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.

23. Chapter 19: Fish of the Same Stream

-v-

Chapter 19: Fish of the same stream

"A liar who speaks the truth is a dangerous liar indeed."

~Ancient hidden runner saying

---

How could I have let this happen? Verant asked himself, having just now had enough time to think about anything other than ensuring his son's survival, Could I have found the hidden runner faster? Should I have made Gyors go back to his siblings? He shook his head at the last thought, dismissing it instantly. Gyors had inherited his father's stubbornness streak, but he didn't always apply it in ways he father would approve. Telling him to go to sleep was no guarantee that he would do so.

"It's okay, Momma."

Verant turned to look at his mate and noticed that she was shaking slightly. Their children had, not surprisingly, noticed. "Staza?" he asked, concerned.

"Do you think they will be alright up there? I mean they seemed fine when the flyers took off, but do you think they are cold or scared? Maybe they're hungry? We hadn't had a chance to eat since…"

"I'm sure that the flyers are flying good, Momma. After all they are flyers. Flyers should be good at flying!" Lula noted with excitement as she rose from her mother's back and moved over to her mother's neck in order to give her a nuzzle. His son Tormid and the remaining children did the same. It was obvious that they were feeling the absence of their brother and sister as well.

He only hoped that Gyors' absence would be a temporary one.

"They're going to be fine," Verant said reassuringly, "The only way they could be in better claws would be if Mender were there to help; they'd have someone they knew when they got there."

Staza allowed herself to be nuzzled by her mate as she sighed. "I guess we have all been through tough times before." That was when the soft sobbing of her children reached her ears, causing a pang of guilt as she knew it was her momentary weakness in front of the children that again made their emotional defenses weaken. That's when she had an idea.

"Maybe you kids would enjoy hearing a story about when your father and Leap got out of a rather difficult situation?"

"Which situation?" Verant asked, somewhat confused. There were many situations involving himself and Leap that could be called 'difficult'.

The children's sobbing began to turn into curious warbles as her words caught their attention. It was once she knew that her words had worked their magic that she gave Verant a wink and a bittersweet smile.

If only Gyors and Ugnu could be here to hear this.

"So, would the one about us going going over the cliff be alright?" Verant asked his mate.

"You went off a cliff?" Tormid jumped up and down with excitement.

"Was there a flyer to catch you two?" a hidden runner youngling asked as several of the adult hidden runners laughed at her antics. As the survivors moved ahead, however, it was obvious that their attention was now focused on whatever story the fastbiter had to tell. They were desperate for anything that would take their minds off of their current reality.

Verant sighed, feigning resignation. "No, there wasn't a flyer. You'd never find one big enough, anyway," he explained, laughing as he did so, "We were looking off of this cliff when it gave way… that was when the raging waters came up to meet us..."

---

The past:

The entire world appeared to disappear into an incomprehensible collection of colors and sounds. Where once was a steady breeze there now was moisture. Where once there were rocks there now were muted blues and green. Where once was air was now…

Realization hit him as soon as the water entered his throat. He couldn't breath!

Slashing out with his back legs he struggled to head towards the light, its shimmering yet indistinct form beckoning to him like a long lost friend. That was when he felt a sudden tug on his tail. In the next moment he was thrust into a world of impossible brightness and terrible sound as the roars of the rapids abused his ears.

He barely had enough wits about him to move his head out of the way of the boulder.

"We've got rocks up ahead," Dodger informed him, shouting over the roar of the water. Try to get to one of the sides."

Leap could barely hear his counterpart over the endless roar of water upon the rocks. Boulders whizzed by him at breakneck speed as he twisted and contorted his body to avoid being crushed in the onslaught. It was only after flailing for a few moments that he saw what was ahead.

An endless torrent of mist. They were approaching a thundering fall.

He struggled to find his counterpart, only to see Dodger try to reorient himself after sideswiping an oncoming boulder, cutting into his back.

He held his breath. He knew what he had to do.

Pushing out with his legs in a desperate forward swim, he began to edge closer and closer towards the edge of the raging river, but never securing himself to the welcoming sands.

He had to go faster.

Faster and faster his body sped closer and closer to the torrent of white mist as Dodger's struggling form began to get closer to his. He had only one chance to make this work. As soon as the blue fastbiter disappeared behind him, Leap struck out at the black mud with his sickle claws, ignoring the pain as he body's forward momentum suddenly stopped.

"My tail! Grab my tail!"

Dodger did as he was told, if in more than a little disorientated fashion. Leap was going to have some very interesting scars after this.

Leap gritted his teeth as he began to claw his way up the mud, inch by laborious inch. It was only a few moments, but it felt like an eternity. It was only when the pressure was off of his tail that he allowed his head to rest on the cold sand.

The next thing he knew was darkness.

Dodger didn't know how long he'd been asleep, but he was very aware that he was in pain. He didn't so much wake up as been thrown into alertness by his much-abused body. "Ow," he breathed more than said, too tired to come up with something more coherent. This is much worse than when I fell in the river with Violet.

He struggled to get to his feet, doing his best to ignore the pain that seemed to permeate his entire body. It was only when he rose to his normal height that he promptly collapsed again, hissing in pain. Muscle fatigue had begun to take its toll. It was a sign of how close he had come to tragedy. If it hadn't been for Leap…

His eyes shot open. Leap!

Dodger instinctively leapt to his feet before collapsing back to the ground, immediately regretting the action. He got up again, much slower this time, and started to look around "Leap?" he called, his voice just below a shout. The roar of the nearby thundering fall might cover some of his voice, but he couldn't risk it carrying too far. "Leap?"

A muffled groan reached his ears. It came from his left.

"Leap!" Dodger rushed to his packmate's side and immediately started inspecting his packmate's injuries. There was nothing he could do for the injuries from hitting rocks that he was pretty sure were there, but there might be something he could do about Leap's tail. It didn't smell infected, and Leap didn't smell like he was dead or was about to be. "Don't move," he ordered unnecessarily before hurrying off, desperately trying to remember what his sister had said about this particular type of injury. Since she rambled for half the night, I'm lucky I remember any of it at all.

"And Ponder showed me how to clean a cut after Taunt got nipped by Stern Claw! She told me if the water is clear and clean then it won't be mean, but if the water is stagnant and poor then it will hurt it more."

"What does that mean?" Tracker asked with more than a little curiosity.

Violet nodded. "I didn't really know until Stern Claw told me. She explained with a different helpful rhyme: if the water is clear and clean then it won't be mean, but if the water is slow and green then Taunt will die horribly." She tilted her head, "I guess she can't rhyme well, but at least I understood that better."

"So where can I find water that isn't the river?" Dodger wondered. Even if it were perfectly usable, which he wasn't entirely sure about, he'd rather stay as far away from it as he reasonably could. One near-death experience was quite enough for the day.

A short time later, Dodger was back at the river, having only been able to find some rather foul-smelling pools that had turned some rather alarming colors. "Okay, so how do I get water from here to Leap?"

"And then Stern Claw told Taunt to get her a snapping shell half unless he wanted her to drag his as…" Violet caught herself before looking around nervously, "I mean rear to the stream."

"Do those help the bleeding?"

Violet shook her head. "No, but instead of carrying meat they can also carry water. I know… I never really thought about that before either."

"Hmm, where would I find a snapping shell?" Dodger wondered aloud. Deciding that the water was moving far too quickly near the falls, he followed the river back aways, barely out of sight of Leap's location to a connecting stream where he found several snapping shells. After selecting one whose shell was a decent size he quickly made a meal out of it, eating as if he were back in Prowler's pack.

It was then that he followed Violet's directions in his head, running the now empty shell through the rushing water of the river, allowing for the shell to be cleaned into a pristine white. It was only then that he dunked the shell in the water one last time to fill it with the life-giving liquid.

With that done, he ran back to Leap's location with the shell. Quickly inspecting the wounds once more. There was no evidence of mud or infection in the wounds, but one could never be too careful. With deliberate caution he allowed the water to flow down the deepest gash.

"Urgh…"

"Sorry, Leap, but I'm not losing you because of your tail," Dodger muttered as if in apology, not sounding all that apologetic.

"Tail?" Leap muttered as consciousness began to return to him. That was when the water finally broke through some of the matted blood, causing a spasm of pain to go up his back.

Leap was up in an instant, wide-eyed. "My tail!"

He circled for a moment, as if there were an invisible enemy between himself and Dodger. It was only after one full revolution that recognition reached his features. "We made it?"

"Barely. Neither of us could have made it alone," Dodger admitted.

Leap nodded. "I nearly didn't make it out of the water until you helped pull me out. It was like… something was pulling me down until I tried swimming up."

"Staza said she felt something like that once when she went swimming when she was little," Dodger said, "She's always liked the water."

