Category: Land Before Time
Rating: T
Couples: canon ones of the adults
Warnings: AU
Chapter: 2
Copyright: Characters & places © By Appropriate Copyright-holder, Plot & OC´s © by me
Author's Note: this is a sequel to Future before Time
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The next day was filled with a calm serenity almost unheard of in the Valley. Well, if one ignored the Longneck and Threehorn-families, that is.
Grandma had spoken truly when she stated she'd be on her husband's case regarding regaining his strength, meaning the elder longneck could hardly take a moment before another glower was aimed at him. He gladly took those though, nuzzling his returned wife lovingly whenever she did. The Old One would chuckle every time that happened, muttering something Littlefoot couldn't hear.
"Try to contain yourself a bit, little one." The old female warned him, a telling look being thrown just over his head. He knew that she was looking at the stone settled where head and neck met.
"I will, Grandma." The youngster beamed up before rushing off with his adopted brother to meet with their friends, leaving the grown-ups behind.
"Are you sure that is safe?" Bron briefly looked at his mother-in-law. He had been too confounded by the mass-return the day before, but it was slowly sinking in that his son somehow had created a fake Sharptooth.
"Of course." Grandma Longneck smiled gently. "Unless he overdoes it, but that is the case with everything one can do, Bron. Are you insinuating that I'd let my grandson do something dangerous?"
"He did conjure up a fake Sharptooth yesterday, love. And he didn't look that good afterwards." Her husband spoke up briefly before getting another bite of treestars.
"Because of which one he used..." She trailed off. "Mary told me he thought of… that one." Shaking her head at the feeling of loss slowly filling her heart, she chuckled. "Let's just leave it at 'if he takes it easy, it'll be fine'. And I'd like to trust he'll stop before it becomes too much."
"But I can understand his concern, cousin." The Old One leaned over to the other female. "You lot disappear in what was described as a cluster of Sky Fire… and come back covered in strange webs while the boy can suddenly just… make images out of nothing."
"Out of light." The other automatically corrected her. "I wasn't sure if we would be able to afford to leave one of us with the children at the end there, so I insisted on them having some ability to defend themselves." Her eyes narrowed a touch at something in the distance, beyond the sight of the others. "It'll be fine."
"It could have been worse." Another voice spoke up, Pterano gliding over to them. "He could be capable of some things that could actually hurt him instead of merely tiring him." The flyer smiled lightly as he settled down on her back. "Just a short interruption, if you don't mind..."
"Mmh?" All four Longnecks turned to look at him. He didn't fail to miss the slight glare in the eyes of the mate of the one he was sitting on.
"I took a flight around the Valley. The humans have cleaned up after themselves." The brown shape gestured in the general direction from where the returnees had entered the valley. "Also, Lewis was there. He stated that they want to visit in three days and asked if that were allowed. Yes? No?"
"Tell him to send Mary." Grandma sighed softly. "If he enters the Valley, there won't be a peaceful visit. Not right now."
The brown form sketched something of a bow before taking off once again.
"Must they?" Grandpa asked, looking after the climbing form. For the first time during the day, his wife did not glower at him for not eating.
"Yes. It is in everyone's best interest if we keep relations civil." She took another deep breath, looking after Pterano. "I'm sure you don't need to deal with them if you don't want it."
All three doubted those words, but did not want to mar this still so recent reunion with arguments. Grandpa returned his attention to the trees nearby, while the other three took up a simple conversation of safer subjects.
At least, they did until a bright flash of light in the distance caught their attention.
"What…?" The flash turned into a pulse and Grandma had a terrible feeling in her chest as if someone was pressing against her heart from the direction it was coming from. She suddenly remembered what Cian had told her before they had returned to the past the second time; I'll let you have the ability to sense other webs in use. And she knew of only one dinosaur present that could make light-flashes. "Littlefoot!"
Almost in answer, a roar echoed in the Valley, bouncing from the walls themselves.
They came upon a scene that earlier might well have been in their nightmares; a furious Sharptooth was squaring up against Old Threehorn, growling and snarling threateningly at him, while he was unstably retreating.
"Grandma!" Unlike their nightmares however, Littlefoot was sheltering under and slightly behind the light-green Sharptooth. The pulses stopped almost immediately, though they seemed to have taken a sharp toll on the youngster. Sweat was beading on his entire body and he was trembling.
"What is happening here!?" The Longnecks had been far from the only ones to have noticed the spectacle and react accordingly. The parents of all children that had headed in the direction of the flashes were also arriving. Hadria rushed over to her adopted child, completely at ease with him being within touching-distance of a large Sharptooth, unlike her mate and other children. "Spike!" She only hesitated when taking in the position he was in, firmly pressed against his longneck-friend, a small pink form cowering underneath them. "Little ones?"
"He tried to remove her web!" Littlefoot informed her, looking between her to his grandmother and then – when she too arrived – Tria. "He wouldn't stop when I told him not to. I had to!"
