Mender's Tale

by The Rhombus

Based upon a roleplay with Historian1912 and set in the Seven Hunters continuity. Mender has the reputation as being the best healer in the Mysterious Beyond, helping all who require it, but that was not always the case. Follow Mender as she recalls how a lowly fastbiter eventually found her place in life once she met a most unusual pack. This is Mender's Tale.

16. Chapter 14: A Path Decided

-v-

Chapter 14: A path decided

"Congratulations! You have decided to enter the Consortium Cadet Program. This is the beginning of a 42-cycle training regime of which many of you will not advance. But, as the ancient texts tell us, the longest journeys begin with a single jump."

Consortium welcome message,

Cadet Program Initiation text

---

A few days later:

"You know, guys… the whole bright pink thing doesn't really work in the grass."

Mender had to suppress a laugh as Buse stated what was on all of their minds at this point. In the lush green vegetation Arial's bright pink coloration, a blessing in attracting mates, was also quite attracting of less desirable attention. Thankfully all of the predators around on this day had more benign intentions.

"Well I can't exactly change my feathers!" Arial huffed as Orchid laughed loudly. Nahoda, showing a brief moment of self-preservation, forced his mouth shut.

Mender smiled as she looked towards her pack leader. "So, what's going on, Cynnil? This isn't really a good place for anyone to try to hide. It's too flat. Even the plants stand out here."

Cynnil nodded. "Exactly."

The hidden runner stepped forward as the three fastrunners stared at her oddly. Mender had been the one leading the training until now, but then Cynnil had decided to pull rank and to lead a training day. In the distance both Detras and Pearl watched the scene with interest.

"Today we will test you on something that each prey kind must know: when to run. You will not always have a convenient cave. You will not always have a forest. You will not always have protection. You must know when it is time to use your special talents."

The fastrunners listened intensely as Cynnil quickly took on the mantle of teacher. Mender, meanwhile, stood close behind in the style of a second-in-command. It was a most curious change from the previous days.

"So you want us to know when to run?" Nahoda asked, "If that's the case then we can all start running now."

Mender glanced from Nahoda to Arial and back. Did he learn nothing from yesterday?

Cynnil laughed. "Yes, you have already learned how to hide… and today you will have to run. But this is to see if you know the right moment to run." She gave Mender a glance as she gestured for her to step forward.

"This is a fastbiter. Mender has been a good teacher thus far, showing you far more than what a fastrunner generally learns except from experience, but there are certain lessons that a sharptooth would be unaware of. Such as how we, the food, must avoid being eaten."

The hidden runner turned with a flourish, gesturing at Mender. "She has had to run for her life, and she has had to act as if she were hunted… but such is the fate of hidden runners, fastrunners, and other half-teeth for the entirety of our lives. Such is our fate." She turned back towards the fastrunners gesturing at them as if punctuating every point. "You have learned to see things from Mender's perspective. Now you will have the opportunity to incorporate this into what you already know."

Now I really get to chase you, Mender thought perhaps a bit too eagerly for Nahoda's nerves.

"This is a little exercise that young scouts must do if they are to serve the Leader. It is called the Wait and Runs. You should run as soon as you think you must to escape the predator… but run too soon and you lose. The last one to run away but who 'survives' to reach the stream wins." She crossed her arms. "The first one to five wins gets to have dinner."

Orchid looked at his companions for a moment before sighing. "This is going to take all day."

"You think this is bad?" Mender asked, "I've gotten chased for days."

Nahoda opened his mouth, but then quickly shut it, instead shaking his head. "So… this is to combine what we know with what we learned?"

Cynnil smiled, speaking under her breath. "He is learning…" She quickly resumed her teaching voice, however. "That is the idea, yes. Everyone ready?"

The fastrunners each gave one another a questioning look. They were now much more confident in their abilities but just as confident in their benefactors' ability to challenge them. With a few nods and grunts they turned around and spoke in one voice.

"Ready!"

Cynnil smiled. "It's like they're in the pack already."

---

They're not getting away from me this time, Mender thought, slowly stalking towards the fastrunners. She tried to keep quiet and low the way she would in a real hunt. There's not many places to hide out here. No wonder they always stay close to Hanging Rock when we're not training. I doubt even Cynnil could hide out here for more than a moment. The plants around here stand out too much to make good hiding places, and there aren't many holes to crouch down in. This is almost going to be too easy.

The fastrunners huddled together as they waited for the right moment to bolt. Leave too early and another 'survive' by leaving later… and they lose. Leave too late and get 'eaten'… they lose. Only the one with the right timing would win the round. Despite their obvious agitation they continued to wait, though Arial was beginning to eye the stream.

They really don't have any easy test this time, Mender thought, Leave too early or too late here and you lose. If they make those same mistakes in a real hunt, they might make themselves much easier to catch.

But unbeknownst to Mender the thoughts on one of her prey were focused on something far different than the task at hand.

---

Orchid watched the predator approach, but his mind was miles away. As Arial tensed beside him and prepared her legs for the sprint to come, and Nahoda positioned himself for the quickest path, Orchid merely kept his focus on Nahoda. He would certainly be the first to bolt so he would follow. After all, Arial was always the most adventurous one and would probably make the mistake of leaving last.

Leaving.

Despite him making peace with his parents and everything working out in the end, there was still the not so simple matter of what to do after he left. He couldn't simply stay in Seeker's territory without having tensions with Arial and Nahoda's budding territory, and he couldn't leave to go on his own without risking becoming a predator's meal. Training or not, the risk to those like him in the Mysterious Beyond was very real.

But he had to admit that ever since he had left on his journey to alert the pack during the incident with Path's parents that a sort of wanderlust had resonated in his bones. The desire to strike off to see new places… to find new wonders… to see the sights that his dad had seen in his days... to perhaps find a beautiful female of his own one day…

Then there was the pack.

Despite the brutal conditions of Mender and Cynnil's training there was something there that appealed to Orchid, if not to his aching muscles. These were dinosaurs who had seen things few fastrunners had ever seen and done things few could imagine. How much could he learn from them if he only had more time? The idea of being in a larger pack, with its extra protection and company, appealed to him in some way. It was enough to make a question appear in his mind.

Arial and Nahoda are going to stay in my sister's land… but what if I stayed with Cynnil's pack?

"Now!"

With little warning both Nahoda and Arial bolted towards the stream, leaving Orchid as the last one standing in place. It only took him a second to come back to his senses.

But that was a few seconds too late.

"Are you taking a nap?" Mender asked Orchid, tapping him on the back as she passed swiftly on her way to the other fastrunners.

Orchid groaned. "It looks like dinner is going to be late today..."

He did not notice Cynnil's piercing gaze in the distance. So much like Mender… I wonder if his song will end up being similar.

---

The past:

Thud noticed the retreating fastbiter with more than a little interest. He had only heard of smell-blindness as a childhood disability, as those who suffered from it were often not permitted to survive. Resources were too scarce to waste them on a child who would not live to adulthood.

But yet this one remained. This could only mean a few things. One, her parents decided to give her a chance despite her disability… and secondly, she had survived despite all of the odds.

It was with some hesitation that he cleared his throat and spoke in his politest voice, surprising the female.

"Hello, Violet. May I speak to you for a moment?"

"Um, okay," Violet replied nervously. Why would he want to talk to me?

Sensing the nervousness in her scent and demeanor, Thud began to second-guess his decision to confront her directly. He wanted to keep this conversation discrete, but he also didn't want to scare the poor adolescent.

"If… this is a bad time then we could talk tomorrow with the rest of your pack. I just… um…" he hesitated nervously in a manner that would have made Taunt double over in laughter if he were present, "...thought that this should be discussed in private."

Violet looked at Thud oddly. A pack leader not acting like he was in complete control of the situation was almost a novel experience for her. "You wanted to talk to me?" Violet asked, still not quite sure how to act.

Thud nodded. "Yes… as this involves you," he realized how his words could be interpreted and quickly clarified, "You are not in trouble or anything."

Yep, I'm in trouble. "Sir?" Why can't he just say what he wants to say? Violet wondered.

Thud looked down. "I was the youngest of four when I was hatched many seasons ago. By all rights I would have been considered the runt and would have been the one to be sacrificed had it been necessary for my family," he spoke in a grave tone that made Violet look at him with wide-eyes, "But another paid that price in my place even though we were not starving. My father decided that food could not be wasted on one of my siblings. It was simply the way of our pack…"

Violet's eyes went wide in alarm. Where is he going with this? Maybe I should start running… She glanced back the way she had come, back towards her packmates.

"Even though I never really remember my brother… he died too young… I regret not having him in my childhood. He would have been welcome with Screech, Salene, and I… Even if Taunt had had the same disability as my unlucky brother I would not have done what my father had done in that situation." He sighed in resignation. "Though I understand his reasons."

Why is he telling me this? Violet wondered, I'm missing something.