Leap laughed lightly before shaking his head. "I don't think it likes either of us very much." It was then that he spared a moment to look around. "I have no idea where we are. We didn't pass by any of this on our way to the Black Mounds."

Dodger noted that the blood was now flowing freely in the tail wounds, which was good as it would lead any infection out. A free bleeder was the only good bleeder as his pack used to say.

"I know exactly where we are. The middle of nowhere!" Dodger replied, half joking since, to him, there was a very obvious solution to their problem. They could just follow the river until they found something familiar. "Shouldn't we just follow the river back to where we were?" he asked.

Leap looked at the river from one direction, before turning around to examine it from another. "If we follow the setting Bright Circle that should lead us in the right direction. But who knows how far we have gone?"

"We'll just have to find out, won't we?"

Leap gave Dodger an odd look. "You make this sound like a regular occurrence, Verant."

"Let's see... I'm starving, in the middle of nowhere, and probably badly outnumbered by whatever's out there," Dodger replied, "Sounds like the later half of my life up until now." For all the problems he had just listed, his tone was surprisingly nonchalant.

"You sound like my brother," Leap noted with an odd mixture of cheerfulness and melancholy, "Well… I suppose every journey begins with a single step."

As the two began to make their way beside the roaring river they had no idea how many steps still awaited them.

---

The roar of raging winds echoed in the flyer's ears as he leaned towards his right. Almost immediately he felt the sensation of his body lifting into the air. Without even consciously thinking about his actions, he carefully followed the rising air of the thermal as he ascended into the clouds. It would only take a gradual descent now to give him the velocity needed to catch up to Thud's newly enlarged pack.

Or at least that was his plan. As much as he hated to admit it he had miscalculated before.

The opaque cream of the clouds began to dissipate as the verdant greens and desolate browns of the ground below appeared before his unblinking eyes. As soon as he saw the slightest hint of movement from a green dot in the distance he allowed himself a smile.

Found you, Thud.

---

Come on, Leap! You have to be alive! You just have to be!

Swift's head darted back and forth as she searched for any sign of her brother. Ever since Verok had died she only had Thud and Leap at her side. She didn't even want to contemplate what she would do if she lost her other brother as well.

He was her final connection to what had once been a happy family. A family cut down all too soon by the cruel claws of fate.

"You okay, Swift?" Tracker asked, giving her packmate a concerned look.

Swift shook her head as she continued to sprint ahead. "I won't be fine until we find them both." How can she be so calm? Doesn't she understand that we might have lost everything?

Her eyes darted at the river, looking for any sign of a body hanging onto the rocks. But the only thing that she could see in the fading light was the water turning darker as its azure hues began to match that of the evening sky.

Soon they would have to break off their search for the night. This knowledge stabbed at her like a horn through the chest. She knew every moment that went by with no sign that their chances of finding them alive diminished greatly.

Her body began to shake almost imperceptibly.

"They're going to be fine, Swift," Tracker said, half to reassure Swift and half to reassure herself.

That was the last straw. "How the fuck can you know that?! For all we know they could be trapped out there or… or..."

"Or they could be like my son and Breeze. Just waiting for a helping claw."

Thud's form seemingly appeared out of nowhere as he carefully approached the emotional Swift, allowing his tail to touch hers.

"We will not give up, Swift. Don't worry. But we have to stay strong."

Swift tried to control her features, but she still looked down in an ashamed expression. This was why Verok had Leap put him out of misery and not her. She was too emotionally weak, she berated herself.

"They probably ended up further down the river," Tracker said, trying to reassure Swift that not finding anything right now wasn't as bad as she thought it was, "When I fell in a river once I ended up very far away from where I started."

"This happened to you?" Swift asked in amazement as Thud looked at her with concern.

"Yeah," Tracker replied, now somewhat embarrassed that she brought it up, "In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda clumsy. I was getting chased and fell in. Dodger jumped in after me. I'm a decent swimmer, but I probably wouldn't have ever gotten out without him. I definitely wouldn't have made it back to the pack without him."

Swift forced herself to calm down. If Dodger had helped Tracker out of a similar situation… and Thud had found his own son when he had drifted downstream…

That was when the sound of flapping wings could be heard.

"Spotter? What are you doing here?" Tracker asked, surprised to see the flyer.

Swift could only stare at the flyer as well. If they had eyes in the sky then they could…

"Me just practice tracking and find you. How is everyone? Where is Verant and…"

"You can help find them!"

Petrie nearly flew off once he saw that Swift was within inches of his beak. But it looked as if he suspected that he would be pounced on if he did so.

"They lost?"

Thud swallowed. "They fell. The river took them."

"If you want to help, you better leave now," Tracker added, "It'll be dark soon."

The flyer nodded as he tried to scoot away from the raptors so that he would have room to get airborne. "If me not find them tonight, then me get pack to help! Every sniffer helps!"

"But it would take them days to get here!" Swift tried to stay calm, but the reality of the situation was clawing at her again. "By then it could be…"

"By then we might need healers," Thud interrupted, his eyes widening, "If any of them get the coughing sickness…"

Petrie nodded. "Me go now! Either our friends or my pack be found tonight!"

As the flyer slowly rose into the darkening sky Swift could only think one thought over and over again. Just as long as they are found...

---

The present, Seeker's territory:

"Um, how do we get down?" Ungu asked as the flyer carrying her started to descend. It just now occurred to her that she was currently where the flyer was supposed to land.

As if he had heard the little fastbiter's question, the flyer's forward motion slowed until it finally became a stationary hover. Soon the blades of grass could be seen under the young one's feet despite the darkness. She barely had time to react once she felt the talons begin to loosen their grip.

"Wha... aiii!" Ungu let out a panicked shriek when the talons released her entirely. Her landing was rather undignified. "Oof."

The sound of sprinting feet and assertive grunts immediately reached her ears. As she looked up the only thing that greeted her eyes was the sudden appearance of several fastbiters.

"No blood smell!"

"No infection!"

Wha... what? Ungu looked at the fastbiters approaching her in confusion. Aunt Mender's here, but who are the other two? Did they think I was hurt, too?

Instantly she was beset by yellow eyes examining her from every angle. Mender examined her head and chest, while the others examined her tail and flank. Hidden runners and fastrunners then appeared to descend upon her from every direction as the confusing scent of fastbiter, hidden runner, fastrunners, and various pungent plants reached her snout. The overwhelming torrent was enough to fill her with fear.

"Aunt Mender?"

Mender did her best to give the little youngling a reassuring expression, but the scent of fear could not be hidden. "Where are you hurt, Ugnu? Do you feel any pain?"

"I'm fine, Aunt Mender," Ungu replied, "I didn't want Gyors to be alone."

The violet fastbiter appeared to be stunned for a moment before a relieved breath left her mouth. She gently tapped Ugnu on her back.

"That… that's good to hear. How about you go ahead and rest with Breeze for a moment?" She gestured at a gray fastbiter in the distance, who quickly was at attention.

Ungu glanced from Breeze to Mender and back again, somewhat panicked look on her face.

Mender gave her a little nudge as Breeze arrived with Spike in tow. "She is one of my friends, Ugnu. She is pack," Mender assured before the sound of the other flyer landing reached her ears.

"Hey, little guy, are you still with us?"

"Gyors!" Ungu shouted, before starting to rush over to where her brother had landed. She didn't get far before Ducky cut her off and lightly applied pressure on her back, causing her to go limp out of reflex. Before she knew what had happened she was on a grey scaled back.

"It's okay, little one… Shhhh… It's okay…"

Ungu couldn't help it. The temporary loss of her mobility was one thing too many. She started crying. She could be brave for her brother, but now, effectively alone in a new place surrounded by complete strangers, she was scared.

Spike was cautious to keep his distance from the little one and to let Breeze take the lead in comforting her. In the end, however, it was the events in front of them that eventually took all of Ungu's attention.

"I need green sap now! I might need to make a cut!"

"Got it, Mender!"

One hidden runner, a male, handed Mender the sap she was asking for while a female hidden runner laid her head on Gyors's chest, confusing Ungu to no end.

"What are they doing?" Ungu wondered aloud, not realizing she was voicing her thoughts. Had her aunt not been involved she would have been much more frantic in her questioning.

Mender began to hurriedly run her claws together as the green sap slowly covered them in a verdant glow. Quickly thereafter another dinosaur that she recognized as one of Ovi's kind lifted something that looked like a hard tree fruit, before drenching Mender's claws in water.

Mender looked down at the hidden runner who was still resting her head on Gyors' chest. "Please, Cynnil, tell me it's good news."

Ungu could feel the fastbiter she was on look at her mate. "Little one, perhaps we should let Mender do her work…" She could begin to feel the massive female begin to step backwards.

Ungu scrambled to her feet, prepared to jump off. She wasn't leaving her brother alone.

"His bam-bam is going strong, and his breathing is fine. Maybe the pain knocked him out?"

