Hello people! Sorry I took so long, a lot of things are happening right now with the Christmas holidays just around the corner. Hope this chapter of asskicking is really worth the wait!

Brothers Under the Bright Circle

Chapter 10

Fight For What It's Worth

For the entire night, Whiplash watched over the sleeping children, only taking brief moments to close his eyes to rest and then waking up again to begin the watch anew. He hadn't noticed the Bright Circle was beginning to peak over the distant mountains until its rays hit him in the eye. It was still quite early to wake them up, but he laid his head on the ground to get some feeling back in his neck. From the corner of his eye, he watched the children sleep.

Spike was resting on his back, legs dangling in the air and twitching, but his face held a broad smile. Ducky and Petrie were curled up together on top of Spike's stomach, as though they had been averting the cold. Littlefoot was still curled up between Whiplash's neck and foot, a supposedly peaceful smile on his lips, his breathing deep and slow. Cera rested comfortably near the edge of Whiplash's tail, while she was hidden from view in case bold predators came near them, if she woke up, she could easily look over his tail if she lifted her head above her paws.

For one long peaceful moment, Whiplash allowed them to sleep a little while longer, but there was something about the air didn't feel right.

It was quiet.

Almost every morning there had been a sound that made the world around them feel alive, like the flapping of a buzzer or the squawking of a flyer. But at this moment, there was nothing, and it made Whiplash's many cold times of experience kick into overdrive. He knew that something was very wrong, and one single movement from him could set whatever was causing the stillness into motion.

Slowly he lifted his head off the ground and nudged the children, causing them to stir.

"What's…?" Littlefoot yawned, but Whiplash silenced him with a hard stare.

A low growl pulsed through the air behind Whiplash some distance away and immediately the children shut their mouths. Although he didn't want to scare them anymore than they already were, he focused his eyes on a large wall of rocks some distance from their position.

"I'm going to distract whatever is coming," Whiplash whispered softly. "It doesn't know that you're here." He said quickly when they looked even more nervous. "My scent is keeping yours hidden. Move fast and move silently."

Frowning, Cera slowly peeked over Whiplash's tail and she froze when she spotted what was making the noise. She gulped and trembled violently. "It's Sharptooth," she hissed.

Littlefoot turned to her swiftly. "Cera, Sharptooth is dead!" he growled.

She shook her head defiantly, the terror clear as day in her eyes.

"Be quiet, both of you," Whiplash ordered, forcing the two opposites to be silent as the growling grew louder. "I don't care who or what it is. I need you to listen to me for once and run down there." He gestured with his eyes and they spotted a dried-up riverbed. "It will keep you covered and out of his line of sight while I keep him occupied. Follow it and get up to the top of those rocks."

Not wanting to experience his anger a second time after last night's dispute, Ducky and Petrie hastily climbed onto Spike's back. With Whiplash keeping his back facing whatever was coming, the sounds of its footsteps getting louder with each step it took, they crouched down low and crept down into the riverbed.

As they moved silently and quickly, Littlefoot kept glancing over his shoulder worriedly.

Whiplash hadn't moved from his position, and the children were far too low to see what was approaching him, but the unmistakable thumping of footfalls causing little pebbles to bounce on the dirt told Littlefoot that whatever was coming was extremely big and very heavy.

"Why is he not moving?" Ducky whispered nervously, glancing over her shoulder.

"He's distracting it," Littlefoot explained.

"How he do that?" Petrie questioned.

"By pretending he's still asleep, that's what he's doing," Cera hissed, her eyes darting back. "But I swear I saw Sharptooth."

Littlefoot glared at her but refrained from raising his voice least whatever was coming heard them.

The stomping from the behemoth caused them to hasten their pace as they reached the end of the riverbed. Littlefoot stepped aside to let Spike and Cera pass by while he checked to make sure that Whiplash's plan was working.

Then he stopped when he realised that something was missing.

His treestar?!

Littlefoot darted his head left and right, searching frantically for the last gift his mother gave to him, but there was no sign of it anywhere. His head darted up as it dawned on him that he had left it back at their resting spot where Whiplash was still huddled down. Maybe there was still time to get it before the beast attacked?