"...Normally a fastbiter with that kind of disability never has a chance to live to adulthood… though I am sure that they would do well if they could survive the dangerous years of a fastbiter's life… the path to being accepted into a pack."

Violet decided to risk coming across as rude to get some clarification. "Could you be a bit more clear, sir?"

Thud sighed. "You're smell-blind, Violet. You're the very first one that I have seen that has survived their childhood years."

Violet felt extremely embarrassed for not understanding sooner. "Dodger's been watching out for me my whole life," she said in explanation, "My siblings are, well, were, rather protective of me."

Thud nodded. "You already had your pack so you didn't have to struggle through the 'finding'... most packs are very selective and cruel when it comes to accepting newcomers… even Seeker's pack." He frowned. "One must make sure that a newcomer can be trusted. If not… well…"

"Do you have a problem with me, sir?" Violet demanded, feeling quite offended by what Thud seemed to be insinuating. She barely remembered to add the 'sir' that his rank demanded.

"No… no," he added more resolutely, "I just wanted you to know that your packmates must love you very much, and that you can trust Seeker's pack. Any other pack might have reacted much differently upon finding out."

"Not everyone in my original pack, the one I hatched in, liked me. Some liked to tease or otherwise embarrass me. My siblings eventually, um, decided to do something about it," Violet admitted. I was surprised Seeker's pack didn't tell me to leave when they found out about my smell-blindness. Near-smell-blindness, anyway.

Thud blinked. "Oh?"

"They intentionally picked a fight with the worst ones and beat them up pretty badly." Violet looked away, somewhat embarrassed at having been the cause of trouble just by existing. No one had bothered her after that, though.

Thud nodded. "Sometimes force is the only way. To show brutality will, at worst, make you look guilty, but to show weakness will, at best, make you look like a weakling. It is an unpleasant truth, but one that we must accept."

Thud again looked at Violet and nodded politely. "I'm sorry for disturbing you from your rest, Violet. Good luck tomorrow." He then awkwardly began to move away, feeling more than a little self-conscious about the whole conversation. Why did I even do this? She is not my brother, and I shouldn't have bothered her with this! This is not what a pack leader does!

"Sir, can I ask you something?" Violet asked, feeling extremely embarrassed. Since the two were alone, she'd have enough privacy to answer a question that had been bugging her for a long time.

Thud froze and slowly turned to face Violet again. It was an unspoken invitation to continue.

"Some years back, I got into a fight with my old pack leader." Violet cringed in embarrassment. "I talked to Haven about this a bit, but I, um, left a few things out."

Thud sat down on his haunches and gestured for Violet to do the same. "Go ahead, Violet. It seems that tonight we all are coming clean."

"Well, Prowler...that's our former pack leader, was not always the easiest person to get along with. He never liked me much. I used to pester him until he nearly took a bite out of me. That was before this incident. We got into an argument while Dodger and Tracker were scouting for food." Almost every really bad incident with Prowler occurred when Dodger was nowhere in sight. "He sort of taunted me into challenging him. It was a mistake." Violet couldn't help but cringe at the memory. Prowler had nearly beaten her senseless. She subconsciously touched the scars on her side.

"Was it an attempt to establish dominance by him, or was it an attempt to eliminate you?" Thud asked rather bluntly, "From what I have gathered from talking to Seeker, Prowler did not seem like a particularly upstanding pack leader. A leader should not need to reinforce his dominance each day, unless he is unworthy of such dominance."

"By the time the fight was over I was having trouble standing," Violet said, "The fight ended because Dodger got back. It's the only time I've ever heard him curse. Tracker practically dragged me until we were out of hearing distance even though that hurt me quite a bit. Dodger didn't even give me a lecture later. He didn't even act like he cared that I started it. Why was that?"

Thud spoke with an almost fatherly tone, "For one thing, Violet, you were provoked to action intentionally. Do you not find it odd that this all happened while your protectors were away? Did all of your fights begin like that as well?" he looked at her knowingly.

Violet looked away, embarrassed at her own foolishness. "Yes," she admitted, "The fights, anyway. That wasn't always true with insults, though."

Thud nodded sadly. "Everyone deals with a weakness in a different way. Prowler sounds like an incompetent leader who tried to follow in his parents' footsteps, and he adapted to his shortcomings by using brutality and insults. You have smell-blindness and adapted by relying upon the only allies that you could trust, your brother and Tracker. My son… he relied upon me before I made the worst mistake of my life and joined with that monster… and he adapted to his physical weakness by relying on humor. We all adapt in our own ways, and some of those ways are less healthy than others."

"I thought Taunt's only problem was trying to prank Stern Claw," Violet replied, "That's not a good idea." That was rude, wasn't it? "Um, I mean…"

"It's alright; my son would appreciate the insult," Thud laughed slightly, "But no.. he had many problems growing up. He was so weak that we had to help him out of his egg…"

"I was the last to hatch in my nest," Violet said, "I was actually a few days behind my siblings."

Thud nodded. "We had tried so many times to have a clutch that when we finally had an egg we weren't going to give up on it. But many would have looked upon our act as an abomination. It took several years before Taunt was finally strong enough to hunt on his own." Thud frowned. "When he was a young child and heard me and my mate discussing the food situation, he actually told us to forget about him and to move on to better places… he was too sick to safely move and blamed himself for our lack of food. That broke my heart."

"I know what that feels like," Violet replied, "We went after some spiketails once. I got hit. Prowler ran right past me. I can't really blame him for that. I thought my leg was broken. Dodger got me out of there despite me telling him that my leg was broken. Turned out I was wrong. Obviously."

She gestured at her completely functional legs. "It hurt too much to walk, so we didn't make much progress. Prowler kept glaring at me the whole time. I tried not to show just how badly I was hurting, but…"

"Sometimes weakness cannot be hidden," Thud affirmed, "It is how we deal with weakness that matters. Prowler handled his by weakening his companions, but it looks like you have the opposite effect, Violet. You have brought out the better instincts of your companions."

"It's nothing I did," Violet said, "Dodger's always been like that. He once jumped into a river after Tracker fell in. She actually got her first kill during that time." Violet looked down. "It took me much longer," she muttered, not really intending to be heard.

"Who would Dodger be without friends to protect? Who would Tracker be without a friend to watch over? I see the way that they act around you, Violet. You are part of what holds your pack together. Never doubt that."

"Thanks," Violet replied, not really believing Thud. There's no way I have that much effect on anyone.

"You may not believe it, but it is the truth," Thud noted good-naturedly, seeing through Violet's doubtful tone, "Besides, it seems that you have found your calling now. With a bit more training you will only be the third pack to have a healer. Ponder, Haven, Leap... and now you."

"I hope I can do it right. I only just managed to get my first kill." Violet cringed at bit, realizing she might have just humiliated herself.

Thud froze for a moment when he heard the fastbiter's words. Despite the fact that he had gotten the same information from Littlefoot, it was still a bit hard to believe. This pack of what was little more than adolescents had to grow up so fast. It reminded him of Littlefoot's pack in many ways. They also had to grow up far quicker than others. The result was a mixture of traits that were both childlike and brutally adult.

"Everything begins with a beginning," Thud noted, being careful not to let any reproach enter his voice, "Success only comes with practice. That is true for both killing and healing."

"I hope I don't have too much need for what I'm learning. I'm usually the one that gets hurt," Violet said, sort of laughing at herself.

Thud laughed lightly. "You worry too much, Violet. You almost sound like Leap did when he first joined my pack. He is quite a cautious one..." He shook his head. "Just listen to what the two healers teach and I am sure that you will do fine. Not to mention, whatever you learn can be taught to one of the others as well, provided that Dodger or Tracker wouldn't mind getting lessons from you."

Violet looked at Thud, shocked. Me teaching anyone? Are you crazy? she thought, her little teaching session earlier that night completely forgotten.

Thud laughed at her expression. "The first step to being a teacher is to be a student, Violet. Don't count yourself out." He smirked a bit as he gestured behind her and pointed at his ears. "It could always be worse, you know? You could have the duty of teaching my son…"

A somewhat distant growl of annoyance was the only indication of Taunt's attempt to sneak up on the two. Thud wasted no time in whispering in Violet's ear.

"Don't worry, he just got here. I'm sure that he didn't hear anything." He smiled as he then intentionally increased his volume. "What do you need, son? Did your mate kick you out of the nest?"

Taunt groaned as he entered the area. "We don't have a nest, Dad; you know neither I nor Stern Claw are at the Time of Eggs."

Thud smirked. "And if you keep on annoying Stern Claw then you might not live to see the Time of Eggs."

Taunt tilted his head in annoyance. "Dad!"

Violet just cringed in embarrassment. Just listening to the conversation was awkward, especially since she was pretty sure she was going to reach that age without a mate.

"But, anyway, what did you need, son?" Thud finally asked, seeing Violet's reaction.

