize him before he got a chance to run. He was relieved that the shot of water had stunned it and he whizzed right past. In his hurried strides, he glanced back at Jason who was a little further behind.
"Don't look back! Keep going!" Jason yelled flapping at him once he saw Littlefoot slowing down for him.
"C'mon Jason! Hurry!" he called back. He gaped as he saw the raptors approaching fast. He was so engrossed in the sprinting raptors that he wasn't looking where he was going.
"Littlefoot! Watch out!" Jason screamed. Too late. Littlefoot stumbled down a cliff and rolled down the rocky slope bumping off every rock and stone embedded in it. Dazed and bruised up, Littlefoot looked up to find himself in a tightly closed pass with the walls too high to reach. Jason slid down the slope down to him a few seconds later.
"Are you okay?" Jason said breathlessly. Littlefoot nodded glumly feeling a little ashamed. Jason helped him to his feet.
"C'mon. We gotta get outta…" he stopped an gasped in mid speech as he saw the raptors sail over them and land a few feet ahead of them. They turned and fled back up the slope awkwardly, tripping on loose rocks and stones they kicked out of the ground as they bounced and threw themselves into the faces of the raptors. Upon reaching the top, they were horrified to see the raptors had beaten them up there. The two minions had jumped in front of them whilst the leader made sure they didn't try to double back. Now, they were completely stuck. Nothing to use and boxed in from both side.
"We…tried…so hard…Jason…" Littlefoot wheezed.
"Don't…give up hope…just yet Little…foot…" Jason puffed back but he couldn't see how they were going to escape this time. They had been extremely lucky up until now but now the situation look bleak.
Awaiting the raptors to deliver the killing blow, Jason and Littlefoot suddenly felt a heavy shudder shake the whole area and making the little pebbles on the ground dance with excitement. Everyone in the area were paralysed with fear, including the raptors.
"What's that? An earthshake?" Littlefoot asked desperately. Jason didn't answer but looked up. The sight he saw made his jaw nearly hit the dusty floor. Two giant boulders were dashing madly straight at them. It had suddenly hit him as he then glanced at the floor which was very damp that they had been, instinctively, running in what effectively was a very wide ditch with a minute stream in the middle.
"We're standing in the riverbed!" he cried, "The river's just burst through the dam! Quick! Scatter!" Completely forgetting that the raptors were standing in front of them, Littlefoot and Jason dived in opposite directions out of the damp ditch and out onto the dry sides.
The raptors, cluelessly, did the same as tidal wave of water thundered down the riverbed, tossing the giant boulders into the walls as it tore down and into the tight pass and off into the distance.
Jason got up and glanced at Littlefoot who was standing up slowly. He seemed to be in pain. The raptors, too, stood up and snapped around at the two of them and roared. Littlefoot looked at Jason and Jason looked back suggestively. Littlefoot nodded realising that they both had the same idea. With a short sprint, Littlefoot jumped into the river and Jason followed. As his head broke the surface, Jason waved at the raptors as they floated down stream.
"So long fellas! Hope you can dog-paddle!"
Littlefoot paddled up to Jason, trying to fight the current but he found he couldn't. Jason was also feeling the current pulling him down a little faster than he would have liked. They began to struggle with the water, trying desperately to swim to the side where they could have pulled themselves out. Littlefoot managed to squirm his way to the edge and hauled himself out. Shaking the water off him, he turned an gasped as he found Jason still striving to get to the edge.
"Jason! Grab on!" Littlefoot called as he dangled his tail in the water. Jason didn't want to hold on to Littlefoot just in case he pulled him in but he had no choice. Thrashing with the water was draining him to the point where head was almost being pulled under. Littlefoot dipped his tail in as far as he could and felt Jason's hand clamp around it. He pulled with all his might but the raging water was making it difficult to resist not being dragged back in. His muscles pulled tight as Jason flopped his top half onto the riverbank and let go.
"You alright?" Littlefoot said as he tried to regain the feeling in his fatigued legs.
"Yeah, thanks," Jason said as he wrung his damp clothes.