"Gyors?" Ungu squeaked, not liking what she was hearing at all.

"The little one was hurting quite bad, but then I thought he fell asleep. He took a sharp stick to the eye," the flyer admitted, suddenly looking guilty, as Mender gave the little fastbiter a few tentative licks.

A pained groan suddenly arose from the little biter. This was followed by a soft cry.

"Hey…. shhhh… Aunt Mender is here. We're going to give you something to take the pain away, okay?" Mender softly cooed in a manner that was barely audible to Ungu before she turned to a nearby fastrunner, "Only a half a bud, Orchid. He's a kid."

Ungu struggled to see what is going on, but, intentionally or not, Spike was doing a wonderful job of obstructing her view. Exhausted, she let Breeze carry her away from her aunt and brother.

"Okay, he is out. Let's see what we can do…"

---

Ducky collapsed into her scrape with all of the ceremony of a boulder landing in a mud pool. Everything that could have been done for the little fastbiter had been done, and now all everyone could do was wait for the results. The wound had been cleaned and debris removed, but there would be no vision from that side.

A permanent disability.

"Cynnil and Mender are keeping watch over Gyors. Do you mind taking over when the morning light comes?"

Ducky barely nodded her head at Ruby's question. She sounded as exhausted as Ducky felt. While Ducky rested Ruby allowed herself to look up at the others.

The rest of the pack was resting, with Ungu's prone form being watched over by Spike like a silent sentinel. She also knew that the pack's flyers had to be on standby somewhere as well. All except for Soar, that is, who undoubtedly was resting after her headlong flight. Perhaps she had the right idea...

That was when Orchid's shadow fell over her under the Night Circle's glow. Mender's newest little healer.

And her flesh and blood.

She waved him over without giving him a second look. She was more than a little surprised to see all three fastrunners appear in front of her. They all had the look of fatigue in their eyes, with the exception of Nahoda who looked more than a little overwhelmed.

Join the club, Nahoda.

Ruby forced her eyes to remain open. By all rights it was now her time to get some rest before any other crisis could befall the pack or its allies. However, with the arrival of the rest of her family, it was also the time for something else. Something that could not be put off any longer.

"Thank you all for helping. We really needed the help." Ruby's voice came in a low growl due to her exhaustion, though only Nahoda showed any sign of concern at this. "Ungu is with Finder and the kids."

Orchid allowed himself a yawn before merely nodding.

"If they're asleep then they have the right idea," Arial affirmed before giving Nahoda a shove to keep him upright.

"I'm awake," Nahoda muttered, shaking himself. He actually hadn't been entirely asleep. "Can we go to sleep now?"

Arial rolled her eyes before giving her sister a look. "I am amazed nothing gobbled you up in the Mysterious Beyond, Dear. It's hard to run when you are in a sleep story."

Nahoda retorted, "I usually hid and went to sleep when it got dark. I think the Bright Circle will be rising soon."

Ruby laughed lightly as she gestured for the fastrunners to have a seat. "Well allow me to be yet another sharptooth to keep you awake. We have quite a bit to discuss."

The stares of exasperation were noticeable from her sister and her mate. Only Orchid had a more subdued expression. After all, he had directly helped with the little fastbiter's procedure.

Arial finally spoke, "Can this wait until the Bright Circle comes up, sis?"

Nahoda nodded before looking in the direction of the gradually brightening horizon. "Maybe even a bit longer?"

"If tonight has taught me anything it is that you never know if you will ever see the Bright Circle again, until you see it again," Ruby noted with a solemn expression as she looked in the general direction of where Gyors lay, "He reminds me so much of Biter in a way…"

The other fastrunners exchanged a look as they sat down without any further instruction. The context of her words was obvious to anyone capable of hearing.

"Did you have any siblings, Nahoda?"

Nahoda's face shifted from surprise at being addressed directly all of a sudden to slightly sad. "I had four," he replied, "None of my siblings survived to leave our parents."

Ruby watched as her two siblings looked upon Nahoda with shock. Her suspicions were correct. Giving him a respectful nod she allowed him a moment to talk to his mate.

"That's horrible, Nahoda!" the voice of her sister exclaimed as she placed a hand to her beak, "I mean… we had close calls but…"

"But you got lucky," Ruby finished.

Nahoda turned and nodded at Ruby, agreeing with her statement.

"Getting lucky one time doesn't mean you'll be lucky the next time."

Orchid had been silent during this entire exchange, silently taking in the exchange. He did not have the same look of shock, and Ruby could guess why. After all, Orchid had to have passed a pack test. He had to face the greatest fear before he could face his pack.

"We have to face our fears before we can deal with them," as Ruby said this she locked eyes with the fastrunner who had taken her sister for a mate, "You have already been doing good work, Nahoda, with the traps and noise-makers. But seeing your fears in front of you is different than just thinking of them. Because when you are just thinking of something then you don't see it."

Orchid tried to intervene to no avail. "Sis, I think he knows what…"

"He knows what being in danger is. He does not know what seeing one of his children in danger is. None of you do. Not until today." Ruby's piercing stare, made all the more penetrating due to her predatory form, seemed to stare into their very souls.

"I'm pretty sure fearing for your own kids is worse than this," Nahoda said after a moment. After all, he had never even heard of the kids that had been brought to them so suddenly.

Ruby averted her eyes slightly, finally realizing how her stare must have worked to the others. She quickly changed to the practical matter of her conversation. "I guess this was your first time healing, Orchid. What do you think of the little biter's condition?"

Orchid's voice was subdued. "Mender sounded sad." He clicked his beak as if trying to find the right words. "He only had part of an eye…"

Both Nahoda and Arial averted their eyes as they leaned more tightly against one another, making the distance between themselves and Orchid look all the more obvious. They had been spared seeing the gory details.

She envied them in a way.

"Today we saw what can happen to us at any moment. We learned that none of us are immune from being struck down. None of us." Ruby took a deep breath, taking in the warm humid air that normally would be welcoming to her senses but now only felt like a stagnant swamp. "You are family. You are pack. Remember what is at stake."

She did not try to hide the mistiness of her eyes as she looked at her fastrunner family and offered her clawed hand to them. It was an affirmation that they had the pack's protection, but also that they would do anything to protect their comrades.

Orchid was the first to place his hand on hers, recognizing the gesture immediately from his own pack. He was followed by Nahoda's hesitant joining of the gesture before Arial placed hers over his. It was then that Ruby nodded at the group. No words had to be exchanged to convey the meaning.

Family stays together.

---

The Great Valley:

"At this very moment Chronos is giving Bron the exact same information that I am giving you now. Absolutely none of this should be mentioned to anyone else."

Topps had heard many ominous things in his life, and he had dealt with the usual crypticness of the rainbowfaces as one of the usual duties of being a Valley elder, but even he knew when something stranger than usual was afoot.

The fact that Logos had dared to wake him up early was a testament to that.

He looked down at the colorful dinosaur with a concerned expression. "Go on…"

Logos paused, which gave the threehorn pause as well. Something was terribly wrong. The fact that the next words were uttered in a whisper only punctuated that point.

"We have a traitor in the valley."

Every part of his being demanded that he stomp his feet and scream in exasperation, but he took head of the rainbowface's implied warning. The threehorn's words were deadly calm, with a weariness that could only come with advanced age.

"Then he will die."

Logos raised a hand in a calming gesture seemingly out of habit. She surely knew that it would not work on an old threehorn. "Before we can do that we need to know who he or she is. And, before we can know who they are, we need to know who is on their side… besides Wrok."

Topps glared at the rainbowfaces though his contempt was for someone quite far away. "How do you know that we have a traitor?"

What followed was an explanation that at first appeared harmless enough. A boastful flyer bragging about messages that were never sent. An attempt to earn respect that was not actually earned. But then, as the story continued, the discrepancies became even more pronounced. That was when Logos mentioned her plan.

"We gave each of them a riddle to be sent to Seeker, each one slightly different. If Spotter sees any delay in the delivery of the message… or if his own sources tell him the message first before the messenger gets there..." Logos's voice was cold. "Then we will get more information when the spy is interrogated."

Topps growled in anger. "And you decided to do this without telling anyone else?"

"We had to make the decision on the spot if it were going to be made. Any delay might have tipped the flyer off." Topps was about to retort when the rainbowface looked into his eyes. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but sometimes a harder right must be made over an easier wrong."

Topps glared at her. "You make being devoured by sharpbeaks sound so very honorable."

The rainbowface did not break her eye contact. "Honorable or not, it is done, and now you know. The rest is up to you."

Threehorn and rainbowface continued to stare for several moments as the consequences of the situation continued to seep into his mind. A flyer spy implied a much more extensive support for Wrok than even he could have anticipated. He could know the plans of the valley in relation to Ignis, their communications with other allies, their weaknesses…

And chief among these weaknesses was the ever-present disapproval of sharpteeth, no matter how distant. This was excusable due to what a sharptooth's diet meant to a leaf-eater, but foolish when it came to the needs of mutual defense. What if another Redclaw came along? Or another Calin?