Taunt cleared his throat. "Seeker wanted to talk to you about something when you had a moment," he smirked when he saw Violet's reaction, "When you are done flirting with Violet that is." He quickly gave Violet a knowing look that said 'watch my dad react to this.'

Violet caught Taunt's look, but that didn't stop her from glaring at him for a moment. Why would you suggest that… augh.

"Son, one day your wit is going to get you hurt. I don't think that you want your healer pissed off at you on that day," he smirked back.

Taunt rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding? No one can withstand my charming personality." The tone of his voice indicated that he knew that he was being sardonic.

"I guess I'm 'no one', then," Violet said, feeling it slightly easier to joke with Taunt than anyone else and wanting to get back at Taunt for his previous joke.

There was silence for a moment before both Taunt and Thud erupted into laughter. It was Taunt who spoke first.

"Ha! I knew that she had some spunk in her! But anyway, should I tell Seeker that you will be by soon?"

Thud gave him a wave of the hand. "I will only be a moment."

With a final toothy grin and a respectful nod to the female, Taunt bounded off into the bushes. No doubt on his way to report back to Littlefoot.

"My son's wit sometimes leaves a bit to be desired," Thud noted with amusement, "I suppose it is a good thing that he was also always one of the fastest fastbiters. A fast wit is best followed by fast reflexes."

"I'm a bit too clumsy for that," Violet said.

Thud nodded. "I… would not recommend acting like my son. His pack understands him, but it is always best to avoid humor when you don't know how others will react. He once told me that he had been chased from three territories before he finally impressed Skytail's pack." He rolled his eyes. "Who knew that implying a pack leader had carnal relations with his mother was not a good way to make friends."

"He said that? Even I'm not that stupid."

Thud snorted. "In fairness to my son, the male had insulted him first, but yeah… it was probably not the most diplomatic solution." He then looked in the direction of Littlefoot's sleeping area. "I suppose that I shouldn't keep Seeker waiting. My apologizes for taking up so much of your time."

"You didn't waste it. I'm still surprised you wanted to talk to me," Violet said. It's not like I've made a very good impression before now.

"Why would I not want to talk to you, Violet? Anyone would have freaked out after hearing about what happened back in Calin's time. The only thing that any of us can do now is move on and to make sure such outrages don't happen again." He then began to walk away. "Have a good night, Violet."

"Goodnight, sir," Violet said. She wasn't about to use Thud's name without permission.

"Thud," the male corrected, "After discussing what we just discussed Thud is fine."

Without a further word Thud disappeared into the bushes. Leaving Violet alone with her thoughts.

---

Thud arrived at Littlefoot's sleeping area with more than a little uncertainty. "Seeker?"

Littlefoot arose from beside Ruby with a yawn. "I take it that you were not mating with Violet as your charming son seemed to imply?"

Thud groaned as he glared momentarily in the direction of Taunt and Stern Claw's sleeping area. "Why that little… No. No, even if she had asked that of me I don't think it would be worth Dodger's reaction."

"Violet would certainly have to use her healing skills then, because someone would need to be healed," Ruby muttered as she continued to lay in her spot. It was obvious that the day of training had exhausted her.

"Well that is good," Littlefoot noted with a chuckle, "I actually wanted to talk to you about something rather important. Something about Dodger's pack."

Thud tilted his head. "Go on…"

Littlefoot looked Thud straight in the eyes. "After Violet's training is complete, how would you feel about helping them find a suitable place to make a new home?"

Thud held his breath for a moment as the ramifications of that echoed in his mind. Undoubtedly this was something that was becoming long overdue, but that left Thud with one more question.

"...and what if they would prefer to stay with your pack… or mine?"

Littlefoot looked at his mate for a moment as an nonverbal conversation appeared to go on for a few moments. Finally, however, Littlefoot spoke with a tired voice.

"Then they will need to decide that very soon."

---

The present:

Cynnil watched as Nahoda barely dodged Mender's touch before finally being forcefully nudged just short of the stream.

Another win for Mender.

She couldn't help but smile at her subordinate's enthusiasm during this exercise. The fastrunners may have had to win five rounds in order to earn dinner, but Mender would have had enough meals to feed a pack by now if she had been permitted to finish her chases. The fact was that when prey waited until the last moment there was little room for error. No one in an actual survival situation would wait until the last moment to flee. But part of having a defensive strategy was to know one's limits.

And the fastrunners were having those limits challenged on this day. But none more than a certain male fastrunner.

Only won a single round and that was because the lovers crashed into one another. As Orchid again looked towards Cynnil before averting his eyes and trying to focus his attention on Mender's suggestions the pack leader could only shake her head.

Just like Mender. Completely unable to hide what is on his mind.

The pack leader rose to her feet. Perhaps it was time to have a different chaser to challenge the fastrunners.

Not to mention that she had a hunch to test.

---

The past:

"Alright, Violet, I think you have got the hang of it," Ruby affirmed as she placed a hand on her shoulders, "Just remember that removing a burrowing buzzer can be painful…"

"Can be?" Finder muttered as he groaned, "You have to dig into the skin to remove the fucking bastards."

Ducky smiled. "So what is the next step, Violet? Do you remember?"

"Put that sap on it so it doesn't get infected?" Violet asked. Should've answered faster with a question that obvious.

Ruby nodded. "Correct. Make sure to get it deep in the hole. You can tell that little guy has been in Finder for a while."

Finder groaned, "Don't even start…" but it was too late.

"How are things, Finder?" Taunt's voice carried from some distance away, "You seem a bit down. What's been eating ya?"

Breeze rolled her eyes as she tried to sooth her growling mate. "I seem to remember a certain orange fastbiter who had a few of these in him a few Night Circles ago…"

Finder muttered, "He has no shame…"

Taunt's shoulders sagged a little before he quickly thought of something to say, "I am afraid that the buzzers ate all of my shame. Now all that remains is what you see here." He then took a bow and gave Violet a little playful smile as he bounded off. It was obvious that he was showing her that his joke from the previous night was nothing personal and was not unique to her.

Violet just rolled her eyes. Even if you don't just target me, that joke last night hurt.

"Are you alright, Violet?" Ducky's voice called out all of a sudden as she passed the antiseptic leaves to her, "Taunt just jokes around like that to everyone. I am sure Finder doesn't mind too much."

Finder snorted. "I expect it from him. It will be fun the next time he gets one of these in his hide. He is not the only one who has a bit of a wit."

"I know he isn't trying to be mean," Violet said, "but I don't think Taunt realizes that some of the things he says hurt." Like last night. Got my mind going crazy last night and nearly cost me a night's sleep.

Ducky nodded as she watched Violet carefully place the sap in the hole where the botfly had been previously. "If you do not mind me asking, Violet, did he say something that upset you recently? He is used to joking with us, and we can be very... um… harsh. But he is not as used to joking with other packs. But since you and your pack have been here a while… he might have felt that you were ready for Taunt being Taunt."

"I'm fine with most of what he jokes about," Violet said, "I've heard enough real insults to handle most jokes. Last night was a bit awkward, though." Please don't ask for details. Not with this many people around.

Ruby noted her expression and gave Ducky a knowing nod. "Alright, Finder, I think you are ready to go. Just remember that the area will be sore for a few days."

Finder chuckled. "Yeah… I noticed." He then looked at Violet with gratitude. "Thanks again. I think that you are ready to be a healer now. You certainly fixed this problem."

"You're welcome, Finder." Violet was nearly ecstatic at the compliment. Others showing confidence in her really made her feel good.

Ruby and Ducky both smiled at the reaction as Spike walked away from their makeshift 'healing area'. Violet had done very well during her hands-on training today.

"Alright, Violet, now that it is just us now… what did Taunt say?" Ruby asked softly.

"By itself, it wasn't that bad, so I might have to explain a bit." Violet was actually feeling a bit nervous about telling her friends. What if they laugh at me? Am I overreacting?

"It is alright." Ducky soothed as she gathered some of their buzzer-digger sticks and examined them for damage, "Go ahead when you are ready."

"Well, I was heading over to my sleeping area when Thud stopped me and wanted to talk. Taunt eventually showed up and joked he was flirting with me." Just saying it makes me think I'm being ridiculous.

"Ah…" Ruby nodded, "Taunt does that from time to time. There have been more than a few occasions when I was talking to Seeker and Taunt asked us if he was interrupting our 'egg-making time'."

Ducky rolled her eyes. "He also accused me and his Dad of the same thing when we were talking one day. I told him that I was with his dad because he had a more charming attitude than him," she snorted, "He gave me a nod and told me that I won that round. To him it is just a playful joke. He does not mean anything by it."

"I know. It just reminded me of a few things, but I don't think you want to listen to all that," Violet said. It'll just prove how pathetic I am.

Ducky put the sticks down. "It is alright, Violet; we are here to listen."

