Chapter Twenty-One: Another Shard

Everyone stared at the lavender carnivore, but his blood-red gaze was solely locked on Cera. He stood a good foot taller than the three-horn, but his body wasn't as muscular as a typical bone-crusher. It might have been because he was still growing into his body. It was assumed he was a bone-crusher like the dark green hatchling Remy held, but he didn't quite match, namely the three-fingered arms rather than the usual two-fingered arms. Nonetheless, that wasn't the issue at hand.

"He speaks leaf-eater." Ducky's fearful voice trembled from where she was crouched in the foliage.

"How'd you get into the Great Valley, sharp-tooth?" Cera asked, brandishing her horns. "The guards should have chased you off."

"I followed a scent trail during the night." His eyes darted to the hatchling in Remy's arms. "Let me take my sister, and I'll leave. You won't know I've been here. I don't want to fight." He lowered his head in submission, the rage from earlier dissolving into worry as he watched the dark green hatchling.

Cera snorted. "Like I'd let a sharp-tooth go." She charged, but her horns missed the male's pale lavender belly. Seeing no choice, the adolescent sharp-tooth clamped his jaws onto her back, but his teeth didn't sink in deep. The others could only watch as the three-horn and sharp-tooth tussled. Blood was drawn by fang and horn alike. But, Cera was gaining the upper hand, and the sharp-tooth was tiring quickly. It was clear that he was not use to strenuous battles, and he had not planned the situation.

Cera pushed the sharp-tooth back, lowered her head, and scraped the ground. The lavender male stood, flanks heaving for breath, his scales bruised and bleeding. He braced himself for the impact, knowing he was too exhausted to move fast enough. Cera charged, and he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the point of her horns plunging into his gut. He should have listened to his parents and let the egg go, but he couldn't leave his other little sister to grow up without her sibling.

No agony came. Instead, a pained bellow filled the grove. The Sharptooth cracked open his eye. The three-horn lay on the ground, her right foreleg given out beneath her, blood streaming from a fresh gash on her shoulder. Her green eyes, sharper than his teeth, glared up at him as if he had caused her wound. He hadn't, but he knew who had. Worry filled the sharp-tooth's heart as he looked into the trees, a croon sounding from deep in his throat.

"Re-Remy?" Littlefoot asked, staring at Cera in horror. "What was that? It looked like…"

Remy grasped her Shard, her own gaze locked onto the foliage where the flash of bright blue light had filled the space before Cera dropped to her knees. Her necklace had gone cold against her skin when the grove lit up with the streak of blue light.

"I didn't do anything," Remy finally answered Littlefoot.

The sharp-tooth crooned again, but he didn't move, Cera's horn still aimed for his belly. There was so much going on at once, and even more things to happen. Movement in the foliage drew everyone's attention away from Remy and the sharp-tooth. A figure limped into view, and Remy had a sinking feeling of what they were.

It was another human. He wore a Shard around his wrist. His black hair was messy and dark stubble lined his sharp jaw. Remy's gut twisted. She didn't know if it was because of the sheer feral glint in the young man's hazel eyes or his bloodstained hand that clutched a severe injury in his stomach. Or maybe it was the bright blue electricity that danced across his sun-tanned skin, threatening to arch off his body at any moment.

"Back off, or I will kill you." His voice was almost as gravelly as the sharp-tooth's.

The lavender sharp-tooth whimpered. The human shouldn't have been here. He was wounded. He should have been resting. The sharp-tooth told the human that he was able to get his sister all by himself. He didn't need help. But…he did need help. He could have been skewed by the horn-face's horns just a moment ago. Still, the sharp-tooth was worried about the still-bleeding wound.

"I'm fine, Chomped-Dragonfly." The young man's words were ragged, but his hazel eyes were locked on Cera.

Cera turned to the newcomer, eyes narrowed. "A thin-skin can't stop me."