And Wrok's actions as of late hinted at something more sinister. Using the ambitious among his neighbors to shift things into his favor. But thus far this had only been attempted with other hidden runner packs from what the flyers had told them, but what if he tried the same with the valley? Surely no one would make a move against the well-respected elders…

You mean like you, Old Timer? Or Bron? There is always a young upstart who looks forward to taking down the old buck. I'm sure that there are more than enough domeheads and threehorns who have more aggression than sense.

Topps's eyes went cold.

"Shhhh…" the threehorn cautioned, "Here comes my uncle."

The two dinosaurs quickly stiffened up as the gray threehorn emerged through the foliage, a curious look on his face. That was when the threehorn stepped forward with a polite bow.

"It seems the domeheads dispute their placement, sir."

The domehead stepped forward with fake indignation. "You ignorant horn-faced…"

Topps's unimpressed growl interrupted the display as he examined the stream and the swimmers nearby. It was obvious that he had heard all of this before.

"Again? What part of the territory do you challenge, Nepha?"

The domehead looked taken aback for a moment before answering. "Well… my herd has been growing so it is only best that we get more of the stream."

Logos appeared to notice his change in expression. "Mr. Threehorn?"

The other threehorn protested, "And the swimmer herd hasn't been growing? They outnumber you three to one easily!"

"It isn't our fault that the swimmers breed like Rampaging Leaf-Swarmers…"

"Enough!" Topps roared with more than a little exasperation, "You can tell your claim to the valley during the next meeting. Until then the stream is shared, understood?"

The domehead held his ground for a moment before giving a reluctant nod and storming off. Leaving the threehorn and Topps alone.

"I never took you for a diplomat, Castor."

Castor looked at his uncle with a slight smile. "I normally don't have a domehead herd leader yelling at me, sir."

Topps snorted. "Alright, well… this can work itself out in a few days. In the meantime it is your turn to sleep and to let the others have a turn keeping watch over the stream."

Castor protested, but not heavily. "What bellydraggers would be stupid enough to swim through our streams?"

"Dead ones," Topps answered with an arrogant laugh, "But the youngsters need practice. Care to wake them?"

Castor smiled. "A training session, sir?"

"I think the little ones are ready for some training. Besides, the only way to keep Tricia out of trouble is to find her trouble."

Castor laughed as he strolled towards the herd's grounds. "You could just remove the bad influences."

Topps rolled his eyes. "Yeah… that worked so well with Cera. Have a good night, Castor."

As Castor bellowed a parting call Topps was left alone by the stream to await the arrival of what was sure to be tired and irritable children. Welcome to the world of adulthood, children. It is not all fun and games.

He snorted as he took a drink from the stream. Domeheads wanting to take swimmer territory, hmmm… something doesn't sound right about that.

It wasn't until he could hear his daughter's annoyed grunt in the distance that the reason why it seemed strange finally came to him.

The domehead lands are nowhere near here… then what was all of that about?

As the sound of the advancing children approached him, he resolved to get the full story from his nephew.

Why was Nepha even here, Castor?

Topps opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out. He had merely marked the incident up to a domehead losing track of his territory and his nephew, Castor, not being well acquainted with the exact division of the herds' boundaries. But what if it were something else?

Castor had been the one to be seriously injured during the battle with Chomper's parents. But surely he didn't hold that kind of grudge against his uncle… right?

"Sir?" the rainbowface prompted once more.

Topps blinked. There was only one good choice here. As the damned arrogant rainbowface had stated sometimes one had to do a harder right instead of an easier wrong. And if Topps was right then his nephew would be exonerated.

And if not…

"Logos, I think that we might have to have Volant help with this one. Tell her to gather some flyers that she can trust life and then to talk to us personally."

Logos was taken aback for a moment, but then clicked her beak as if she realized something and nodded her head.

"When do you plan on talking to Ignis?"

The rainbowface gave no indication of surprise when the threehorn deduced her next move. "Chronos and I will leave in the morning. The valley is overdue to have the usual exchange of healing plants and pleasantries. Now the pleasantries will include something a bit less pleasant."

Topps nodded. "I will assign those you deem trustworthy to the journey. And your children?"

Logos sighed as she looked up at Topps. "I would hate to burden you, sir, but…"

"Done. Tria and I will watch the little ones." He resisted the urge to give an amused snort at the expression Logos gave him. "You have helped watch Tricia when I made that journey so it is only right that we help you."

He added after a pause, "Especially after what happened last time."

Both dinosaurs could only be silent after that. The loss of one of the valley's own and the near-loss of several of their beloved children was a testament to how dangerous the routine missions to the hidden runners territory truly was. But in a time of rising danger such a risk was more important than ever.

As the Bright Circle began to rise over the horizon he could only hope that it was the dawning of a bright new day and not a sign of them fast running out of time.

---

Seeker's territory:

As he felt the comfortable grass cushion his fall, Littlefoot resisted the urge to fall asleep after he collapsed into his scrape. It only took a few moments for the familiar sensation of his mate sitting beside him to register in his consciousness. He could smell that she still had the little one's blood on her body.

He did not wait for Cera and Taunt to get seated before beginning.

"We have no choice now."

Cera and Taunt both fell to the ground like stones as they nodded at his words. Taunt's expression was an uncharacteristic mask, whereas Cera's was one of controlled fury. They all had children of their own. They had all seen the damage. They all knew the stakes.

"Wrok must be killed!" Cera roared, "I don't give a two-footer's ass about complications, he has attacked our own and he must pay!"

Littlefoot remained silent a moment, allowing the others to respond. Their silence was deafening.

"The question is how we should deal with Wrok. We have options, and all of those options entail risk." Littlefoot cautioned.

"We have to think of our own children," Ruby added, "We also need to consider that Wrok may have hurt our friends because he wanted us to avenge our friends."

"It does sound like something that he would do. The hidden runners say that he never does anything directly." Taunt added.

Cera could barely contain herself. "Well, fuck him!" A chunk of grass met an untimely end as she slashed at the ground before glaring at her pack leader. "If we don't help Verant then what kind of friends are we?"

Littlefoot held his gaze. "The question is not whether we help, it is how do we help? Some thinking now may prevent one of us dying later."

Taunt risked touching his mate's tail in a comforting gesture. "Dear…"

Cera held her glare for several moments before turning away and slashing the ground again, sending a tuft of dirt on top of Taunt's head. The somewhat resigned bow of her head confirmed that the crisis had passed for now. She would listen to reason.

Littlefoot sucked in a breath. That was fortunate as they needed all of the brains that they could get at this point.

As soon as she seated herself again, Littlefoot continued.

"We have two allies of trusted standing," Littlefoot noted, as both Slasher's and Verant's packs had risked their lives on more than one occasion for the sake of their friends, "Two of good standing, and several that tolerate us. But none that would risk a full attack."

"They have their own packmates to consider," Cera grumbled.

"Exactly," Littlefoot agreed as he softened his tone somewhat, "And then we have the valley…"

"Do we?" Taunt interrupted before noting Littlefoot's glare, "Sorry, but in case we all forget Path and his folks took more than a few bites out of a few threehorn asses. Now, I don't know about all of you, but allies or not I would be beginning to question loyalties if an ally participated in defending shit like that."

"They were our allies!" Cera protested as if that explained everything.

Taunt sighed. "Yes, dear, and I am sure that your families get that. But do you honestly think the other sap-suckers give a tiny biter's vent? I am not saying that they won't help us, but there might be some problems in sap-sucker paradise."

Ruby nodded. "We may need to be careful with the valley, because the valley might be being careful with us. This is why we had territory outside of the valley in the first place."

Littlefoot groaned. "If that is true then I am sure we will hear the first grumblings of that soon. Chronos and Logos are usually quick with the gossip."

---

"The stream drowns our thoughts in sorrow, but are all the petals still in the stream? Ask the violet how the Verant fares. Ask the look-out what the Fratus hears. If they both hear the same then have someone end the game."

Fratus still couldn't figure out what the rainbowfaces' message could possibly mean. It was all that he could do just to remember it accurately. Why did I ever agree to fly messages for those crazies? he complained to himself, Crazy message, weird message senders, and very dangerous message recipients. I truly am insane. Well, here goes everything.

Fratus let out a low call, letting the pack know he was friendly. He didn't want to get attacked when he could barely see.

He continued to lose altitude as he coasted towards the barely visible ground. That was when he was greeted by a series of three long calls, followed by two swift shrieks. The sounds confusingly appeared to come from behind him and ahead of him all at the same time.

Fratus returned the call with his own, letting out a shriek, three short calls, and another shriek. I hope I did that right. If not, I'm dead. Spotting what he thought was a decent spot to land, Fratus started to dive more steeply towards his hoped for landing spot.