Ruby nodded. "We cannot understand you until we hear your story, but maybe if we hear your story then we will understand you."

"Well, it has a bit to do with my parents." And quite a bit to do with trying not to be too like my mom. "Did I ever tell you anything about them?" I honestly can't remember anymore. Healer training is making it hard to remember anything else.

Ruby shook her head. "I do not believe that you did."

"Well, to start with, my parents weren't exactly the same age. Dad had already raised kids once. His mate died early on in that. Assuming nothing has happened to her, I've got a half-sister somewhere. I wish I had a chance to meet her." Violet shook her head. No, I don't need to let my thoughts go wandering again.

Oh dear… I think I can see where this is going, Ruby thought as she sent a knowing look to Ducky.

"My mom, well... " This is going to be a bit awkward. "She was about your age, Haven, when she and my father became mates." They're going to think I'm being ridiculous, Violet thought. "There a bit of story there, but we'll be here a long time if I told it. It's the only song from home I know that Dodger didn't have to reteach me."

"Go ahead," Ducky encouraged, "There is nothing wrong with a good story."

"Is it alright if I summarize it? My singing isn't that good, and I didn't teach the song to Tracker," Violet said.

"That's fine." Ruby nodded. "But maybe you should teach it to Tracker sometime. She remembers a lot of songs, but she can't remember what she has not been taught."

"Well, my mom left her parents' pack with several others. Apparently disaster runs in the family because they lost most of their members. It would be like going from everyone in this territory to just you two." Violet felt ill at the thought. She could understand why, other than practice, her mother had only sung the song about this in public once.

Both of the other females bowed their heads in respectful silence. Neither of them could imagine how horrible such a loss would be like. In fact only two of their number could.

"That… that is pretty much what happened to Taunt and Breeze's pack when Calin attacked. One moment there were five… then only two," Ducky noted sadly, "He still sings that song every night when the Night Circle disappears at the end of its cycle. Many times Taunt needs help to finish singing it… the pain is still there."

"Well what was left of my mother's pack met my father's when she was about my age. I should probably say 'Prowler's father's' since Prowler's dad was pack leader. He and my dad were best friends, unlike Dodger and Prowler. Sort of like with me and what friendship Dodger and Prowler did have, my mom and her sister made a bit of a mess." In their case it was by accident.

Ruby tilted her head. "So… Are you saying Prowler had an interest in you?" She was utterly confused by that implication and thought that she was perhaps misunderstanding things, but Violet's mention of a love triangle involving Violet's mother and Violet's aunt was obvious.

"No, no. Ugh, no!" Violet responded, disturbed by the thought. I really need to work on speaking. "Prowler's my cousin." Which is probably worse than what Ponder thought.

Ruby's expression shifted to one of embarrassment. "Sorry, I misunderstood!"

"Don't be. Being related to him is worse," Violet said. And I really hope he was never interested in me. Yuck. And it's Prowler. Double yuck.

"So um…" Ducky began hesitantly, eager to shift the conversation back to the topic at hand, "What happened with your aunt and mother? How did that work out?"

"Honestly, what happened next was really weird. My dad was the only member of his pack that didn't have a mate at the time, and most of the pack was against adding more unattached members. Apparently there had been a problem with that a long while back. Broke the pack up. Both my mom and my aunt tried pretty hard to get my dad's attention. Neither of them liked to talk about that time."

Ruby rubbed her head. "My former kind sometimes had times like that. My mom and dad were happy together, but my dad told me about families where there was one daddy and many mommies." She shifted into more child-like references to parents, a testament to her discomfort at broaching the subject. "My parents tried to explain to me that if I found a nice fastrunner who had other females that is was alright for me to try to court him provided that the other females were alright with me… but… um… I'm kind of glad it didn't come to that."

Ducky put her hands to her mouth. "Swimmers have enough children with one mommy and daddy! I do not want to think what would happen with many mommies! Oh, no, no, no."

"Well, eventually my mom got intimidated into backing off. My aunt flat out told me that she really messed up what should have been a perfect opportunity. She had a tendency to want to be right about everything. My dad preferred not having a mate to dealing with constant arguments. She warned me not to care so much about winning arguments. I'm not sure how well I learned to pick my fights. My aunt eventually figured out where she messed up and eventually became Prowler's mom, so she got to outrank my mom. I'm probably not describing this well." Violet was many things, but a good storyteller wasn't one of them.

"So… your aunt got to mate with Prowler's dad, and your mom got to get your dad?" Ducky asked, "So in that pack rank followed who you were mated to? What if the pack leader was a female?"

"It was sort of a combination of both ranks. It only really mattered if one of the members was highly ranked. I admit it was weird, and the explanation for why was hard for me to understand. I forgot most of it, but I think the idea was emphasize the ranks of the leaders. I'm probably missing something, so don't take my word for it."

Ruby nodded. "Makes sense, actually. I am the mate of the pack leader, and I get some special treatment on account of that, though my rank is not one of them."

Ducky smirked. "You mean that if Seeker makes a decision that you do not like you can argue with him, right?"

Ruby shrugged and smirked, "It is amazing how accommodating he can be when he realizes that he has to deal with an angry Ponder!"

"Oh no… you hear that, Thud? The females are already plotting against me," came Littlefoot's voice all of a sudden. Though it was obvious they were some distance away. It was only Ruby's loud exclamation that had alerted the two pack leaders.

"So when Taunt insinuated that you and his dad had something going on…" Ducky muttered in a hushed whisper, the implications now clear to everyone.

"Honestly, what bothered me the most was what it made me think about last night when I should've been sleeping. I'm pretty sure that I've got too many problems to be anyone's choice of a mate." Violet looked away, embarrassed at her own admission.

Ruby grasped Violet's hands as she whispered back, "I am sure that you will find a mate if you decide to raise a family one day. Don't doubt yourself, Violet. What you have accomplished over two days took me and Haven a half-cycle of the Night Circle! Just because you have problems that doesn't mean that you aren't special."

That was when Littlefoot finally walked into the healing area.

"Uh… If this is a bad time then we can wait," Littlefoot muttered as he gestured some distance away. Thud, meanwhile, seemed preoccupied with something.

"Please tell me they didn't hear anything," Violet whispered to Ruby. This is not good.

Ruby smiled. "I don't think that they heard a thing besides my boasting earlier."

The males continued to stand around awkwardly. Unsure about how to react. Technically they outranked the three females, but none of them were partial to pulling rank except when the well-being of their packs required it.

"I think that we are alright." Ducky looked towards Violet for confirmation.

Violet nodded, wanting more than anything to get out of the awkward situation.

Now having confirmation, Littlefoot smiled and gestured towards Violet. "Violet, if you would like to join Thud and I, we need to speak with the rest of your pack about something."

"If you would like to join…" Why do they always make it sound like I have a choice? "Alright." Violet said. "What's going on?"

Littlefoot's smiled dimmed somewhat as he looked towards Thud, "It is nothing terrible, or anything like that… but it is something that I think I am honor-bound to bring to your pack's attention first before talking to my pack about it." He gave Violet an almost pleading look. "It is something that your pack will have to discuss amongst yourselves."

Immediately catching Littlefoot's hidden message, the two females gave Violet a polite nod and a wave. A moment later they had sprinted off, leaving Violet in the presence of Littlefoot and Thud.

Oh crap, Violet thought once she was alone with the pack leaders. "Okay. You're sure I'm not in trouble?" I hope Thud didn't hear anything from earlier.

"You're not in any trouble, Violet," both males spoke simultaneously, as if out of habit. Quickly realizing how awkward that was, Littlefoot spoke next, "In fact I think you are doing quite well, as is your pack. That is part of what we need to discuss."

Littlefoot cleared his throat as the trio began to walk towards Dodger's makeshift sleeping area, "Thud's pack is going to be leaving in a few days, and this provides your pack with a good opportunity."

"Okay… I'm not quite sure how this involves me. I'm not exactly qualified to be making decisions." I have neither the rank nor common sense, Violet mentally added.

Littlefoot nodded. "It is true that your pack will need to decide as a group, but there is also a decision that you will need to make as well…" Littlefoot hesitated. "Thud's pack would give your pack the reinforcement it would need to find and claim a new territory... provided that every member of your pack wishes to stay in it… and that your pack would not prefer to join another… such as Thud's."

"Okay. Okay," Violet said, trying not to panic. I don't know the answer to any of that, even for just me.

Thud frowned a little at Violet's obvious panic and gave her an encouraging nudge. "Don't be afraid, Violet. This is not something that you or anyone else has to do, or decide, alone."

Littlefoot nodded. "My pack is too large to take in three more permanently, but that doesn't mean that we can't still use some allies. The important thing is that all of you get the best start to whatever new future you make for yourselves. That is what we will need to discuss with all of you."

Violet fought the urge to ask if there was room for just one more, fearing it would suggest that was definitely what she wanted. I just want to know what all my options are, but it feels like every question I can think of would suggest my giving an answer.