Responding to her statement, bright blue electricity crackled across the young man's body, the heat of it felt by those nearest him.

Voice shaking, Remy spoke up. "Littlefoot. Spike. Get Cera out of here, please." She held the dark green sharp-tooth hatchling close to her chest, watching as Littlefoot and Spike butted up against Cera's flank. She struggled between their two bodies, but they were able to move the angry three-horn out of the grove and away from any more violence. Ducky and Petrie nervously followed the three, unwilling to be around two carnivores and a human. Ducky did check on Remy, but the girl waved her off.

Remy didn't know if it was a good idea to be all alone with an adolescent sharp-tooth and a crazed man, but at least she didn't have to risk Cera killing either of them.

When the sounds of Cera's struggle were no longer heard in the distance, Chomped-Dragonfly cautiously approached Remy. "Can I have my sister?"

Remy glanced at the hatchling in her arms. She didn't look all that much like the lavender adolescent. They didn't even have the same number of claws. Still, the girl felt she could trust Chomped-Dragonfly with the hatchling, so she placed her on the ground.

The dark green feathered infant stared up at Chomped-Dragonfly, releasing a low hiss. This hiss wasn't the same as the other fearful ones she had given the rest of the Gang. It was more unsure than anything else. The hatchling recognized herself in the lavender adolescent, but he also looked so different from her. She looked up at Remy as if asking what she should do.

"It's me, your big brother, Chomped-Dragonfly." He crouched low to the ground, using his short arms to support himself. "You're my little sister. It's okay. I would never hurt you. Me and Shane went looking for you when the claw-hands stole your egg. Your sister is waiting for you back at our nest. Mom and Dad will be very happy to see you."

The hatchling blinked. She hesitantly slipped out from behind Remy's leg and approached Chomped-Dragonfly. She sniffed the tip of his snout, then his still feather-covered arms. He did smell a lot like her. She chirped, and he chuffed in response, unable to make the sharp noises he could when he was a hatchling.

Remy froze, the name Chomped-Dragonfly had spoken sounding familiar. She looked up at the young man, comparing him to the fuzzy memory of his face. The bracelet was the same, the blue crystal and black leather burned into her memory. Shane's face was sharper than she remembered, and his body had filled out with taut, lean muscle. His hazel eyes were also familiar, but their depths held something different from the last day she saw him. The pain was a mere flicker in the simmering rage, encompassed by a feralness she'd rarely seen in other people. This was the Shane from school, but he was different.

Chomped-Dragonfly looked up at Remy. "Thank you for keeping my sister alive."

"I…you're welcome." Remy ran a hand through her hair, a bit exasperated at the events that just took place.

Remy turned to the young man, Shane. He was now propped against the tree, his eyes as hard as ice. They stared at each other for a long moment until Remy broke it. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Shane lift his shirt, revealing bloody gashes. He twisted the black bracelet so that the Shard was on the inside of his wrist. Nearly pressing the crystal to his wound, the Shard glowed, and whisps of blue flickered off it. Only his eyes narrowed in pain, and his jaw clenched. His muscles knitted together, and his skin sealed over the wounds. The new skin stayed an inflamed red, burned slightly by the heat of the Shard.

A loud sigh escaped him as he rested his head on the tree he sat against.

"What happened?" Remy asked.

Shane's eyes moved to her. A long moment passed between them as if he was debating on telling her anything. "Claw-hands."

"Claw-hands?" Remy echoed. "They wouldn't happen to be a pair of brothers. One beige and grey, another tan and brown. Both with yellow tails?"

"They were!" Chomped-Dragonfly answered. "They were the ones that stole my sister. Shane and I have been tracking them for days. We almost got them at dawn when we found a way to this place. But then the skittish one freaked and got Shane in the stomach, and then they ran. I told Shane to stay while I tracked my sister's scent, but he followed." Chomped-Dragonfly turned to the young man, but he was staring into the distance, brows furrowed.

"I'm glad that we've found the little one's family." Remy smiled, stroking the dark green hatchling's head. "My friends and I don't have to worry about looking for big sharp-teeth or finding some tribe of weavers to take care of her. I can't imagine what would have happened if a pair of angry parents got into the Valley."

"Nothing good," Chomped-Dragonfly chuckled, nosing his sister onto his snout. She chirped but hopped off and crawled into Remy's lap. From the safety of the girl's legs, she stared up at her brother as if asking, "can I stay here?"

"You'll have to go with your big brother." Remy picked the hatchling up, but the hatchling grabbed onto her arm, trilling. She smiled apologetically back at Chomped-Dragonfly. "I was the first thing she saw when she hatched. I think she might have imprinted on me."

Chomped-Dragonfly leaned forward, sniffing the hatchling. "I'm sure Shane'll find a way to carry her. After she sees her mom and dad, she'll know she's with her parents." He looked up at her, though there was a hint of worry in his blood-red eyes.

Remy noticed the copper ring pierced through his right nostril like a human nose ring. Upon closer inspection, Remy noticed a rune carved into its shimmering surface.

Noticing her staring, Chomped-Dragonfly shook his head, arms too small to scratch the ring. "It's Shane's…um…access point to this um...realm? The thing in Shane's ear is his link, and he said he has some box thing that is his access point at home. What are yours?"

"Um…" Remy leaned back. "I have my bracelet. That must be like Shane's earring." She looked behind Chomped-Dragonfly and spied what he had been talking about. The young man had a small gage in both ears. When he turned to watch a tiny-tooth flutter above his head, the sun caught the glossy surface of the right gage, revealing a familiar rune. "There's a boulder at home and a rune on the Valley wall."

"So you have…what did Shane call it…? Static access points? Shane has stuff that he can carry with him so that he can come to this realm wherever he is and appears wherever I am. It's really cool." Chomped-Dragonfly lowered his voice, leaning closer to Remy. "But I'm kind of worried that he might show up at the wrong time while I'm fighting or something."

Shane snorted. "You don't fight, Chomper. You've never liked fighting. You don't even like hunting." He stood up and approached Remy, a slight limp in his step. "We should go." He reached for the hatchling in Remy's lap.

The hatchling hissed, teeth bared and feathers standing on end. Still, Shane wrapped his hands around her.

She bit. Hard.

Shane hissed and released her onto the ground. She crawled back into Remy's lap, hissing loudly.

Shane rubbed the bleeding bite mark and turned to Chomped-Dragonfly. "Think you can get her to follow you?"

Chomped-Dragonfly shook his head.

Shane cursed under his breath. "We need to get out of here. Now." He glanced outside the grove, spying the large herbivores lumbering throughout the Valley. If they stayed any longer, they'd be found. If they were found, they could be killed.

"I could go with you." Remy offered. "She seems attached to me, but once we get to her parents, hopefully, she'll stick with them."

Shane stared at her, jaw clenched.

"Sure! It'd be great to have another traveling companion." Chomped-Dragonfly jumped in. "I'd love to learn more about this place. I've never been in a place with so many leaf-eaters."

"Okay." Remy eyed Shane's bloodied shirt. "How about we get you a new shirt, and we can get out of the Valley. Chomped-Dragonfly, you should stay here so that no one finds you. Not many dinosaurs come this way, but you should stay in the bushes so that no one sees you. If any of my friends come walking by, you can tell them that I went to Suri's and I'll be bringing the baby sharp-tooth to her home."

"Well…um…could I come with you instead? I don't really want to be stuck in a place with leaf-eaters everywhere. What if they find me? What if I get hungry?" He glanced over his shoulder as if a large herbivore had found them that moment and was ready to charge him. "Your orange three-horn friend was so scary."

"I guess. We'll just have to take the long way around the Valley and keep close to the walls where fewer residents are. Keep low." Remy led them through the grove, passing the sky-fruit tree.

"Suri's family are rune-weavers. They helped me when I got to the Great Valley."

Shane just grunted but at least showed that he was listening. As they walked, Shane made another attempt to scoop up the hatchling that was trailing Remy. She sensed him before he could even touch her dark green feathers. The shrill shriek sounded from the back of her throat, her feathers fluffing up as she flapped her arms. Shane ignored her shrieking and stooped, but that was a mistake. The hatchling's jaws clamped down on his arm, and she wouldn't let go.

He swore and crouched to the ground. The hatchling growled, teeth digging deeper into his arm. Jaw gritted in pain. He dug his fingers into her jaw, trying to get her to let go. Chomped-Dragonfly sniffed his sister, crooning in sharp-tooth. Startled by the words, the hatchling let go and looked up at her brother. She blinked and mimicked his croon. She had never heard sharp-tooth before, but she felt that she always knew it.

Chomped-Dragonfly sniffed Shane's arm, but the young man brushed him off. Shane just flexed his arm, not bothering to heal the wound as they continued walking.

"By the way, what's your name?" the lavender sharp-tooth asked. "I'm Chomped-Dragonfly, but you can call me Chomper."

"Remy."

It took some time before they reached Suri's house. All four family members were present, Suri having told them what had hatched from the egg. It was then that Remy noticed that the sun was dipping below the horizon. They might have to wait until morning to start their journey, assuming Chomped-Dragonfly's parents lived far away.

"It's a sharp-tooth!" Lumi whispered between his fingers, eyes growing wide as Chomped-Dragonfly approached the house, obviously cautious.

Before they could question her, Remy explained who the newcomers were, along with the entire situation from the hatchling's hatching to Chomped-Dragonfly and Shane appearing. The family let them into the house, though, Chomped-Dragonfly had to wait outside behind the house since he was too big to fit inside. There, they quickly gathered supplies for traveling outside the Great Valley. Once Remy was packed, Loak approached Shane with a new shirt, pointing out the bathroom.

Shane ignored where he was pointing and pulled off the bloodied article of clothing. A tense silence fell over the gathered family of rune-weavers. Tattoos were inked across his back, but some were on his shoulders and arms. His chest and stomach were mostly unmarked. Every tattoo on his tanned skin was a rune the weavers recognized, and each one thrummed with magic.

What caught Remy's eyes, however, was not the runes but what lay beneath them. A large, three-clawed scar raked down his back. It would have been a gruesome injury and obviously made by a dinosaur. Though, interestingly enough, the third claw-mark was not as deep as the other two. Another scar marked his right bicep. This one a deep, muscle shredding bite mark. What type of fight had he been in?

Once the shirt was pulled over his head, everyone glanced between themselves as if confirming with the person beside them that they had seen the same thing. Shane didn't seem to care, adjusting the small bag the family had given him. The family offered for them to stay for the night, but Shane refused. He couldn't risk Chomped-Dragonfly being seen. After Remy said good-bye, they slipped out of the rune-weavers' home.

Littlefoot was standing outside, anxiously waiting for them. "I can't let you go alone, Remy. Please, I have to come with you." He glanced to Chomped-Dragonfly, who was calmly sitting on the ground, looking almost as docile as an overgrown puppy.

Shane scowled but said nothing, hopping onto Chomped-Dragonfly's back. "Let's go."

Remy hopped onto Littlefoot's back, patting his neck. She already had the hatchling in her arms. "I guess you get to come along. I'm grateful to have you, Littlefoot."

The group didn't travel long, but they did make it deep into the Mysterious Beyond before night fell. They hunkered under a massive rock shelf and fell asleep. Chomped-Dragonfly explained that it wouldn't take too long to find his parents. They were in a small oasis so they could raise their clutch. It helped that it was the only water source for days and prey ran well there.

With that knowledge, everyone drifted off to sleep.