The details of the tall grass became visible as Fratus descended through the last of the fog. Focusing all of his attention on nailing his landing, he paid little heed to all other concerns.

That was when he felt a sudden gust of wind and a loud click echoed in his ears.

Startled, Fratus botched his landing, first skidding his claws along the ground before all but slamming his beak into the ground.

As soon as he crash landed he immediately regretted the decision.

"Damn valley flyers! You almost make Spotter killer! Has Momma not told you the right calls?"

Fratus did not have a chance to answer before two loud shrieks and two long low tones echoed in his right ear as the predator practically deafened him. Then, with a final enraged shriek, the flyer mercifully ended his assault on Fratus's sense of hearing.

Ow. What exactly did I get wrong? I could have sworn I got the call right. Fratus was pretty sure he never wanted to make that flyer angry again.

"There's been enough pain tonight. Now pack woke up," The sharptooth flyer lamented as he took a deep breath. He gave two long calls into the air, presumably to alert the rest of the pack that it was a false alarm.

"What so important that the valley wake pack up?"

"The rainbowfaces gave me a message for you guys," Fratus replied with more than a little exasperation, "It's rather long."

Fratus did his best to say it the same he'd been told the phrase, but his way of memorizing the words meant he sang the message more than he said it. "The stream drowns our thoughts in sorrow, but are all the petals still in the stream?" He allowed his tone to go higher, imitating a courtship song. "Ask the violet how the Verant fares. Ask the look-out what the Fratus hears. If they both hear the same then have someone end the game." He was rather fortunate that the rainbowfaces' messages leant themselves rather readily to his mind songs. Otherwise he would not have been a very good messenger.

Petrie was deadly silent for several moments as his eyes seemed to stare into the flyer's very soul. He did not move a muscle. The only sound was the rustling of the grass in the wind.

"When they give you this?" Petrie asked neutrally.

"A little while before the Bright Circle set," Fratus replied, slightly unnerved by Petrie's lack of movement.

Petrie was quiet for several more moments. "It take you until Bright Circle almost wake up to get here?"

"The winds were bad. I had to fight them the whole way here," Fratus replied, slightly indignant at what he felt was a slight against his flying ability.

"Me believe you. They send you at night to slow you all down. It part of their plan."

"What?" Fratus was now hopelessly confused.

"It is their message," Petrie noted as he examined his wing, "The stream drowns our thoughts in sorrow, but are all the petals still in the stream?"

He continued, "They are asking there that not all of you are on the same side. How many others were you with when you got that message?"

"Three, including me," Fratus answered. What does he mean by 'sides'. Aren't we all allies?

"Ask the violet how the Verant fares... They knew that something was wrong with Verant's territory and wanted us to check on him." Petrie paused. "Did one of you find something?"

"I heard tiny biters talking about a lot of dead hidden runners," Fratus replied, "It sounded like there had been a fight or something. I wasn't all that far from where Verant's pack was staying with a hidden runner pack."

"Many died. We treated one of the injured, but we are not sure how he will do," Petrie gave another piercing look at the other flyer, "...Ask the look-out what the Fratus hears. If they both hear the same then have someone end the game."

What's that supposed to mean? Fratus wondered?

He was stunned when the sharptooth flyer cloaked a wing over him.

Fratus nearly jerked away, alarmed.

"Congratulations, Fratus. Our friend not mention you saying anything to Wrok. You get to live."

Fratus couldn't help but gulp at the thought of his life being ended.

The sharptooth flyer glared at the dark skies, searching for the remaining flyers. "Me not sure your other friends be that lucky."

"We're not really that good of friends," Fratus replied, already trying to distance himself from possible retribution.

Petrie snorted as he gave four short sharp tones. Sending the signal that would alert the pack members that were on guard.

"No worries, Fratus. If me doubt that you not be speaking right now."

Fratus immediately took a step away from Petrie. The other flyer was making him feel very uncomfortable. Can I leave now?

---

Ignis's territory:

"So then I tell her: you have better be careful with him. You may ask for the gills but he will give you the entire fish!" The hidden runner laughed as he slapped his spear.

"Why would anyone want a fish's gills?" the other hidden runner asked, not getting the joke.

His counterpart groaned as he forced himself up from his somewhat relaxed position, resuming his scanning of the horizon. "It was a euphemism, you killjoy."

"A eu-pho-what?"

The hidden runner merely bowed his head in defeat. "A turn-of-phrase… I was implying that Trigor fucks a lot of females, alright?"

"Then why didn't you just say that?" the other hidden runner replied.

"Because it isn't funny that way… I mean…" His counterpart now looked helpless. "Sigh.. forget it. We need to focus on the treeline anyway or the Deputy will have our ass."

"Think we'll see anything today? No one's tried to sneak in around here in awhile."

The larger hidden runner shrugged. "It is not usually the season where the young ones try to prove themselves. No reason to do that when the ladies are all taken. Well, no hurry to do so anyway." He then looked at the other oddly. "I mean come on, Darbo, don't tell me that ladies were not on your mind when you made your first raid into the other packs' scouting grounds. You weren't hatched a joyless curmudgeon."

"I was trying to make my parents proud, Rondo," Darbo replied, smirking slightly, "Maybe that's why you got caught. You weren't focusing on what you were doing."

"Hey! I got it eventually… and besides getting caught by her was totally worth it."

"You're hopeless," Darbo said, shaking his head in exasperation.

The two hidden runners watched the treeline in silence, searching for any hint of movement or any scent of danger. As the middle line they were not usually expected to be searching for obvious danger, but for anyone who might have snuck around the outer watch. Someone like a raider seeking to earn their promotion to scout or tracker.

But these were not usual times.

"Why do you bother carrying around your sharp stick? A stick you picked up off the ground would be sharper," Darbo muttered after seeing just how dull Rondo's spear was.

Rondo held up his spear and checked the tip, poking it with a claw before glaring at Darbo indignantly. "It is sharp enough. It is sharp enough to even scare a two-footer!"

"The only way you could kill a two-footer with that thing would be for him to die laughing," Darbo replied. He tapped the tip of Rondo's spear for emphasis.

Darbo had no real comeback to this. "I bet it would be sharp enough to go through you. I will have you know, Mr. Killjoy, that I have…"

That was when the sound of snapping twigs made both of them swing around, their petty dispute instantly forgotten as they faced the unknown with their spears outstretched.

"By the trees," Rondo confirmed in a whispered hiss as he moved to his left in order to match the direction that the disturbance appeared to be moving.

Darbo moved towards the trees in pursuit of the sound, preferring a more aggressive approach.

The underbrush continued to creak and jostle around as the unseen threat moved forward. As both hidden runners raised their spears it was Darbo that gave the warning.

"Halt!" Darbo called, "We found you." Anything else he was going to say was cut off when an exhausted hidden runner suddenly collapsed at his feet.

"Gone… all gone…"

The two hidden runners dropped their spears immediately to attend to the stricken female. Dried blood and gashes covered much of her left flank and the side of her face.

"My babies… my mate… everyone gone!"

"Who did this?" Rondo asked with a wavering voice. He found himself searching the trees for any sign of predators.

Trusting Rondo keep a lookout, Darbo moved to get a better look at the female's injuries. "You're going to need a healer," he said, noticing the extent of the injuries.

The female was silent and shaking. Maybe it was being overwhelmed by her journey and the sudden response, or maybe it was the injuries themselves taking their toll, but it was obvious that she needed serious help.

"Rondo, she needs a healer now," Darbo said, "I need you to..."

"They came… Questor and his pack… they took everything…" She then looked up at the two hidden runners with almost vacant eyes, "I don't know what to do…"

"Rondo, get a healer now," Darbo ordered.

Rondo could only stare at the scene mutely as the implications came flooding into his mind. If the entire Pack of the West Stream had been killed by Questor then that not only indicated an untold massacre, but a horrible blow to the Great Leader's allies, and a massive boon to Wrok.

He looked mutely at his acquaintance.

"Rondo!"

The hidden runner snapped back to the present. A doomed cause or not, there was someone who needed his help.

"On it!"

As his comrade sprinted into the distance, sending out alert calls along the way, Darbo could only consider the terrible news with a stoic sense of duty to his pack and his leader. But even he could not shake one horrifying thought from his mind. The only possibility for which any change in the grand order could be considered.

Has the Hand of Fate left the Great Leader?

---

The next morning:

Ungu's first thought upon waking was that Daddy's tail felt weird. Usually it was smooth and scaly, but for some reason on this occasion he apparently had forgotten to clean himself. There was a lot of soft grass and oddly feeling sticks stuck all over the gently wagging appendage.

Finally waking up enough to realize where she was, Ungu fell off the tail in startlement. That is not Daddy's tail. I can't believe I did that.