"Littlefoot, come on!" Cera called from above, her voice low but still loud enough for him to hear.

He looked up and saw Cera and Spike were already climbing up the rock's face.

"But my treestar," he exclaimed. "I can't leave it!"

"It too late!" Petrie shouted.

Whiplash's tail moved faster than anything Littlefoot had ever seen as it snaked out and wrapped around the sharptooth's leg. With a single twitch of a muscle, he pulled it back and the beast roared as it tripped and landed on its back. Whiplash was up on his feet within seconds and he sidestepped aside, tail curled, neck lowered, eyes focused on his attacker.

Littlefoot quickly clambered up the rock's face, his paws and muscles straining with effort, but he dared to look back and his eyes widened with surprise when he saw the monster get back up on its three clawed feet.

It was Sharptooth! Cera had been telling the truth!

"Faster, Littlefoot!" Ducky cried.

Littlefoot didn't need to be told twice as he scrambled up as fast as he could. He was grateful when both Cera and Spike grabbed his forelegs with their mouths and pulled him up to safety. He darted back to the edge and witnessed a battle that rivalled that of his mother's fight with Sharptooth.

Sharptooth was back on his feet, one red eye staring furiously with burning rage, but one eye was shut tightly. He took one long look at his target and roared loudly, the air vibrating with power and vengeance. Whiplash kept his tail curled in preparation to strike as he backed away slowly, keeping a firm eye on his enemy. One wrong move, one glance away and he would find himself with another set of scratches on his side. He made that mistake once before and it cost him and Littlefoot dearly.

The big longneck suddenly reared up on his hind legs, making himself even taller, trying to intimidate Sharptooth. The sharp claws on his inner front feet flailed threateningly, causing Sharptooth to pause as he circled around, searching for an opening. Whiplash came crashing down a loud earth-shaking bang, kicking up dust.

Again, Sharptooth paused, but he showed no sign of backing down. His one good eye rested on something noticeable. The still healing scratches on his left side had faded somewhat, but they still stood out amongst Whiplash's brownish grey skin.

Sharptooth bared his teeth and lunged forward with his jaws open wide.

Whiplash reared up again, with the predator's teeth snapping at thin air. He smashed downward in an attempt to crush his skull into a bloody mess, but Sharptooth noticed this and he shifted easily to Whiplash's left, his head slamming into his still healing side with a sickening crunch.

The large longneck cried out as Sharptooth headbutted him, the pain dazing him momentarily, but it was more than enough for Sharptooth to make his next move. He grabbed onto Whiplash's left foreleg and bit down with bone crushing force.

Searing hot pain pierced through Whiplash's senses and he bellowed in agony.

The smell and taste of blood reached Sharptooth's nostrils and it drove him into a wild frenzy. The black slit in his good eye constricted and he bit down harder.

Despite the pain coursing through his body, Whiplash reared up again on his hind legs, dislodging the beast. He came back down, but this time, his long tail cut through the air toward Sharptooth's blind spot. Sharptooth seemed to hear the whistling air and he pulled his back at the last second, but not before the tip of Whiplash's tail sharply brushed against his injured eye, drawing blood.

With the blood of his enemy mixing with his water stained face, Sharptooth retreated a few steps away, using a tiny arm to wipe the pain away. But the moment of respite did not last for him as a loud sound cracked near his head. He shrieked as the world became silent and rang in a way he had never heard before.

Not one to wait for his enemy to recover, Whiplash charged at him, his shoulder slamming into Sharptooth's side. The satisfying howl of pain reached his ears as Sharptooth rolled half of his tail length away, his legs kicked out and his tiny arms flailed, struggling to get back on his feet.

Whiplash snorted in amusement, a smirk crossing his lips and he turned away to savour his victory.

But Sharptooth was undeterred, and with unnatural strength for his kind, he got back on his feet and blindly charged at Whiplash, a roar of fury and hatred escaping his blood dripping maw. His head connected with Whiplash's injured side and he buckled, his face meeting the ground.