As the three dinosaurs approached the rest of Dodger's pack, only their muted footsteps could be heard against the wind. All of them knew that whatever decision was made in the next few moments would have long-lasting impacts on them all.

---

The present:

"Alright, you so-called fastrunners! Let's see if you are now worthy of being our guests!"

Somehow I can't see this really happening unless everyone was really bad at surviving, Mender thought as she watched the chase start to unfold.

Cynnil and Buse carefully approached the trio of fastrunners before nodding at one another and seemingly disappearing into the grass. It took a moment for the fastrunners to catch sight of their chasers again and to resume their wait in running off.

Mender shook her head in exasperation. Even you aren't going to be able to find a good hiding spot out here, Cynnil. I hope you aren't planning on taking them entirely by surprise.

"You know that we can still see you!" Arial boasted as the two males rolled their eyes. It was easy for her to be boastful as she had only been 'eaten' in this game four times. One more victory and she would be the first to get the day's dinner.

"They are trying to make it harder for us to know exactly when to run…" Orchid muttered as if in a trance. The green grass was swaying in time with the rocking back and forth of the two hidden runners. It was almost mesmerizing in a terrifying sort of way.

Cynnil took a single step forward as she bobbed her head at her companion. Buse stood still, placing more weight on his right leg.

Well, this should be fun to watch, Mender thought, noting Buse's rather unsubtle shift, Cynnil, why can't you ever keep things simple?

As if sensing what was about to transpire, Nahoda took flight first. Orchid and Arial, on the other hand, gave one another a glance. It seemed the siblings were daring each other to be the next to flee. After all, whoever was the last to make it to the stream was the winner of the round.

Assuming they were not 'eaten' first.

If they wait much longer they might not get away at all, Mender thought.

As if on cue, the chaos began with with a hidden runner barrelling towards Arial with tremendous speed as both of the fastrunners immediately took off towards the stream.. As Cynnil ran to her target, however, a most curious obstacle entered into her path.

Buse.

Mender watched in horror as Buse turned towards Arial, directly intersecting his pack leader's course. It was only her quick thinking and strong legs that avoided Mender needing to perform her services.

Wow, I thought that was gonna be messy, Mender thought, sighing in relief. Judging by Buse's sudden freeze he'd been just as surprised by the near collision.

Without missing a beat, and not apparently caring that Arial was now running freely to the stream, Cynnil landed right behind Orchid, causing a resounding thud to be heard throughout the clearing. His panicked grunt all but confirmed Arial's victory.

"Ha! I will see you at dinner, boys!" Her playful taunt carried in the wind to her male competitors.

But also to a certain fastbiter.

You know, Arial, you're reminding me of a certain well-named fastbiter right now, Mender thought as she stood up, Unlike you, he also understood the point of running.

Arial's taunt soon turned into surprise as the violet blur suddenly appeared in the distance. She quickly redoubled her efforts to get away, but it was no use.

Mender was not holding back this time.

Arial struggled to gain speed as the stream began to edge closer in her vision. She did not focus on Nahoda mock cheering from the water or on how much her legs burned. Her only focus now was on escaping Mender's wrath. In a last ditch effort to escape her predator she edged to the right, hoping to outmaneuver her foe. She did not see the danger ahead.

Whoa! Mender slid to a stop, nearly losing her balance in the process. "Arial, look out!" she called out in warning.

Arial did not appear to hear as she barrelled into the uneven terrain. Within moment the inevitable happened. Mender could only look away as her friend and patient came tumbling to the ground.

"Urgh… you know that you should really watch where you're going, sis."

"Are you alright?" Mender asked worriedly as she rushed over to where Arial and Orchid lay in a tangled heap. Nearby, Cynnil was staring at the scene with an odd mixture of surprise and amusement.

It only took a moment for Nahoda to arrive on scene as well. "Dear!"

Arial groaned as she slowly lifted herself off of her brother. Shame radiating on her features. "I guess that is what I get for boasting. Are you alright?"

For his part Orchid rose to his feet with a shrug. "I feel pretty good for someone who has been eaten." He watched as his sister and Nahoda gave each other a nod that communicated that she was alright. It was only then that he noticed the look that Cynnil was giving her two packmates. "Um…"

Mender looked back at Cynnil almost defiantly. For once she really didn't care about messing up. It's not my fault you make your plans too complicated.

Cynnil cleared her throat. "Okay pack, let's run down everything that we did wrong."

"I went after the wrong fastrunner... I misread the sign," Buse said immediately.

Cynnil nodded as the fastrunners looked on in shock. They had never seen the pack behave in this way before. "Yes. You misread my sign. But I could have made it more clearly. That was my mistake."

I was wondering what went wrong there, Mender thought, now much calmer than a few moments ago, I'm not sorry I chased Arial; I should have cut her off and driven her away from Orchid and Cynnil, though.

"I shouldn't have stood and taunted everyone."

Cynnil turned and stared at Arial who volunteered her own faults as if she were one of the pack. Buse looked at her with surprise, whereas Nahoda spoke after a moment's hesitation.

"I… um… would have lost if everyone else wouldn't have screwed up… so I guess I need to not panic in this game…"

He stepped back almost as soon as he had spoken his words. In the awkward silence that followed two non-pack members interrupting the pack's debriefing, only two dinosaurs had remained silent. A visibly conflicted Orchid and a still surprised Mender.

Noticing Orchid's expression, Mender decided to shift the group's focus to herself. "I didn't cut off Arial and force her away from everyone else," she said, still not seeing any real problem with her intervention, only its effectiveness.

Cynnil stared at Mender a moment, leading to a staring contest of sorts. Buse noted this but for once remained silent. If Cynnil and Mender had a disagreement then he wanted to be no part of it.

"I should have been paying more attention. That is the entire reason you took over the game, wasn't it?"

Cynnil's stare turned away from Mender reluctantly as Orchid finally spoke his peace. Silence, already pervasive during the last few moments, appeared to envelope everyone like a dense layer of fog. It took a few moments for anyone to speak.

"You are more perceptive than you let on, Orchid," Cynnil spoke with the slightest hint of praise, "However you are also very transparent when something is on your mind."

Arial looked at her brother with concern, whereas Nahoda and Buse looked surprised by this revelation.

I guess Orchid is a bit like me. We don't hide stuff very well, Mender thought, It looks like Buse and Nahoda aren't doing a very good job of not acting surprised. At least I'm not the only one surprised Orchid said anything.

Cynnil did not miss a beat as she looked at the three fastrunners. "None of you are pack, but yet you answered as if you were." She paused as the fastrunners noticeably stiffened. "Don't worry, I approve. As long as you are our guests on this journey you will be welcomed as our allies."

The fastrunners relaxed at this assurance that they had not broken a taboo… with the curious exception of Orchid.

I would have thought he would've been glad to hear that, Mender noted, seeing that Orchid was still tense.

"After that, of course, we each will have to follow our own paths. Though I hope that all of our paths are happy ones," Cynnil finished with her gaze curiously remaining fixed upon Orchid for an extended moment, "There are far worse starting points than Seeker's pack."

Here we go again. Mender smiled a bit at the idea of seeing her friends again. "That's where I got started, in more ways than one," she said. My life really changed after meeting them.

Cynnil appeared oddly satisfied at Mender's words and quickly ushered everyone away. "Well, that is enough training for one day. I think that all of you are nearly ready for the journey. Just one more day…"

Arial and Nahoda's eyes opened wide. "Does that mean…"

Cynnil laughed. "Yes, Nahoda, I do believe it is dinner time."

Buse and the pack leader laughed as Nahoda jumped up as if victorious in some battle. His levity only lasted a moment, however, before Arial's well-placed nudge sent him back to earth both figuratively and literally. Within moments the entire group was on their way to the promised feast of scaly swimmers and snapping shells.

How exactly did I not catch a fastrunner that clumsy, Mender thought with a laugh as she turned to follow Nahoda and the others. She stopped when she felt a gentle nudge.

"Um… Mender?" Orchid's voice barely registered as a whisper. "How does someone join a pack?"

It was then that everything snapped together in Mender's mind. Cynnil noticing Orchid's odd behavior in the training game… Cynnil taking over and intentionally focusing on catching Orchid… the use of a pack meeting in front of the fastrunners… and Cynnil only stopping when Mender had mentioned joining Seeker's pack… she knew that Orchid was thinking about joining the entire time. She just gave him several nudges in the right direction.

How does she do that?

"Well, Orchid, first you have to prove yourself to whatever pack you want to join," Mender answered carefully, her gaze turning towards the now somewhat concerned fastrunner.

"And… how do I do that?"

His sudden use of the pronoun 'I' was not lost on Mender. It had been obvious from the beginning that this was not a matter of mere curiosity. As she turned her gaze again to what was in front of her she could see Cynnil briefly look back, the hidden runner equivalent of a knowing smirk on her face.

"I do believe that is what we are about to find out…"

---

The past:

Littlefoot approached Tracker and Dodger's designated living area with some hesitation as Violet and Thud walked a respectful distance behind. Finally, however, he was within visual distance of the two dinosaurs. Waiting to make sure that he was not interrupting anything important he lowered his head slightly to show the proper respect when entering another fastbiter's sleeping area and waited for any response from the duo.

Okay, this is abnormal, Dodger thought, Why are both Seeker and Thud here? He tried not to think about why Violet was brought along. The look on his sister's face wasn't doing anything to reassure him.

Tracker noticed the newcomers in the exact opposite order as her mate. Please, Violet, don't be in trouble again. Having two pack leaders bringing you along anywhere is probably not a good sign.

Getting over his surprise, Dodger gestured for the trio to approach. He couldn't stop himself from giving his sister a questioning look. Violet's rush to get to Tracker's side turned it to one of alarm.

"I hope that we are not interrupting anything," Seeker offered politely, "But if all of you had the time, there is something that I wanted to talk to you about before I talk to the others."

"All of us?" Dodger asked, trying to make sure he heard right. Behind him Tracker turned back around, having been in the process of removing both herself and Violet from the discussion.

Littlefoot nodded as he gestured for Thud to join him as both fastbiters sat down beside the small scrape that served as Dodger and Tracker's 'residence', "This is something for a pack leader to decide, of course, but I thought that you would want this to be discussed between all of you. Because… um…" Littlefoot hesitated for a moment, "This will be more than a mere pack decision."

Thud remained silent as Littlefoot clarified the situation as a 'delicate matter' while not yet elaborating on what he had in mind. For his part, Thud kept his face neutral despite any feelings he might have over this matter.

Okay, so why are you talking to all of us? Tracker wondered, If this is a problem, wouldn't it make more sense to keep it between pack leaders? I know Dodger will want to know what Violet and I think, but we're not the ones that he's going to blame for a bad decision. He'll blame himself. Seeker's pack has a very strange way of doing things. You don't just tell everything to everyone. She wasn't about to say anything out loud. That could cause a bigger problem.

Seeker hesitated a moment before he continued, "Despite our unpleasant initial meeting, it has been a pleasure having all of you in our territory. Not only have you learned things from us, but I know that we have learned from you. I am sure that in the years to come each of our respective packs will sing some of the other's songs. A remembrance of when we were together…"

And here comes what I was expecting since we met, Dodger thought, Hopefully we'll get out of here without any awkwardness. I'm pretty sure they didn't want us to know about the Orange Death.

"However, when the barren times come it may become difficult to find food for so many of us, and my duties are first and foremost to my pack. I would hate for us to part when the times are rough as that would put all of you at a disadvantage. I also would hate to send you all away without the absolute best new start. It is for that reason that I would like to make you a proposal." Littlefoot finished, waiting for the response from Dodger. The brown fastbiter's head was bowed slightly as if in apology.

"And that would be…" Dodger prompted. Quite frankly, he'd expected to be simply asked to leave and figure things out on his own.

Thud nodded at Littlefoot as he began his proposal. "I have a pack of three, but we are quite experienced in navigating the Barrens. It would be my pleasure for you two." He gestured at Dodger and Tracker. "...and Violet if she wishes, to follow my pack through the barrens. There is some lush land near the Land of Many Waters that could be claimed with a sufficiently strong challenge. And that way all of you would be close enough to your allies to help them if the need should arise, or to be helped by them if you are in trouble. It would give you a good start."

Thud then coughed awkwardly. "If the pack wishes to remain as it is now then that is what my pack can do for you."

Littlefoot froze. He had not expected Thud to be open to the potential of Dodger and Tracker actually joining his pack on a permanent basis, but his careful statement was obvious, if indirect, indication of that intent. Now he felt terrible about not merely addressing Dodger alone. Some forewarning would have been nice, Thud...

Tracker shot a pleading look at Littlefoot. Give me a way to get Violet out of here. If she figures this out she's going to interpret it as an insult.

Thud picked up on the look to his counterpart and quickly looked at Littlefoot, which made the brown fastbiter speak up, "If you would rather we discuss this with you first, Dodger, then perhaps the others can give us some space for a moment?"

Dodger gave his mate a barely perceptible nod.

"Come on, Violet," Tracker said.

"Where are we going?" Violet asked, following Tracker as her friend had expected her to.

"Anywhere. Some of what they're talking about it isn't for us to hear."

"Okay... " Violet wasn't quite sure what to say to that. "So, can we go talk to Haven and Breeze? I was talking to them earlier, and, well, I think you might want to hear this too."

"Lead the way." Tracker was certain Violet could get both of them at least in hearing distance of their friends. Discernible paths were a lifesaver for a nearly smell-blind fastbiter.

Thud remained silent but put on an apologetic expression as he suddenly realized the unintentional faux pas he had committed. He should have let Littlefoot know about his offer prior to suggesting it. But then again, it wasn't really until the heat of the moment that he realized that it was something he was willing to suggest.

"Violet's a bit oversensitive about potential insults," Dodger said, gesturing in the direction of his sister's departure. Please, don't say 'why', Seeker. Who knows how Thud would react to that?

Thud spoke in a soft voice, "I did not mean for it to be an insult, Dodger. I rather think that you would make a fine addition to my pack, as it can be hard to maintain a pack with only two or three members."

"I didn't take it as one. Violet's just... " Dodger really didn't know how to explain his sister's probable behavior without explaining her potentially offer-rescinding and easy to ridicule disability.

"She has a hard time reading intent sometimes," Littlefoot offered.

Thud nodded. "I should have realized as much before I made the offer. A lot of intent can be read through scent, and that would be hard for her. I'm just glad she had the chance that my unfortunate brother never had."

Littlefoot froze. "...What?"

Dodger felt as though his mind had frozen like a stream during a Cold Time. He'd already tensed up was more than prepared for a verbal or even a physical fight when Thud's last sentence mentally tripped him. It took quite a bit of effort for him to completely calm himself. Even when you're not here, Violet, you're still causing an overreaction. She'll probably find this hilarious.

"I… noticed her disability when she was practicing her healing and I had a conversation with her about it last night. My brother had the same disability as a hatchling, but I never had a chance to know him. My father… did the usual thing when he found out he was smell-blind." Thud smiled lightly. "I am pleased to see that Violet is doing well. With a strong pack, and her new skills, she will do very well. Avoiding the harshness of the Time of Pack Finding probably saved her."

Littlefoot's mouth was agape. He was utterly blindsided by this.

"You obviously love your sister very much," Thud offered, "Though I wonder what she will choose to do now. She has truly has followed a unique path in life and I doubt her future will be any less unique."

"She definitely is unique," Dodger replied calmly. That conversation you mentioned had better have just been a conversation. Violet can be a bit too influenceable at times.

Littlefoot rubbed his head feathers for a moment. "Thud, you didn't…"

Thud shook his head. "We only talked about her past. I was just amazed that one with such a disability could live through youth. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for her. She was ready to bolt before I made my intentions clear. I guess she had trouble detecting intentions in the dark… if I had realized that then I would have talked to her after the Bright Circle rose." Thud looked at Dodger apologetically. "I… I wasn't sure about all of this until today. So I would not have been able to convince her of anything anyway… but I would not have gone over your head in any case, Dodger. My honor would not stand for that."

"I'm glad to hear that. I have to ask, though, what about her past were you talking about?" Dodger asked. This could be quite awkward depending on what they were talking about.

"She…" Thud hesitated. "You are her pack leader so I guess I can talk about such things. She talked about her past and about how you protected her when the others would mock her. She also talked a little about her parents…"

Dodger did his best to hide his alarm. For reasons he couldn't completely explain, Violet had always been sensitive about their parents, especially if she were feeling insecure when a conversation about them occurred. This could get really uncomfortable really quickly.

"She… um… mentioned that there was a bit of competition between her father, her mother, and an aunt, but eventually her father chose her mother and the aunt chose Prowler's father. Which is why having an unequal number of males and females in a pack is awkward. Someone either had to go without and then you get fights, or else you have a male or female who 'doubles up'," Technically he had not discussed that with her, but he had accidently overheard it from her discussion with the girls as he was walking to accept Seeker's summons, but Dodger didn't need to know that. "Then she told me a little about Prowler. Not much of it good, I must admit."

Violet never mentioned this… We're going to have to talk. "Prowler was… not exactly the easiest to get along with," Dodger replied, "Having him as a cousin isn't exactly something I'm proud of." At least he didn't mention my parents', or Prowler's parents', age difference. It didn't bother him at all, but Dodger knew that his sister would be mortified if that were common knowledge.