The sound of snoring greeted her ears as the massive green male's body continued to heave up and down with each breath. Meanwhile two smaller fuzzballs bounded along on his back. She didn't need to sniff them to know that those were Spike's two sons: Sniffer and Nibble.

"Oh, you're up. Don't mind them, Ungu, they could sleep through a swarming leaf-gobbler attack."

Ungu looked up at Breeze, nearly smiling at being around someone she recognized before cringing when she remembered the night before.

"Are you alright, dear?" Breeze asked with some concern as she gave her a sniff, "You and your brother had quite a lot of excitement last night."

"Um, am I in trouble?" Ungu asked, her body language suggesting she'd done something rather serious.

"Not at all," Breeze soothed softly as she cautiously gave the child a nuzzle, "You handled last night better than I would have at your age."

"But I didn't do what I was told to," Ungu replied, rather confused.

Breeze allowed herself to sit down as the sounds of the rest of her family finally waking up could be heard behind Ungu. She knew how Mender handled perceived embarrassment in front of others, and she wanted Ungu to be spared any more perceived incidents.

"You did fine. We all make mistakes in life, and part of growing up is to make sure that we learn from them. You are still here and… so is your brother." She added the last part with her tail twisted in the slightest hint of a smile.

"Gyors is okay?" Ungu asked excitedly, "Can I see him?"

Breeze nodded as her two sons suddenly arrived on the scene as well, bouncing up and down with the unrestrained excitement that Ungu tried to keep inside. "Hop on, little ones! Let's see what Gyors is up to this morning!"

Ungu didn't need any encouragement, but she did need a little help getting on Breeze's back as Nibble and Sniffer helped drag her onboard. That was when everything turned into a blur as Breeze lived up to her name.

"Momma's fast!" Sniffer affirmed as he saw Ungu's startled expression, "That's how she got her pack name."

"It's okay to dig your claws in. Momma doesn't mind!" Nibble affirmed as he held on for dear life. It seemed that both of the sons had experience with their mother's antics.

"Why are we going fast?" Ungu asked, now holding on as tightly as she could. I felt safer on the flyer.

"And here we are!" Breeze affirmed as she began to slow to a trot. What had previously been a confusing blur of green and blue was now the more normal view of tall grass and a brilliant blue sky. Ungu barely had time to adjust when she was helped down by the two eager males.

"Look, there he is!"

"He is looking better than last night!"

Ungu looked out at the scene with more than a little disorientation and confusion before she regained her bearings. That was when she saw the larger forms of Mender and Ponder in the background while her brother walked around with his good eye closed, merely using his sniffer as if he were sniffing for ground fuzzies. The other children, however, were completely motionless until he identified one of them...

"Biter."

...and the child nodded before going to where several other kids had gathered.

"They're playing that sniffer game," Ungu said after a moment of confused staring at the kids playing, "I'm really bad at that game." She looked at the two boys with her before leading them to join the rest of the kids in the game. "Let's go."

In her rush to join the game Ungu did not notice the horrified expression that was now plastered on Breeze's face.

---

Okay, so who am I smelling? Gyors wondered as he continued to move through the tall grass, I really hope my eye stops hurting. It's hard to focus on smells like this.

What used to be my eye, part of his mind corrected. It was taking everything he had to try to fight through the pain.

That was when he came across a very unique smell. It smelt raptory and femalely with an odd sort of me-smell, kind of like Mender but closer to his smell, the all-encompassing smell that every dinosaur had to identify themselves.

His feet worked themselves into a run. He didn't need extra time on this one.

"Oof."

Okay, maybe I should have taken a bit more time. Gyors stepped away from the warm body he just collided into, gently shaking his head as he opened his remaining eye.

"Ungu!" he affirmed with a laugh, before cringing suddenly as a pained squeak left his mouth. He tried to cover his mouth but it was too late.

"You okay?" Ungu asked. She stood up to get a better look at her brother's injury.

Gyors looked at her with a slight frown. From her angle she could clearly sense his pain as the deep gouge across his eye's previous location could be seen. Only the sight of sap and some leaves blocked her view.

"I'm fine… but don't tell Mender. The leaves they make me feel funny and sleepy."

"Gyors..." Ungu really didn't like her brother to be in pain. She sighed. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Gyors nodded, though it was obvious to his sister and anyone else he was now struggling. Despite her being on the other side of the sibling hierarchy from her brother, it had to have been obvious to her that something had changed in a mere few moments. Had it been the crash?

"Whoa! Easy there, Gyors!"

He sighed as the sound of Ruby's voice echoed in his ears. He didn't have to take a sniff of the air to know that Mender was right behind her. Her voice was the next to register in his mind.

"Yep, looks like time for a pain leaf. Why didn't you tell us that the last one was wearing off?"

Ungu looked from Mender to Gyors and back, unsure of who to side with.

Gyors could only swallow as he struggled to maintain his composure as he turned to face the elders. The concerned looks of the other children looked out at him in a mixture of concern and pity. Two expressions that he never wanted to see. He was the eldest of the little ones of his pack and was responsible for putting on a brave face to the others.

And he was failing in that duy.

But the pain…

"Hey."

Suddenly the other children were out of view as Mender's massive body formed a protective shield from him and the eyes of the others. It was then that his aunt's soothing words echoed in his head despite being a whisper.

"I need you to be an honest biter with me, okay?"

Gyors could only nod as he allowed himself to shake. He could show weakness to family.

"How much pain do you feel right now? Compared to last night?"

Gyors looked down. "Why is it back? I felt good earlier and now… and now…"

He did not have a chance to finish as a sudden weight was placed right behind his jaw, causing his throat to open. Then, being powerless to stop his aunt, he could feel the terrible leaves enter the back of his throat. It only lasted a moment, but that was enough.

When he was finally released he could only thrash in disgust as the horrible taste seemed to permeate through every pore of his body. It was as if the taste was insufficient in itself and began to overwhelm all of his other senses. It was only several moments later that he registered that he was sobbing and that Mender's voice appeared to be receding in his mind.

"You're a brave biter, Gyors… you're a brave biter…"

---

Oh, so that's why he doesn't like those leaves... Ungu thought, now staring at her brother's nearly passed out form. He was lying down and trying to sit up, but he seemed rather out of it.

"L-leaves suck," Gyors muttered as if that summarized the entire situation.

Mender gave him a little nod. "I know. I have had them before, but they keep the pain away. You will only need them for a few days, but a little one like you don't need to battle through this alone."

It was then that she nodded at Ungu as well and moved out of the way so that the other children could see. It turned out that the entire group of children were right behind Mender the entire time, concern plastered on all of their faces.

Ungu shifted so that she was at least slightly between her brother and the others, feeling more than a bit protective.

"A pack stands to its own, and as long as you are here they are your pack as well." Ruby looked at her own children before again focusing on Gyors. "There is no shame in showing pain. There is only shame in letting the pain control you."

Ungu was just a bit unnerved at the approach of two of the kids Gyors had been playing with. They had the same feathers as the other younglings, with one having brown feathers and a bright red crest, while the other had the same coloration as a female fastrunner. She hadn't been introduced to any of them, and they were both notably bigger than her. It didn't help that she was already the smallest of her siblings.

"T-that's Biter," her brother's somewhat distorted voice noted, "And this is Swipe. Swipe and B-Biter, this is my sister, Ungu."

The one identified as Biter gave a polite nod to Ungu before looking at Gyors and giving a playful smirk. "Those things messed me up when Mommy gave me those for my tail. I'm surprised you even know your name right now."

Swipe, as her namesake indicated, gave a playful swipe at her brother's head. "I remind him of mine sometimes." She then dodged a playful bite at her tail. "And he does too."

"Yeah, but do you remember all of Haven's bunch?" A smirking orange little biter jumped in front of the duo. "There are five of those ankle-biters."

Biter rolled his eyes. "Pounce… you of all biters have no right to call them ankle-biters after the stunt that you pulled last time."

"The orange one is P-Pounce… he's kind of funny…"

Ungu could only watch as a spontaneous sparring match broke out. As far as she could tell, it started with Biter and Pounce before quickly involving many of the others. "Is this normal?" she asked her brother, though she knew he wouldn't know firsthand.

Gyors laughed lightly as a bit of drool left his mouth. "In this pack, yeah."

It did not take long before Ruby lightly licked the drool from the stricken biter's mouth and carefully placed him on her back before turning towards Ungu with a permission-seeking expression. "Shall I introduce you to the others while my children are being ankle-biters?"

"Am not!" came two shouts before they were overtaken by what Ungu assumed was "Haven's bunch", a group of children almost as numerous as her family.

Ungu nodded in answer to Ruby's question while struggling not to laugh at the situation Biter and Swipe had gotten themselves into. As she was carried onto the massive rose-colored Utahraptor's back she could see that her brother was already calming as the leaves took effect. If he could be calm in this situation then so could she.