"You think we've lost them finally?"
"Don't know. Probably not. I'd imagine they'd find a way round." No sooner as he said that, Jason looked up past Littlefoot and saw the very same raptors glowering over them from on top a high ledge.
"Oh gimme a break!" Jason sighed wishing he had kept his mouth shut.
"It's the sharpteeth again!" Littlefoot cried exasperatedly. The raptors hopped down from their high perch using the fallen rocks as footholds. Without uttering a word, Littlefoot and Jason fled down as their stalkers touched the ground and sped after them. The raptors were on them in seconds. Running was proving useless against such a swift moving dinosaur so Littlefoot and Jason stood locking eyes with them.
"We can't outrun them! What're we gonna do now?" Littlefoot said despairingly.
"We gotta get rid of them," Jason said boldly making such all three raptors were in his field of vision.
"But how?" Littlefoot asked.
"…Lemme get back to you on that one!" Jason replied smoothly. "We could sure use a lucky break right now!" he thought hoping it would come as if travelling on the wind. The raptors were getting tired of staring them down so one took a lunge at Jason who dodged to one side but was tackled to the ground by a second.
"Jason!" Littlefoot cried watching the raptors standing over him. He quickly realised what a serious mistake this was when the leading raptor pounced on him once he turned away from him.
"No! Littlefoot!" Jason called squirming under the raptor pinning him. Both of them were writhing to free themselves but the leading raptor roared deafeningly, freezing them stone still. With nowhere to go, they feared they would die in a split second but the raptors were distracted by a rumbling accompanied by a huge bellowing voice.
"Get away from our friends you good-for-nothing meat-eaters!" In that moment, the raptors leapt back off of Jason and Littlefoot and turned to flee as a number of large boulders rolled dangerously close to them. Failing to outrun the rolling rocks, all three raptors where struck and were sent flying into the river where they drifted down stream and out of sight.
Jason and Littlefoot, who had rolled out of the way of the oncoming boulders, stared up at the cliff edge to see a parade of cheering, juvenile dinosaurs sliding their way down the cliff; one of which was flying.
"Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike!" Littlefoot exclaimed overjoyed.
"You…you came for us!" Jason stammered completely astounded but just as overwhelmed to see them as Littlefoot. They all danced and laughed as they both received welcomes and tongue licks from Spike. Jason was flinching but laughed as Spike dragged his tongue all over his face.
"Spike!…Easy boy!…" Jason giggled trying to shield himself from the friendly attack. Once Spike had stopped to move onto Littlefoot, Jason looked around but couldn't find what he was looking for.
"Hey, where's Ali? Didn't she come?"
"Yeah, where is Ali? Did her herd leave the Great Valley while I was gone?" Littlefoot added.
"Oh no, she did not go! No, no, no!" Ducky chirped merrily from on top Spike who had barely managed to maintain her balance as he greeted them.
"In fact she's right here," a calm voice said from behind Cera.
"Ali!" Littlefoot and Jason said simultaneously. She bowed her head with a shied smile and blushed.
"You came too?" Littlefoot asked.
"No. Ali idea to come look for Jason and Littlefoot," Petrie said as he landed on Jason's shoulder like a parakeet.
"It was your idea to come search for us Ali?" Jason asked in disbelief. She nodded which made her face grow redder. Jason was awestruck.
"And here's me thinking you didn't care…I'm…I'm speechless…"
"It's okay," Ali said softly, "I sort of understand now. A difference on the outside, no matter how…"
"Horrible? Ugly? Sickening?" Jason jumped in trying to be helpful.
"I was going to say 'unusual'," Ali giggled but continued, "no matter how different or unusual a dinosaur is…"
"Or human…" Ducky added happily.
"Yes, or human. They may still be a nice, reasonable person underneath what you see."
"So very true," Littlefoot whispered amazed but delighted with Ali's speech. Jason smiled warmly.
"But this still means you don't trust me though, doesn't it?" he said as non-threateningly as he could. Ali didn't say anything.
"Well, we can take it one step at a time I guess," he sighed but never dropped his smile so that Ali knew he agreed to her conditions for reasoning and at least she was trying to accept Jason for who, and what he was.
"How'd you guys manage to find us anyway? We were out in the middle of nowhere," Littlefoot then asked.
"Littlefoot footholes!" Ducky chirped and sniggered.
"And me from way up high. Me spot Littlefoot and Jason get chased by nasty sharpteeth so me tell Cera, Ali and others," Petrie said puffing his chest up, "we would have been sooner but everyone so slow."
"Hey! It's not our fault we weren't all born with wings!" Cera retorted angrily.
"Yeah, some of us are bound by the law of gravity I'm afraid Petrie," Jason said.
"The law of what?" Littlefoot asked naively.
"It's the force that keep us to the ground. Otherwise we'd all float off the planet!" Jason explained but laughed at the mixture of expression everyone made at this remark.
"We'd better get back home or our folks might start worrying," Ali said. She had subtly shifted her way past the crowd to stand next to Littlefoot.
"Oh yes, you are right Ali. We had better get home," Ducky said with a nodding head that nearly made her fall off Spike.
"What's the quickest way?" Jason asked.
"The path up there takes us to a mountain pass straight into the Valley," Cera started.
"You mean the pass that you blocked up when you cause the avalanche of snow?" Jason said remembering something about a pass they had used when they were snowed in.
"If you're talking about the white, ground sparkles then yes," Littlefoot answered.
"You mean Petrie made fall down when be flew into that mountain covered with the stuff," Cera taunted. Petrie threw her a dirty look and grumbled.
"But isn't that path back up on that hillside?" Ali quickly realised gazing up at the cliff edge they had just slid down. Everyone sighed.
"Well, looks like we are taking the long way home. Yep, yep, yep!" Ducky said.
"What way's that?" Cera asked almost regretting what the answer would be.
"The way I went I suppose," Jason guessed, "through that dark, eerie swamp between here and that redwood forest where Saurus Rock is."
"You went through there!" Cera said indignantly, "Are you crazy? We'll all be swallowed alive by the marsh pits!"
"Well, we've got no other choice Cera," Littlefoot said coolly. Cera sighed defeated.
"C'mon. We'd better get moving. If me and Littlefoot know those three raptors, they'll be back on us quicker than you can say 'treestars'," Jason said merrily taking charge of the group but he could help noticing Spike licking his lips at the word 'treestars' as they began to walk alongside the river and back to the Great Valley.
Despite the unforgiving nature that the Mysterious Beyond had displayed earlier for Jason and Littlefoot, the group's stroll back to the Valley was relatively peaceful with only the flowing water to add to the abnormal, tranquil atmosphere that surrounded them. Nevertheless, Littlefoot was eagerly chattering away about how he followed Jason and rescued him from the raptors when they cornered him in that little gorge and how he bowled them over with the large rocks that sat on top of the slope that he hauled Jason up using the old vine. Jason, who was only half listening to the conversation, nodded now and again just to confirm that what Littlefoot was saying was true. The other half of Jason's attention was wondering off in deep thought. Thoughts about everything that had just occurred in what seemed to be a relatively short space of time. What struck him most was how Littlefoot had taken the courageous decision to come out and search for him after what appeared to be a pointless quarrel. Littlefoot was determined to find him and he did it alone. This made Jason wonder what drove him to do such a thing because he could have easily let him wander off into the Mysterious Beyond only to be mauled horribly by some cold-blooded carnivore and for what? A meaningless squabble unnecessarily fired up by heated emotions? This thought made Jason feel incredibly childish and irresponsible for taking such irrational actions for merely raising his voice. Still, Littlefoot made his choice to search for him despite how irrational his behaviour was and this made him feel greatly admired.
Jason's mind then quickly turned to Ali and how Petrie had explained how it was her who persuaded the rest of the gang to come and look for them. This made the argument seem even more futile as Ali had been the driving force behind the reason why they came. Whether or not she had had in mind to primarily search for Littlefoot over himself didn't really matter but the fact was that timid little Ali had had just as much courage to want to go out and look for them. Also, her speech on how she was willing to accept Jason for who, and more importantly, what he was. Jason felt deeply touched and dignified that Ali had thought about him in this way. She may not entirely trust him just yet but trust was a factor that he could work on. Maybe he had just made a slight misjudgement on longneck dinosaurs having met Littlefoot and his grandparents who were much more willing to accept him; he thought that Ali would be the same. Perhaps he thought a little too generally about them as all being gentle and accepting in nature and that's why the heated discussion at the Bubbling Mud had seemed so much more painful and fired up than it should have been. As the thought of everyone coming to his and Littlefoot aid (and he nodded to verify Littlefoot's last statement was genuine), Jason's mind then suddenly snapped on something he hadn't thought before. Driven more so by Littlefoot's choice to come find him, they obviously had feelings for him. There was something emotional about Littlefoot's decision to come and search for him that was far beyond mere pity. It was showing in the others as well (maybe not so much in Cera but he was told that threehorns were generally like that; not to display emotions and to be stone-cold), they genuinely cared about what happened to him and were worried that he might get hurt or even worse as the overjoyed scene of their impeccable timing to rescue the two of them from the raptors replayed mentally. Jason suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of deep feeling for the group. They obviously had feelings for him that he could now see was displayed by their daring rescues. A feeling of want, faith and above all, friendship. They cared for him as a friend. Jason suddenly felt a great swelling inside as the gaping hole that had bore into him as he began his solitary voyage out into the unknown was automatically refilled by this feeling. The warm glow it emitted made him smile and drift off somewhere far away. It was only by the sound of someone calling his name that he came back down to earth.
"Jason?…Jason?…" the voice called him.
"Huh?" he murmured snapping back to reality. Littlefoot had been calling him.
"You okay?" Petrie asked slightly concerned.
"Oh yeah! I was just daydreaming, that's all. So erm…what's up?"
"Wasn't it true that we had to jump out of the way of those huge rocks as they came rushing towards us on the fast flowing water?" Littlefoot exclaimed hyperactively.
"Oh! Yeah, that was true," Jason said coolly. Petrie and Ducky wooed in amazement.
"So how did you escape that time then?" Ali asked.
"We had to jump into the river and swim to the side further down but then Jason couldn't reach the edge so I had to…" Littlefoot hurried.
"Whoa! Breathe Littlefoot! No rush!" Jason said placing his hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down.
"Sorry. Got a little excited," Littlefoot smiled, "but I still can't get over how those sharpteeth kept on coming back,"
"I know. They were unreal weren't they?" Jason said smoothly.
The story of their many escapes made the journey time back to the dark swamp seem non-existent. Even so, the sun was slowly descending as the sky began to turn a hazy orange bring a dull, dusk light to the area.
"That's the way I came from, up there," Jason pointed up the crumbled rocks where he hopped down to meet the river. He then remembered something he had thought of earlier.
"Hey guys. This is the river that flows right into the Great Valley isn't it? I mean, the one that becomes the Thundering Falls right?"
"Uh huh. That is does, yep, yep, yep!" Ducky chattered.
"Thought as much."
"Why? What you getting at?" Cera asked curiously.
"Nothing. I was just wondering that's all…" Jason was cut off by a tremendous echoing that made them all cringe.
"What that?" Petrie cried, raising his head slowly once the reverberation disappeared.
"Uh oh!" Littlefoot said slowly, "It's them again."
"Who?" Ali and Cera said after straightening their legs fully.
"The raptors! Yet again," Jason whined and then ducked as another blood-curdling roar came into earshot. Sure enough, the entire group swivelled around to see the three stalking raptors, battered and bruised standing a couple of yards from them. They looked too weary to attack but they lifted their heads up high and roared in a peculiar way that jogged a horrible memory in Jason's head he had learned a long time ago.
"What are they doing?" Ducky asked not sure whether to be interested or terrified.
"This is bad! We've gotta get outta here right now!" Jason warned and made a start for the rocks they had to scale to get to the swamp. As he climbed the first rock, Jason looked up and leapt backwards back to the ground having nearly lost his head to a swinging claw. He dashed back to the group who stood horrified at the sight they lay in front of them. Jason looked in their direction and he gave a quiet yelp. An entire army of raptors stood in front them poised to attack. They emerged from behind rocks and along the cliff edges like a legion about to storm a castle, blocking their route into the swamp. There were easily twenty of them if not more.
"This must be the entire pack," Jason said.
"We're surrounded!" Ali cried hopelessly, "What are we gonna do?" Everyone turned to Jason who flinched in shock.
"What're you all gawking at me for!"
"C'mon Mr. Giant Brain! You said humans were supposed to be the most clever creatures in the world so think of something!" Cera commanded as the raptors all began to descend on them from all sides. They began to back up slowly as they approached.
"Whatever you do, don't run! They're too fast!" Jason forewarned.
"But what can we do? We'll all be sharptooth bait in a flash!" Littlefoot exclaimed despairingly.
"A flash?" Jason then said quietly, "A FLASH! That's it! Why didn't I think of this before?" He quickly flicked his bag around and pulled the flash-bang capsules out of one of the side pockets he had swiped from his mother's desk drawer back at the Red Phoenix Labs ruins.
"I knew these would come in handy!"
"What are those?" Petrie asked temporarily forgetting that bloodthirsty raptors stood only a few feet away.
"Right guys! When I say now, cover your eyes! Whatever you do don't open them until I say," Jason ordered snapping a capsule out of its holder and holding it threateningly high.
"NOW!" The group shut their eyes tight on Jason's yell as he threw the capsule at the raptors' feet. On impact, the capsule erupted and a bright flash of white light shot out engulfing them all. The raptors squealed in pain as their stinging eyes reacted to the blinding flash.
"Run for it!" Jason shouted and turned to flee down alongside the river. The group snapped their eyes open and quickly followed Jason after a short, puzzled glance at the squirming raptors as they bumped into each other blindly.
"What did you do?" Littlefoot called having just caught up with him.
"Flash-bang capsules," Jason replied between breaths, "A friend of mine gave them to me from a joke shop. Gives off a blinding flash that leaves the victim stunned for a few seconds."
Petrie, from on top of Jason's bag, glanced back and let out a panic-stricken yell.
"Sharpteeth coming! Sharpteeth coming!"
"Don't look back! Keep running!" Littlefoot shouted. The blinding effect obviously still lingered on the raptors as some of them fell in the river and others bumped into each other, tripping themselves over.
"Look!" Ali called. Everyone looked up ahead.
"The Great Valley!" Jason said in awe. They all came to a sudden stop as they approached the peak of the Thundering Falls.
"Damn! A dead end," Jason cursed.
"Dead is right!" Cera cried as the raptors stopped a little from them.
"What now! We're done for!" Ali whined. Jason looked at Littlefoot and Littlefoot looked back at him. They knew they had the same thought in mind but they didn't know how the others would take it.
"Err…guys? I dunno how suicidal you're all feeling right now but erm…" Jason spoke as calmly as he could.
"What? What're you babbling about!" Cera demanded as the raptors closed in forcing them back even further.
"We've got to jump!" Littlefoot barked as plainly as he could.
"Are you mad? We'll all be killed!" she cried exasperatedly.
"Not true. If the water's deep enough, we could all just splash down in the pool under the waterfall," Jason tried to reassure.
"How deep is the water?" Ali asked worryingly. Jason turned to Littlefoot.
"Well, Grandpa can only just stand in it without having to swim," Littlefoot said now wondering if his grandfather could actually swim or not.
"I say you're still insane! We should fight them," Cera suggested.
"Cera! We're stupidly out-numbered! We gotta jump or we're dead meat!" Jason shouted urgently with the raptors now nearly upon them.
"C'mon! We got to jump now!" Jason had now worked up enough courage to insanely want to leap down the falls but he wasn't leaving until the rest of them had. They had now run out of room. Side by side, they all turned to look down the Thundering Falls which didn't help to raise any confidence levels in anyone. A roar sounded from behind them and they glanced back to see the raptors about to attack.
"On three!" Jason said.
"One…" The raptors stood poised.
"…Two…" they bent down to pounce.
"…THREE!" With a mighty leap, Petrie and the six, gravity-bound others launched themselves off over the falls just as the fleet of raptors landed where they were a split second ago. With wailing screams, they all flipped and somersaulted down, constantly gaining speed. Four, heart stopping seconds after their brave jump, all six of them landed in the pool under the waterfall each with their own tremendous splash. One by one, they resurfaced and paddled to the side where they all collapsed coughing and spluttering with Petrie following gracefully. Once they reclaimed their breath, they all looked up at the Thundering Falls against the darkening sky and the incredible distance that they had just plummeted.
"Phew. That was too close!" Littlefoot panted standing up.
"Cool! Let's do that again!" Jason danced hyperactively.
"You really are nuts aren't you?" Cera screamed completely horror-struck that she had jumped at all. Ali and Ducky were laughing at Jason as he shrugged dismissively.
"What a day," Petrie sighed sprawled out on Spike's back.
"Just another day in the realm of the dinosaurs I suppose," Jason laughed. The others quickly joined him. Their laughter was stopped by a couple of familiar voices.
"There you children are," Grandma Longneck called out to them as she appeared from behind a tree as did Grandpa Longneck and the rest of their parents. Everyone glanced at one another and made a silent oath that they wouldn't say anything about today to their elders.
"Spike, Ducky. Time for bed dears," their mother saurolophus called to them.
"Petrie, bedtime," his mother cawed from over head.
"Hiya Cerie. Dinah, Dana sleepy-sleepy," the twins chirped in unison accompanied by a large yawn each.
"You heard 'em Cera," her father bellowed sweetly. She smiled and offered a yawn of her own. Everyone said goodnight to each other and disappear through the trees home. Littlefoot, Jason and Ali all looked at each other.
"So what have you children been up to today then?" Grandpa Longneck asked the three of them.
"Oh nothing much," Jason said with a smug smile.
"Yeah, nothing exciting," Littlefoot added with a similar little smirk. Ali giggled silently.
"Well, it's time for sleep," Grandma Longneck said softly.
"Okay Grandma. We'll walk Ali back to her herd first then we'll be right home," Littlefoot said.
"Alright then, but don't be long," Grandpa Longneck said pleasantly.
"Come on Ali, let's go," Littlefoot said as he led the way back to Ali's herd's spot down by the stream.
Chapter 23: A Confession at TwilightMaking their way back silently, Ali looked up at Littlefoot and then at Jason. Jason caught her gaze from the corner of his eye and got the impression she wanted to say something.
"You okay Ali?" he asked just to make sure.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled sheepishly as Littlefoot looked up as well.
"Ali…" Jason said softly as if almost embarrassed, "I…I never got the chance to thank you. For…understanding…" Ali was a little stunned but accepted the thankfulness.
"If I said anything that hurt you, you know, when we were at the Bubbling Mud? I didn't mean anything. I was…just…a bit…distant that's all." They all stopped as Jason explained himself.
"The remark that Cera said about being jealous of you…she was right…I was stubborn and inconsiderate to you because I thought you were going to take Littlefoot from me…you see…I've never been in a family before since my mother past away seven years ago…and now that I've met Littlefoot, everything seemed perfect. But when you arrived and he started paying more attention to you, I felt I was losing my family again. It wasn't until I was miles outside the Great Valley that I finally realised that everyone I knew here were my new life. My family and friends."
"Littlefoot did say that you had been through a lot," Ali said sympathetically.
"You told her," Jason said turning to Littlefoot.
"I…err…I didn't say anything! I swear! I…" Littlefoot stuttered thinking that Jason was going to erupt over him.