Thud nodded. "To pick a fight with the goal of pummeling a packmate is a very dishonorable thing to do. He seemed like an undesirable pack leader…" he shook his head. "The only other thing that we talked about, really, was about my son's 'unique' sense of humor. I had to explain that my son's joke was not meant to be taken in the way that Violet took it, and that the two of them had more in common than they might have assumed."

"What was the joke?" Dodger was actually starting to get a bit worried. If Taunt had overheard any of Violet and Thud's conversation and used it in a joke, Violet probably wouldn't have reacted well.

Thud rolled his eyes. "One of Taunt's more common jabs. He suggested that the reason I was talking to Violet was because I was flirting with her. It is that kind of wit that has gotten him chased on more than one occasion." He shook his head. "But he only jokes like that to people he feels comfortable with. So that is his way of saying that Violet is like family now."

"He just had to say that, didn't he?" Dodger muttered. He shook his head. "I'm glad Taunt feels that way, but it might be best if he doesn't make that joke again." Not that she shouts it to the world, but that's hitting way too close to home for Violet.

Thud nodded. "I mentioned as much to him. It is best to save such jokes for packmates."

Do I have to be blunt to be understood? "I think it's that particular joke that might be a problem, not jokes in general," Dodger said.

Thud noddedagain. "Understood." He was tempted to ask why that was but decided that it was obvious that Dodger didn't want to elaborate on that point. That was when part of the overheard conversation replayed in his mind. Oh...Oh. "I will make sure that he realizes that joke is off-limits." The look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

Littlefoot shifted uncomfortably. The conversation had gone from awkward, to uncomfortable, to being absolutely hard to follow. It seemed like Thud had more information at this point than he did. "Forgive me for asking, and refuse to answer if it is none of my concern, but why does that joke offend her so much? I want to make sure that I don't accidentally say something that is taken the wrong way by her."

Great… Dodger groaned. "Thud, do you want to help explain or would you rather just ignore what I say for a few moments? I don't want to anything I say to be taken insultingly."

Thud waved his hand. "I will not be insulted, Dodger. Feel free to speak freely."

"Okay, so how to put this really simply…" Dodger paused to consider what to say without taking all day to do it. He sighed in frustration. "My mother was about Violet's age when she met my father and Haven's age when she became his mate. My father saw his daughter from a previous mate leave the pack between those two times." Why can I never say this directly?

Littlefoot nodded. Longnecks often had significant age differences, but to have one that young mate with an older individual would have been an oddity. "I… I can see why Violet might be a bit sensitive about that…"

Thud rubbed his head. "Oh, Taunt, you always seem to cause conversations wherever you go… I will make sure that particular joke is off-limits from now on."

"Thanks," Dodger said. No offense, Thud, but Violet doesn't want anyone to think she is that desperate. If she gets to the point she doesn't care she either likes you too much for me to say 'no' or her self-esteem is too low for me to say 'yes'.

Littlefoot shook his head and tried to desperately get the conversation back on solid ground that wouldn't lead to Taunt being subject to more threats of violence than usual. "Well… I wish you the best, Dodger, regardless of how you decide." It was a subtle reminder of the subject at hand: would Dodger join Thud's pack or merely follow his pack into a new territory? And what would become of Violet? Littlefoot had no idea what Violet was thinking at that moment.

"I'll need to talk to my packmates about it." Would they be comfortable with joining Thud's pack? Dodger mentally translated his own words. "How soon do you need an answer?"

Thud looked at Littlefoot for a moment. "I am planning on leaving for my pack's usual migration to follow the food in a few days. So I will need your answer by then." He shifted awkwardly. "It would just be a bit awkward for you to come along and not to realize how to properly address you," Thud admitted bluntly.

"Um, how many ways can you address someone?" Dodger asked. There's more than two?

Thud shifted awkwardly. "The ways that do not involve words. I would need to know whether to address you as a guest and co-equal, or as a follower. That would also affect what we would expect from each other."

Dodger nodded his understanding. As long as no one insults Violet I'm fine with anything. Tracker, he knew, was a bit better at ignoring insults and, if necessary, responding quite pointedly in a way that was hard to describe as an insult and thus in need of less intervention.

Littlefoot paused for several moments and contemplated Dodger's expression. His face was serene, if that were even possible, which made the brown fastbiter grow somewhat concerned. Ever since Ruby had pointed out how much Dodger had looked up to him, Littlefoot had been more careful to keep that in mind. He now realized that Dodger felt more like a leader-in-training that a leader in his own right.

"Well, we will let you have some time to talk to your sister and your mate," Littlefoot offered softly as he leaned in slightly, "...and if you want to talk about any of this, Dodger, feel free to stop by my sleeping place at any time. Feel invited."

"Thank you, sir," Dodger replied, "I wonder where they got off to."

Thud noted the other fastbiter's formality. It would be welcomed in some of the larger packs, but not necessary in the smaller, more intimate ones. The idea that Dodger had grown accustomed to using such formality in a pack of four really communicated something to the elder fastbiter. Prowler must have been a real bastard to elicit that kind of response. It is not necessary with Seeker.

Seeker, for his part, simply nodded. He felt suddenly alienated by Dodger's formality. "When we talk in private, Dodger, feel free to call me by my name. And…" He looked up at Thud and received a nod. "When not in front of the others you can speak freely to Thud as well. Neither of us are Prowler."

"Understood, sir… Seeker. Ugh." Dodger slapped a hand over his eyes. I'd like to explain to him that I say it out of respect. I never used that term with Prowler. Ever.

Littlefoot smiled. "It can be awkward when addressing someone who is a friend and also of higher rank, but you and I are of the same rank, Dodger. For as long as you are here you are a guest. I just regret that now is the best time for you to leave, before the food becomes scarce."

"There's a time when food isn't scarce?" Dodger asked, nearly struck dumb. In case you haven't noticed I'm barely larger than Leap, Violet's smaller than Leap, and Tracker can be mistaken for someone a year younger than she is. I'm starting to envy you.

Littlefoot shrugged. "It can get much scarcer. Especially during the Barren Times. Some packs follow the food during that time, but we prefer to keep the territory that we have. It is a lot easier than reclaiming territory."

"Never held territory before, sir, so I wouldn't know about that," Dodger replied.

Littlefoot nodded. "Such is the case with small packs. Smaller packs often have to follow the food and avoid competitors. That is why larger packs often form." He left that statement hanging out there as he did not want to encourage Dodger one way or another. This was his choice. "I think we will leave you now, Dodger; do not hesitate to talk to us if you have any questions."

"Understood, sir. Now I've got to figure out where Tracker and Violet went. Should've asked where they were going... "

Littlefoot sighed slightly as Thud smiled with amusement. I guess old habits die hard.

---

The present:

"Ah, yes… here he comes now."

Littlefoot watched as the elder flyer slowly began his descent to the ground below. It had been quite awhile since Petrie's uncle took his turn as messenger. Though part of this undoubtedly had to do with allowing the younger flyers to gain more experience with such duties, Littlefoot suspected that Pterano's age might also have played a role.

As soon as the flyer landed he began the customary greeting.

"Good evening, Seeker. My apologies for my tardiness, I…"

Littlefoot waved his hand. "No one can fault you for visiting your family, Pterano. I am amazed the little ones allowed you to fly away."

Pterano laughed at this. "I think that without Soar's help I would have remained pinned to the tree. But it looks like that they have some kind of job that they are doing."

Littlefoot turned to the children in the distance. As Pterano had reported the kids were swiftly gathering sticks and bones from Lookout Hill. Even the little flyers were picking up such debris as their small forms would allow. It was very reminiscent of another ritual in their old home.

"Ah, this is something that should look familiar, Pterano. Remember how the younglings would pick up sticks before the Great Bright Circle Celebration?"

The flyer rolled his eyes. "I was not under the impression that you believed in the Bright Circle Story. Or have you decided to adopt some of the flyer ways?"

"We don't. But just like how that celebration gives the adults an excuse to put the younglings to work, so does the arrival of a new guest." Littlefoot gestured at his mate in the distance. "Mender and my mate's siblings will soon be arriving so we are having the kids make the place more presentable."

Pterano was silent for several moments as he considered this. "You know, Seeker, when the kids clean the valley for the Bright Circle they at least get a feast for it."

"Oh they will get a feast alright. But they do need to learn a bit of discipline. They acted like heroes in the two-footer crisis but still act like ankle-biters at the nest." Littlefoot did his best impression of Pterano, puffing his chest outward and his clawed hand to the sky. "Now that they have learned strength and virtue, they must learn to maintain it."

The elder flyer groaned, obviously not impressed with Littlefoot's attempt to match his theatrics. "Before I begin my report, are there any messages that you would like me to give to the valley?"

It was then that Littlefoot did something most surprising in front of the flyer. With slow steps Littlefoot walked back to his sleeping area and secured an odd-shaped chunk of bark in his mouth and a spear in his hand. Then, with a loud 'thunk' he dropped the wood on the ground and placed the spear into a small hole that appeared to have been gnawed into the bark. It took several moments of rubbing the stick in the hole before Pterano finally couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"What in the name of sanity are you doing?"

With that Littlefoot dropped the spear and kicked the chunk of wood out of the way. "That… is what I was hoping you would tell us. This is one of the 'rainbowface games' that my son and daughter have been playing. I take it that it is not all the rage in the valley?"

Now it was Pterano's turn to be exasperated as he rubbed his crest. "You realize that this puts me in a tough position, don't you?"

"Well you could just share this with the rainbowfaces…" Littlefoot suggested.

"That isn't the problem, my sickle-clawed friend. Whatever that is obviously is not a game, which means it's something the rainbowfaces wanted to keep to themselves. And since you already know about whatever it is…"

"You have to tell the valley to keep the balance," Littlefoot finished.

Pterano raised his wings in a placative gesture. "It is nothing personal, Seeker, it's…"

Littlefoot waved his hand. "It is nothing. The world has changed; I had a long neck and feasted upon green food. I just would like you to consider one thing: perhaps what we saw was not enough to cause problems."

Pterano thought about this for a moment. "Which means that it would not cause any problems."

"Exactly," Seeker affirmed, "Before we get ahead of ourselves and try to find out what the rainbowfaces may have accidently taught us, it might be best for you to send a message from me to the rainbowfaces. If this is something minor then… perhaps… we can keep this quiet."

"You do realize you just got Axiom and Datum grounded, don't you?" Pterano asked with some amusement.

"Almost as grounded as being forced to pick up sticks for three days, hmmm? Sometimes the best punishments are those done covertly."

Pterano stared at the brown fastbiter. "And to think Topps calls me manipulative… alright, Seeker, what message would you like me to send to Logos and Chronos?"

Littlefoot nodded with a smirk and cleared his throat. "Please say exactly what I am about to say…"

---

Hidden Runner Territory:

"Stay on my back, children. We don't want to spook Ovie."

Staza walked beside her mate as the little bundles of trouble jumped on her back playfully. It was times like this she was grateful that nature had endowed her kind with thicker skin on her back. Otherwise their little claws would have been quite the problem.

"Um… how close should we get, dear? I don't know how fastrunners are during their Time of Eggs." Staza lightly nipped at one of her children who got to close to her neck. "I know we would be running right now if she were a fastbiter mother."

"Or dead," Verant muttered to himself, "Are we too close, Ovie?"

Both fastbiters stopped as a pink head appeared over a clump of dense vegetation. It was only then that the two could note the exhaustion on her young face. It brought back memories from Tracker's own day of laying.

"You can approach," a weak, hoarse voice called out.

Verant cast a concerned glance at his mate before approaching. Ovie was obviously exhausted.

Staza noted his expression and nodded. Her concern was growing. Already Ovie was a female without a male, but what trouble could have possibly further complicated things? Had she lost an egg? Did something go wrong?

It was with some hesitation that she allowed herself to move closer.

That was when they saw the sight. Before them lay an obviously tired fastrunner with eight ivory-colored orbs beside her. The eight eggs were a clear sign of what had exhausted her.

"I no longer have Brakas, but at least his family lives on," Ovie whispered, "I guess he got his wish for a large family…"

Out of respect for the young mother's most intimate territory Tracker quickly lowered herself to the ground, her claws covered under her body. Her children, unsure of what to do, repeated their mother's gesture while sitting on her back.

"Well, you'll be safe here," Verant promised, not entirely sure what to do with himself at that point.

Ovie sighed as she again placed herself over her numerous eggs. "You don't have to humble yourself, Staza. Both of you have helped me during this difficult time, and if you wanted to eat me then you would have already done so." She snorted as she looked at the kids on Tracker's back. "I only hope my little ones are as well-behaved."

Staza bowed her head. "You honor us by allowing us near your nest. This is something that our kind would only allow family."

"I didn't even let Mender's packmates near when she visited," Verant added.

Ovie smiled. "You are family. Only family would have done what you have done. I think even Brakas would have approved of you."

"I wish I could have met him," Verant said.

Staza, meanwhile was more focused on the present. "Are you feeling alright? Fate has given you many eggs. Almost too many to lay safely."

Ovie chuckled. "And you were fine laying seven?"

Staza returned the laughter. "You do have a point there."

Verant shook his head in amusement.

"I will be alright. I just need some time to rest. And I can do that easier since I know that I have extra pairs of eyes helping me." The fastrunner smiled at her friends. "Speaking of which… I think I am not the only one needing rest."

Verant turned and saw that one of the children was about to fall off of Tracker's back, half-asleep. "Whoa, there, Ungu. It's not quite time to sleep yet," he said, nudging his daughter back onto Staza's back.

This made both Staza and Ovie laugh. It was Ovie who spoke first, however. "I will be alright, friends. Let your daughter have her nap." Her words were interrupted by a yawn. "You never know when you can have that luxury."

"Get some rest, Ovie," Verant said as he turned to leave, "You're going to need it when those eggs hatch."

Staza smiled as she bowed respectfully. "Sleep well, Ovie."

As the two fastbiters extricated themselves from the hidden nest they shared a look at one another as some of the children, free of Verant's instructions now that they were outside of the nest, began to jump from one parent's back to the other.

"Well she should sleep better than either of us has in seasons." Staza deadpanned.

"She better make the most of it. I still don't think I've slept a full night since our kids hatched."

Staza nudged him playfully. "When did you ever sleep a full night, dear? You always seem to find threats even where ones don't exist."

It was then that Verant heard the fluttering of leaves in the distance. Almost as if someone had walked into a bush.

"Speaking of threats..." he muttered turning towards the sound, "Eh, it's probably nothing."

Staza laughed as she gave her mate a playful nudge. "Come along, dear. I think it is time for some little ones to get to sleep."

"Aw, Mom! We're not… yawn…"

Staza rolled her eyes. "Exactly. Off we go, little ones!"

---

"They seem quite preoccupied with the fastrunner. Maybe we should attack her to flush them…"

The hidden runner sighed. Sometimes his deputy had great ideas, but tonight was not one of those times.

"No. She is of no consequence, and the fastbiters are secondary. We will use her to make a distraction for the sharpteeth while your group goes for the kill. Remember that we only need to kill the pack leader and his deputy. The rest should capitulate after that."

"And what about the fastbiters?"

He couldn't help but laugh in exasperation at this point.

"What about them? They will flee once their benefactors have fallen. Tell your group to gather their sticks. We attack tonight."

As his deputy finally ran to gather his forces he couldn't help but shake his head.

"Silly Alphus. What harm could two mere fastbiters do to a force like ours?"

---

Sorry for the delay, everyone. Between the holidays and other obligations this one took a bit longer than usual. I hope to have the next chapter out in a more timely manner. I would like to give special thanks to both my co-author, Historian1912, for his outstanding contributions as always and to Nimbus for his healp in proof-reading this week's offering.

bryan mccloud: Indeed Ruby is in for a bit of an interesting reunion with her siblings. I wonder if Nahoda will have to withstand yet another 'talk' from one of Arial's loved ones. XD As for Chomper... oh yeah... it will be fascinating to see how Nahoda reacts to having him in the same territory.

DevoutRelic: Looks like you got your wish with the Eighth Hunter. As for the subsequent chapters they are going to be piecing together the threads of plot that have been laid out thus far. The fastrunner/Seeker/rainbowfaces/ and hidden runner plotlines are now beginning to intersect... and it will be interesting to see how our favorite characters handle these upcoming struggles.

gordhanx: Yeah, Spotter basically could have come in and said. "Hey, guys! Here is what happened during the last 4 chapters..." and it would have had the same effect. XD With regards to Mender's growing confidence as a healer, it seems that I can't give the poor girl a break. Bow that she is growing more confident with her abilities she will soon have to make some major life decisions... I am sure everyone can guess what she eventually chose (based upon the present story) but how she gets there and where it leads to is quite the tale. As the present story grows in prominence we will begin to see how the Violet of the past grew into the Mender of the present.

Keijo6: I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the elaboration on the pack dynamics. Part of the appeal of Dodger's pack is that it had a different genesis and arrangement than Littlefoot's pack. In fact it is more akin to what Littlefoot's pack would have looked like without further guidance and training. We are now beginning to see them come to terms with the new reality, and begin to learn more about how to be a stable pack. And, along the way, Seeker's pack is learning its fair share as well. I am also very pleased to hear that the fastrunner side of the story has begun to grow in interest. This aspect has had a slow build (in part to allow the past story to get going) but it and the other present day plot points will begin to go center stage. Though, as we shall see, Mender will take lessons from her past to deal with the struggles of the future. The only question now is: what will those struggles be?

Thanks again for the reviews, everyone! I look forward to your feedback, and I hope to have the next chapter up in a somewhat timely manner.