---

Mender watched the scene with some relief as she prepared to follow her niece and nephew on their introductory tour. Despite the odds everything was looking like that Gyors would recover from his wound, though the loss of vision on that side could not be remedied even with her knowledge and skill. His only recourse would be to develop his other senses.

And as far as she was concerned this was her personal duty.

"Mender."

Reluctantly she stopped her forward motion as Ruby continued forward pointing out children as she went. All around her feet the melee continued as little flyers began to dive bomb the hapless fastbiters. Despite the horrors they had seen the night before, or perhaps because of them, they wanted to play as if the opportunity had not been there for them before.

Mender turned around. "Yes, Cynnil?"

The hidden runner looked grim, and for a moment Mender was concerned that she had missed something. Did she miss a warning sign with Gyors? Was he okay? In a panic she quickly looked back.

"It isn't about that; he's fine," Cynnil clarified quickly, "Seeker wants to see us."

"If it's about what I think it is, I'd really rather not," Mender replied, her tone suggesting that a direct order from Cynnil might not be enough to compel her attendance.

The hidden runner sighed, her green feathers being the only thing moving on her complexion due to the brisk wind. Her brilliant eyes seemed to stare at everything and nothing in particular all at once.

"I'd rather not as well, but unlike you I don't really have a choice. I need to know whatever they can find for the good of my people and my pack."

Cynnil looked at the two children in the distance as they examined the mayhem below them from the relative safety of Ruby's back. "How is he doing?"

"He's doing as well as to be expected," Mender said, "Better, really. I'd still be curled up somewhere."

Cynnil nodded. "Hard as it sounds the rough part is yet to come… but he will find his path. It just cannot be the same path that he was on. Not anymore."

"He's still young. He can find another path."

"But will Verant understand that? And will Gyors?" Cynnil's eyes were focused straight on her, "Gyors was the largest was he not?" The implications were clear. Could either father or son accept that their paths had now been separated by this cruel turn of events?

"Verant understood my path was different than his or Staza's," Mender replied, "I don't see how this is all that different..." she tapped her sniffer, "from this." She gestured in Gyors's direction.

"The difference is that Gyors still sees himself as being a miniature Verant; just look at how he handled his pain earlier. You always had a unique place, Mender." Cynnil sighed. "In any case… I know of no one better to help Gyors through this."

"Well, if Gyors wants to keep imitating Verant he should be fine. I wasn't the only one that had to adapt to something abnormal, you know."

"Just as long as he does not imitate the need to keep things to himself," Cynnil cautioned before suddenly changing tone, "I… do have a request of you."

"What?" Mender replied skeptically, cautious but not willing to outright refuse without knowing what she was refusing.

"The other flyer has not arrived yet which all but confirms what the rainbowfaces told the pack, but there is the tricky situation of what to do with the other two flyers."

"What are you suggesting?" Mender snapped, now almost hostile. She did not like what Cynnil seemed to be implying.

Cynnil was taken back by her hostility before realizing the implication. "No, not that! But they do need to know the true cost of the other side. Of what the other flyer willingly served. Would you mind introducing them to Gyors?"

"I can do that," Mender replied, "as long as he wants to."

Cynnil looked away for a moment, an ashamed look on her face. It was a hint of something that Mender had not seen since they had first met several years prior.

"You could just ask for the information afterward, you know," Mender said, trying to give her friend a way out of her rather unpleasant task.

Cynnil shook her head sadly. "The only two things that a hidden runner cannot hide from are Fate and the consequences of their decisions. Sometimes I wonder which I fear more." She looked at Mender directly. "Is there anything that you want me to say to the flyer? I highly doubt the pack will give him another chance."

"I would ask why he thought working with hidden runners was a good idea when he apparently doesn't like the whole alliance thing, but if he shows up at all he's probably too stupid to have thought that deeply about it."

Cynnil nodded as she began to walk away, her shoulder's slumped as if the weight of the world were on her shoulders. "It will be asked. Though I think my question will cover all of that."

Mender tilted her head. "What question is that?"

Cynnil did not turn around. "A simple one: why?"

---

Damn, this shit is not worth my time! Send a message here, send a message there. I will be glad when we flyers can simply be flyers again, not messengers for the land-stumblers.

The flyer nearly cooed when he saw the tell-tale high hill that designated he was within the territory of Seeker's pack. He quickly gave the proper call.

Two loud shrieks and two low tones… that ensures that they don't eat your bones…

Hano snorted. He did have to admit that at least this pack did have a way with words.

The same call then echoed from above him as another flyer dove in front of him, before edging to his left. It was a clear invitation to follow and land.

Finally! Let's get this over with.

He carefully rode the thermal rising above Lookout Hill, gaining altitude as he prepared to coast to wherever the flyer directed. Looking down he could see the entire territory. The large stream, the large hill, the massive region of wavy grass, followed by the stream entering a darkened swamp. What caught his attention in the otherwise normal sights, however, were his two fellow messenger flyers walking awkwardly beside a purple fastbiter. What were they doing here?

"They here on other mission. They get stuck with sending messages from young ones."

Hano could barely hear the flyer guiding him over the wind, but his gestures were clear enough. With a strong shift to the west, Petrie descended into a controlled spiral down to where several other dinosaurs and another adult flyer were present.

Huh? The entire pack wants to hear cryptic rainbowface shit? Well, their loss then.

He felt the tug of the air against his wings gradually decrease as he slowed his speed and descended towards the apparent landing space. When he did land it was with a resounding thud.

"Greetings, Hano. We have been expecting you."

The flyer looked up at the words of the fastbiter. The brown predator was poised comfortably with two fastbiters on each side of him. An orange fastbiter with stripes was joined by another feathered that he quickly identified as Cera. On the other side stood two green fastbiters, only one of which he could identify as the former swimmer. With Petrie and Soar behind him, and a massive purple sharptooth towering behind the fastbiters, it was both a stifling and awe-inspiring sight.

In the display of power before him, Hano nearly lost his cool.

"I… um… Chronos and Logos have given me a message, sir."

In a deliberate slowness that was both maddening and confusing, the brown fastbiter appeared to tap his claws awkwardly against the ground, making a distracting series of clicks before he finally answered. "Okay, let's hear it then."

I don't remember these biters being this messed up. Maybe they ate some bad meat or something?

Not wasting much time, however, he carefully repeated his message.

"The stream drowns our thoughts in sorrow, but are all the petals still in the stream?" He spoke in a neutral monotone, not allowing for his message to take on any hint of his own emotions. "Ask the violet how the Verant fares. Ask the look-out what the Hano hears. If they both hear the same then have someone end the game."

He finished the message with the same calm detachment he saved for his usual messages. But the complete and utter silence that remained over the pack began to unsettle him. The staring without any words almost reminded him of a predator sizing up his prey.

These fuzz-balls have eaten lately, haven't they?

"An interesting message," Littlefoot finally said, "Do you know what it means?"

Hano shrugged carefully with his wings. "No. The rainbowfaces sometimes say things oddly, but I can only say what they say."

Littlefoot did not blink. "Just like a true and honest messenger."

Hano did not know what to say to that. The fastbiter's expression did not shift to indicate any meaning, hidden or overt. The only constant was the unblinking eyes.

"Not all petals are in the stream, as we have found out, but we are still here," Littlefoot continued with his piercing eyes focused into the flyer's, "The Violet tells us that Verant has been better, but his children have been saved.. And as for the look out, I think you can help out with that."

Silence reigned for several moments as the creepy unblinking gaze of the five fastbiters did not change. The temperature of the area seemed to cool suddenly as Hano realized that he would be unable to take off in time without inviting an attack. But why was this…

"It was wise for you not to talk to Wrok yourself and to use a messenger, but do you know the funny thing about fake-messengers?"

Hano's blood went cold; it was time to flee. Placing as much force into his muscles as he could he prepared for a speedy takeoff. That was when his wings exploded into a wildfire of pain. He had forgotten about the flyers at his sides.

"You will not move or my mate will eat your eyes."

Hano struggled against the sharp talons only for an instant before his survival instincts forced him into a nearly catatonic state. There was no way to escape now.

The female flyer and the fastbiters were now silent. It was left to Petrie to tell Hano the secret.

"We have our 'special listeners' too. And they hear what you said to our enemy."

Hano thrashed around more desperately now as sudden movement could be heard all around him. Words in sharptooth that he could barely understand in his pain-hazed mind. But the words from Petrie were crystal clear.

"You die today. You decide how quick."

Hano could only scream. "I will do whatever you want! You want names? I can give you names!" He looked at the various predators. "No more lies! I promise!"

The flyer closed his eyes, awaiting the end. That was when he felt someone sniffing at his wings, before licking at them. His own fearful shriek echoed in his ears before a sharp slap to his beak silenced him.

"Who else in the valley is working for Wrok?"