"It's okay Littlefoot," Jason said softly without the slightest bit of fury in his sentence, "anyway Ali. When they said that you were the one who made the decision to come and find us, something made me think that, perhaps, I had judged you a little unfairly. You see, I expected you to be as welcoming as Littlefoot was when I first met him and I didn't stop to think that you would have different feelings about a creature that's not one of your kind…" Ali blinked in a dumbfounded confusion. Jason was genuinely expressing emotions that she thought he never had. She wanted to say something but nothing came to mind. Littlefoot felt it wasn't his place to step in on the conversation. Jason sighed heavily as if it was the hardest thing he'd ever have to say.
"Ali…I'm so grateful that you came to our rescue. You made me believe that anyone is capable of anything if they have the courage to do it. I had you misjudged but you truly are a great person…err I mean dinosaur…Thank you! Whatever your thoughts or views may be of me, I'll always consider you a true friend as I do with all the others." Ali was lost for words. She glanced at Littlefoot for what to say but he was just smiling pleasantly.
"Jason…I…err…" Ali stammered but Jason held his finger to his lips and hushed her.
"You don't have to say anything Ali, I don't expect you to." Ali was completely at sea. Somewhere, she felt a great respect for Jason but she just couldn't express it in words.
"C'mon, it's getting late. We'd better get you home," Jason said courtly looking up at the now inky black sky alive with twinkling stars.
The journey back to Ali's herd's resting spot remained soundless. No one uttered a single word. Ali was constantly looking up at Littlefoot every now and then as if he had planned what had just happened, but Littlefoot's smile ceased to fade every time he caught her eye reassuring her that everything that Jason did and said was from his true feelings and that nothing was staged. Upon reaching the spot, Ali's herd was just settling down. Ali saw her mother looking worried at the skyline waiting for her. They stopped just short of the clearing and Ali turned to Jason and Littlefoot.
"Thanks guys. I'm really glad you're both okay," she said, "I would have been so upset if anything had happened to you."
"I think it is us who should be thanking you Ali," Jason said with a warm smile.
"Yeah, thanks for the rescue. We couldn't have made it back without you," Littlefoot added, his smile growing wider still. Ali, even in the dark, blushed with a radiant glow of red.
"Well, thanks for walking me back to my herd. I guess I'll be seeing you both tomorrow."
"I guess you will," Jason said gently, "G'night."
"Goodnight Ali."
"Goodnight." With a little spin, Ali strolled along the forest path and into the clearing. Once she reached her mother, she turned back to see Littlefoot and Jason still standing in the same place. Jason raised his arm and waved before they both turned on their heels and headed for their own home.
"That was really nice, what you said to Ali Jason," Littlefoot said impressed.
"Well, I was thinking about what you said up in the Mysterious Beyond today, about building other's trust? It wasn't until the entire gang was there together that I realised what I really missed once I stormed out of the Valley," Jason said.
"Oh? What's that?" Littlefoot asked curiously.
"My friends. It's my friends that keep me going," Jason smiled tenderly at Littlefoot and hugged him. Littlefoot melted in his arms and smiled too.
"You know, it's funny," Jason then said after realising Littlefoot from his warm grip, "back in the year 2113, I lived alone and never had a care in the world. I only had to worry about myself and I suppose, I kinda went cold inside. Nothing mattered to me except looking out for myself but still haunted by my past. Back then, my life; despite how unchallenging it was, seemed strangely incomplete. Once I came here and I met you and all the others, I suddenly realised what I needed in my life again. A sense of acceptance from a true friend and I can safely say, I've never found a friend more true, blue then you Littlefoot."
"Thanks Jason! You really do know how to make someone feel wanted and you're not afraid to express your feelings. Grandma says that that's a great personal quality that is very difficult to achieve." They smiled at each other. Jason then kneeled down in front of Littlefoot and held his hand out.
"Friends forever?" he said welcomingly. Littlefoot lifted his right, front foot and placed it in Jason's outstretched hand.
"Friends forever."
"Nothing in the entire universe can separate us!" Jason beckoned up to the starry sky overhead.
"No sir! True friends through and through!" Littlefoot called in the same direction before they both burst out laughing. In amongst their laughter though, both of them felt a warm glow inside knowing that one would always be there for the other. With that happy thought in mind, they walked, side-by-side, back to their grandparents and a warm-welcoming bed.