"Whiplash!" Littlefoot shouted worriedly.

Slowly, Whiplash got back on his feet, dazed from the impact, spitting up dirt and blood. His legs shook as he struggled to get back on his feet. A heavy weight fell on his neck, knocking the wind out from his lungs. Large sharp claws dug into his flesh and he winced.

A blood crazed smirk crossed Sharptooth's monstrous jaws as he leans over Whiplash's side and grabbed his injured leg, biting down with enough force to draw blood, but not to kill. A scream of agony erupted from Whiplash's mouth as the beast bit him again.

This wasn't a hunt, it was torture!

Sharptooth was making his prey suffer before he killed him, and the longneck was going to pay dearly for what he and his herd did to him. The little longneck would suffer the same fate when he got a hold of him, but for now… he would settle on playing with his prey.

"Me no look!" Petrie shouted, covering his face with his wings.

"We gotta do something!" Ducky cried, her teeth chattering with fear and helplessness. "We do, we do!"

"But what can we do against a monster like Sharptooth?" Cera shot back. "We're just hatchlings!"

With horror gripping his heart as each bite that met the skin of his older brother, Littlefoot felt just as helpless as his friends. Memories of his mother suffering the same fate as Whiplash flashed across his mind and it sent emotions of terror and anger coursing through his body. Watching Whiplash go through this wasn't going to help the situation, it was making it worse. They had to do something without endangering themselves!

With determination burning in his mind, Littlefoot ran toward the edge of the cliff with Cera and the others close behind.

Once his feet touched the edge, Littlefoot pointed a paw at Ducky and Petrie.

"Grab as many rocks as you can," he instructed firmly.

They nodded firmly and started to gather as much rocks as they could carry. Once they got a pile big enough, they each picked up a rock and pelted it at Sharptooth's face, causing him to pause in his biting.

Littlefoot turned to Cera and she looked back at him.

"Smash up the bigger rocks into smaller pieces," he ordered, "the smaller the better. Spike and I will use our tails to hit him."

She opened her mouth to retort but stopped short. This was no time for her to bring up the fact that she was right and he was wrong, arguments could be settled later. Right now, they needed a plan and Littlefoot had one. She complied for once and charged into large pieces of rocks, her thick skull crushing them.

Littlefoot nodded to Spike, and the young spiketail lifted his tail to hurl as much rocks as he could. Littlefoot did the same, never once stopping to catch his breath, as his still growing tail flipped up a rock and slapped it in the direction of Sharptooth's face. That single rock connected with his sore eye and Sharptooth roared with pain.

"Yeah, bullseye!" Cera shouted with glee.

While the pelting of tiny rocks on his skin annoyed Sharptooth, having a few hitting his injured eye made him angrier.

Unfortunately, he took his eye off his intended target.

Sensing the change in weight on his neck, Whiplash gathered whatever strength he had left and pushed up with his back, causing Sharptooth to lose his balance and topple to the side. But Whiplash doesn't let up and his thin tail lashed out at Sharptooth's head, blinding him with white hot pain. He snaked his tail around his leg once again and pulled with all the strength he had left.

A look of horror and realisation crossed Sharptooth's face as the last thing he saw was a large pillar of rocks and the look of triumph on the longneck's face.

The rocks crumbled and piled up on top of Sharptooth, burying him alive for the time being.

Panting and gritting his teeth with pain, Whiplash picked himself up off the ground and limped away from the unconscious monster the steep ledge where the children were waiting for him. He painfully climbed up, every step hurting, but he bit down, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and Sharptooth.

Littlefoot and the others immediately stepped aside as the blood covered longneck rose up and collapsed on the flat top with a loud crash, sending dust flying in his wake. The children cheer as they ran over to his field of vision, embracing and nuzzling him affectionately.

"Ow, ow!" Whiplash winced when they touched a sensitive spot. "Please be careful."

"We are glad that you are alive, Whiplash," Ducky nodded, "we are, we are."

"Me never thought you could do it," Petrie said frantically, petting his snout.

A small smile crossed Whiplash's lips. "If it wasn't for those rocks," he told them, "I would have been dead."

"You should thank Littlefoot for that," Cera grunted, pointing her horn in his direction. "He came up with the plan in the first place."

Whiplash shifted his gaze to his little brother, but Littlefoot did not look as happy and as relieved as the others, if anything he looked downhearted and scared. He waited patiently for him to speak, giving him some time to gather his thoughts together.

"I thought…" Littlefoot stammered, as tears fell down his cheeks, "I thought Sharptooth was going to kill you like he did to mother. I was so scared, Whiplash!"

Whiplash pressed his muzzle against his side comfortingly and he burrowed his face into his soft skin.

"Shh, it's alright, Littlefoot," he whispered gently. "I'm here, and I'm alive."

Littlefoot pulled away as he turned to Cera, who was frowning at him. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you," he said. "When you made up that part about standing up to Sharptooth…"

"If Cera had not fabricated a small part of the story," Whiplash put in, "I would have believed her myself. However, what's past is past. We cannot dwell on apologies, we need to get moving again, put as much distance as we can between us and Sharptooth."

"But you are hurted, Whiplash," Ducky said, pointing at his injured leg.

"It can wait," Whiplash hissed stubbornly. "Sharptooth will not stay buried for long." He stiffly pushed himself up, his legs shaking with pain and loss of energy from the fight. "We either move now or Sharptooth wakes up and takes advantage of my weakened state."

Cera huffed and pawed at the ground, her eyes averted. She wouldn't admit to Whiplash that he was right, but the fact remained that if she hadn't said that she had bravely stood up to Sharptooth instead of telling the truth, they would have all believed her.

"Littlefoot, your treestar…"

Littlefoot's shoulders sunk in despair as Whiplash pointed out what he wished he hadn't left behind.

Understanding and sympathy crossed his brother's face and he gently stroked his back with the tip of his tail. The last gift Littlefoot's mother had given him was either buried amongst rubble or trampled during the fighting.

Whiplash sighed and limped to the other side of the ledge with the others following, his shoulder ached with pain as blood slowly dripped from the wound, but he ignored it. Right now, they had to focus on getting away quickly.

He gazed down at their surroundings and his eyes widened when he spotted an unusual rock formation.

"Littlefoot," he called.

Littlefoot hurried over and Whiplash gestured with his head toward the strange looking rock, a rock that looked like a longneck without a tail.

"Is that…?" Whiplash asked.

"It's the rock that looks like a longneck," Littlefoot gasped, "just like mother said!"

With Sharptooth behind them for the time being, their spirits were lifted at the sight of hope for the first time in days since their separation. They set off once again, bloody and hurt, but very much alive and triumphant.

The Great Valley had never felt so close, and so real.

The Night Circle began its rise to the sky, casting its soft light on the dry landscape below.

An enormous pile of boulders trembled slightly as something large and powerful shifted beneath it, trying to escape. It stopped for a brief moment as its prisoner regained some of its strength to break free. He shifted slightly, gathering his legs beneath his body and heaved.

The rocks rained down and Sharptooth shook himself free, his aching muscles winced as he tested every part of his body to make sure nothing was broken. Satisfied that nothing would hamper him. He shook the dust from his dark green scales and lifted his head to the night sky, sniffing deeply.

The scent of the longnecks and the other hatchings had faded hours ago and he growled in anger.

His revenge was delayed… for now.

Frustrated he threw his head and roared loudly, the landscape echoing and fading into the distance. He turned and lashed out with his tail, breaking a few rocks in the process and causing more pain to his stiff and aching body, but he didn't care.

Once his senses had been gathered again, he paused to think for a moment.

Could it be possible that the leafeaters were heading for the Great Valley?

That had to be the only explanation, and why they were so desperate to reach safety and food.

Well, fortunately for him, he had been there once in the past. He knew a shortcut to get there, and by the time they reached their destination, there would be nothing left but a bloodbath waiting for them.

One way or another, he would have his revenge.