Hano reluctantly opened his eyes as a hidden runner stared at him with something between disinterest and a glare. It was the same creepy expression he sometimes saw from the maddening rainbowfaces. Like he was something to be studied.

But specimen or not if it was a chance to live…

"I only know the one that creepy-eyes tells me to talk to!" he choked out in a fearful screech.

"Creepy-eyes?" the hidden runner prompted.

"Wrok," Hano clarified in a panic, "He looks through you like you're not even there."

The hidden runner watched him for a moment without saying a word. For a moment Hano wondered if he had said something wrong.

That was when he felt a talon on his throat.

"I swear I'm telling the…"

"He is not lying…" The talon left Hano's throat suddenly as the hidden runner's calm voice cut through him like a claw. "Not yet, anyway…"

Hano could only whimper. He had no options now.

"Who are your contacts in the valley?"

Hano swallowed hard as he looked up at the hidden runner. "If I tell you will you let me go?"

Cynnil tilted her head. "You almost sound like you don't trust hidden runners."

Hano gritted his beak. "Hidden runners can say one thing and mean another."

Cynnil shrugged. "You are a flyer who has broken his promise to his valley and agreed to help a monster in the Mysterious Beyond, but yet you accuse me of dishonesty?"

The talon on his throat was back again before Cynnil waved it off.

"Let me guess? The ends justify the means? It's okay to work with Wrok because in the end it will mean each herd gets to do their own thing? This is only a temporary necessity?" She stopped a short distance from his eyes. "Am I getting close?"

The flyer merely closed his eyes before nodding.

"Wrok will use you like he uses everything else, Hano. Do you honestly think he is going to want any traitors to be left around once he is done using them? If one betrays once then they can betray again…"

Hano tried to control his breathing. Could the hidden runner be right? Surely the others in the valley who were in on righting things would protect him… after all, as soon as the old elders who agreed to this sacrilege were mustered out the opening would be open for them as the new leaders. And they would need some loyal flyers to replace Volant and the other sharptooth-lovers…

...but he couldn't enjoy any of that if he were dead. After all… no one had to know that he gave up his contact in the valley… he highly doubted that he was very high up in the conspiracy anyway.

"Alright, eat his eyes."

Hano didn't waste any time.

"I will tell you everything! Just promise that you will let me live!"

Cynnil tilted her head before looking over at Littlefoot. After giving something that sounded like a few clicks and a growl, she again looked into Hano's eyes.

"Hano, I promise that if you tell us everything then your lying beak will be back in the valley within the day."

Hano allowed himself to breath a sigh of relief. There was hope yet.

---

The Great Valley later that day:

"Thank you for letting us know, Fratus. And just so you know, don't let any part of this leave this conversation."

The flyer nodded profusely as Veer looked like he wanted to be anywhere else at the moment. "We know, Mr. Threehorn, sir. Your daughter made that quite clear."

"Of course she did," Topps muttered to himself, sounding rather proud.

Bron could notice the distress of the flyers, however, and decided not to prolong their misery. "Thank you both for this report. I know if must have been very unpleasant for you both. I think that you have more than earned a few days to relax."

Veer and Fratus both looked at one another with relieved expressions before nodding their agreement with Bron's declaration. Both wasted no time before going airborne.

That was when Fratus remembered the other part of his mission and quickly landed on the ground with a thud, dropping his cargo from his talons.

"Sorry, sir. There was one more thing." He gestured at the odd-shaped package of leaves and vines with his beak. "The fastbi… Your children wanted you to have this."

Volant landed in front of the package with a curious expression. "Did they say what it is?"

Topps gruffly added, "I'm assuming they haven't taken to eating treestars again."

Fratus shook his head. "We have no idea what it is, sir. They simply told us that it was only for your eyes and the eyes of the name that we gave you."

Chronos and Logos, who had been watching the proceedings from afar like flyers from afar, quickly descended towards the package. It was then that Bron decided to end the flyers' discomfort.

"Dismissed. Thank you both."

The two flyers then took off a second time, leaving a deeply troubled meeting of the valley elders behind them.

"So, are we going to go after the traitor or not?" Topps asked, wanting to deal with the problem immediately.

"And let the others possibly get away? For all we know the name we got could just be a relay." Chronos chided.

"A re-what?" Volant asked. Being confused by the rainbowfaces' terminology was not an uncommon occurrence.

"What my mate is saying," Logos clarified, "Is that maybe the other traitors are using this domehead as a go-between. He might not even see the others."

"How can he be a go-between and not even see the others?" Bron asked.

Chronos sighed. "Let's just say that we have seen weirder things. For all we know he could be ordered to simply say his information into a cave at night. We cannot assume that by threatening this hapless idiot that he will tell us anything."

"Who said I was going to threaten?" Topps grumbled to himself, rather frustrated by what was increasingly appearing to be a lack of action.

"No," Logos clarified as she caught her mate's look, "But if we watch him closely then maybe we can track the others… and with them the conspiracy."

Bron quickly interrupted before Topps could protest. "Better to go after them all then only getting one."

Volant nodded. "And we know of at least two loyal flyers who they might see as potential replacements for Hano… maybe it is time for us to have some fake-messengers of our own?"

Logos looked at the threehorn with a knowing expression. "We need to make sure that we get this right. The last thing we need is for everyone in the valley to suspect everyone else. For all we know that might be what Wrok wants."

"I guess you're right," Topps replied as a flash of his nephew, Castor, appeared in his mind. The memory of the odd incident with the domehead played out in his mind even as they confronted a much more pressing concern here. It was only when he realized that his mind was going in circles that he allowed himself to let out a sigh. Even I'm being paranoid.

"So, what do you think they sent us?" Topps asked, quickly trying to change the subject.

Both Chronos and Logos quickly looked at the others as if asking for permission before Bron gave an amused snort as a sign of consent. The two rainbowfaces were curious to a fault and were barely hiding their suspense before Logos began to quickly undo the vines. The next few seconds were a flurry of movement as leaves began to be thrown everywhere as the package was opened.

But then the rainbowfaces suddenly stopped as their forms went rigid.

"So, what was it?" Topps asked as he moved to see for himself.

The rainbowfaces still did not move. Topps was about to ask again when Bron interrupted.

"Logos, what is it?"

It was only then that Logos turned around with deliberate slowness and removed the last giant leaf to reveal what she held in the remnants of the package.

A flyer's beak.

Cynnil was never one to lie.

---

Thanks for the reviews, everyone! The summer semester has continued to suck my time from me like a temporal vampire, but the next chapter is finally here. The intrigue that has been building for awhile, but now it is coming to a head after first blood has been shed. As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the latest developments.

bryan mccloud: Now that you mention it there is room for a one-shot with the rainbowfaces as their interactions with others often results in unintentional humor. Hmmm... I might need to explore that idea for a bit.

DevoutRelic: Thank you very much for the review. The children are indeed becoming more of a focus as the main political machinations have been established in the story, though the adults (and Mender, Orchid, and their pack) will remain the primary focus. It can be challenging to incorporate so many characters, but as we shall find out they will all have a role to play in what comes next. As for the dialogue-heaviness, I must respectfully disagree with part of your assessment. The Seven Hunters trilogy has always been dialogue-heavy at certain points in the narrative, most notably in the scenes involving family, and if such dialogue is contributing to the development of the characters or the advancement of the plot then that is not necessarily a bad thing. There is a critical difference between having conversations espousing the relationships of the characters and plot developments, and entirely frivolous conversation. And, as the plots and counter-plots develop in this story, such dialogue will become even more important. The dialogue is indeed "telling" things as opposed to "showing" them but as one of the major aspects of this story is that each character interprets words differently and that no one quite knows whose words to trust, both the characters and the readers will have to be cautious in whose dialogue they put their trust in.

gordhanx: Yep, I had great fun with the trapping scene. It was a nice chance for Nahoda to show off some of his would-be parenting skills, even if the fastrunner can't help being a little bit of a panicky klutz. d-; As for Tracker and Dodger, they have the oddest sort of luck. Bad enough to suffer, but good enough to survive with only a few scars. To Dodger that is the only luck he knows. On second thought maybe Historian1912 and I are being jerks to our characters. d-; I hope that you enjoy the latest installment.

Keijo6: Thank you for the kind words and the review. (: To answer your question, the roleplay is still going on to this day. Additionally we are revising about 30,000 words or so of roleplay content (the 'past' story) which is part of the reason why the new chapters are taking a bit longer than before. The overall outlining for the combined story (past and present) has been revised and reworked for several weeks, though the general flow of the story has been set for some time.

I do enjoy this story and the collaboration with Historian1912 very much, but it should certainly be considered a long-term project at this point. Though hopefully it should be finished by the time that I am old enough to collect Social Security. d-;

Have a good week, everyone! Historian1912 and I look forward to your thoughts and feedback. (: