Chapter 2: Life

Seven years later...

It had been a long time since Littlefoot and his family had found Chomper and taken him into their family. Now the two were slightly larger than they were seven years before. And in that time, Littlefoot and Chomper had formed a strong brotherly bond as they grew up, becoming the best of friends as the two of them were rarely seen without one another. Often times they would be seen playing around and laughing happily as they enjoyed each other's company.

As Chomper grew up, Littlefoot and his family had taught him how to speak flat-tooth and how bad it was to kill for survival. And luckily for them, finding food for their young sharp-tooth charge hadn't been much of a problem, as they soon found that Chomper really liked to eat small buzzers and crawlers, as well as fish.

Now, the small herd had stopped in small dead forest with several dead trees. Littlefoot was snacking on some small leafs he and found from a surviving bush while Chomper ate as many bugs as he could find on the ground.

"Mother," Littlefoot spoke up, his mouth still full of leafs, "is this all there is to eat?"

"Yeah, we're still hungry." Chomper added as he finished eating the last bug he could find before the two children and their grandparents followed.

Mother Longneck sighed as she began to walk again. It had been hard enough finding food for herself and the grandparents, but it was even harder to find food for the young ones that she so desperately cared and loved. "Oh, I'm sorry, children." She said sincerely. "The land has been changing." She then smiled a bit. "That is why we must walk as far as we can each day until we reach the Great Valley."

Littlefoot and Chomper hardly heard her as they were too busy chewing on the last remains of their food. Littlefoot was trying his hardest to chew on some dried branches while Chomper was trying to catch a small flying buzzer.

"Littlefoot! Chomper! Quickly! Come here!" Mother Longneck gently called out, getting the adopted brothers' attention.

Now curious, the two of them forgot about their food and walked over to their mother, who stood by a large dead tree.

"What is it, mother?" Chomper asked as he and Littlefoot approached her.

Mother Longneck smiled as she gestured to the top branch of the dead tree. On the branch was a large star-shaped leaf that hung loosely on the edge of the branch.

"This is a tree-star." Mother Longneck explained. "It is very special." She then reached forward and carefully plucked the tree-star off of the branch and gently lowered it to her two children, who couldn't help but laugh playfully as she let go of the tree-star letting it float to the ground.

"A tree-star." Littlefoot gasped as he and Chomper gazed at it.

"It's pretty." Chomper smiled as the two then began playfully tugging at it.

"Yes, it is very special." Mother Longneck chuckled as she watched her two beloved children play with it. "It'll help the two of you grow strong. And where we are going, there are so many of these leafs."

Littlefoot and Chomper both laughed happily as the two step-brothers continued to play with the tree-star before they sandwiched it in a loving hug.

"Come along." Mother Longneck beckoned as Grandpa and Grandma Longneck chuckled at the two adopted brothers playfulness.

Releasing from their embrace, Chomper picked up the tree-star in his tiny arms and placed it on Littlefoot's back as the small herd began moving again.

"The Great Valley is filled with green food like this, and many many crawlers, more than you two could eat." Mother Longneck told them as they wandered through the dry forest. "And more fresh water, more than you could ever drink. It is a wonderful, beautiful place. Where we can all live happily together."

"Gee," Littlefoot spoke up as the small herd exited the small forest, "when will we get there?"

Mother Longneck looked out to the now setting bright circle before turning back to her two children. "The bright circle must pass over us many time." She explained. "And we must follow it each day to where it touches the ground."

Littlefoot and Chomper looked to each other as they walked with their small herd through the dry plains. Their gazes then shifted back to their mother as she continued to lead them.

"Have you ever seen the Great Valley?" Chomper asked curiously, with Littlefoot nodding in agreement.

Mother Longneck stopped before turning her head all the way back to her two children. "No."

Littlefoot and Chomper both blinked. She didn't know? Then how did she know where they were going?

"Well.." Chomper continued. "How do you know it's really there?"

Mother Longneck smiled with a small sigh. "Some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart." She said.

"We don't understand, mother." Littlefoot sighed as he and Chomper looked down a bit.

Mother Longneck still maintained her kind smile. "You will, my sons." She said kindly as she lovingly nuzzled her two children. "You will."

The two adopted brothers smiled as they felt their spirits were lifted. They were about to carry on when they heard a small fit of laughter from nearby. Curious, Littlefoot and Chomper peaked through a large bush to see a young orangish/yellowish three-horn laughing joyfully as she playfully rammed into a larger three-horn which the two boys assumed was the young three-horn's father.

Just then, a small buzzer then came flying by, getting the young three-horns attention. A playful smirk coming onto her face, she scraped the ground with her foot before chasing after it, ramming into several rocks in attempt to catch the flying buzzer.

The flying buzzer flew off of another rock as the young three-horn slammed into it, knocking her on her rear. Shaking off her dizziness, she slowly crept up to another small rock the flying buzzer had landed on. She licked her lips as she slowly raised her head to the buzzing flyer while Littlefoot and Chomper watched with excited eyes as they bounced on their toes in anticipation.

However, before the young three-horn could even make a move, the buzzer suddenly squirted a strange substance in her face before flying off.

Despite themselves, Littlefoot and Chomper burst out laughing at the embarrassing scene.

"What are you two laughing at?" The young three-horn questioned, halting the adopted brothers' laughter as she glared in their direction.

The young three-horn then smirked playfully again as she once again scraped the ground with her foot, getting ready to charge. Deciding to play along, Littlefoot and Chomper both jumped out of the bushes, playfully smirking back as they got ready to charge as well.

Without warning, the young three-horn charged forward, giving a loud yell as she did so. Littlefoot and Chomper charged as well, prepared to take the three-horn head on.

However, when they about a foot away from her, the father three-horn suddenly jumped in between them, blocking them off from each other.

The two adopted brothers gulped nervously as they backed up from the young three-horn's father as the young three-horn smirked smugly at them.

"Littlefoot! Chomper!" They heard Mother Longneck call for them.

"Come, Cera." The father three-horn said before turning to Littlefoot and Chomper. "Three-horns never play with long-necks." He said sternly. "And especially not with sharp-teeth." He spat, casting a particularly nasty glare at the little purple sharp-tooth.

The young three-horn named Cera blew her tongue at the two brothers who frowned a bit in response.

"Littlefoot! Chomper!" They heard Mother Longneck call again.

Cera's father let out a low growl, causing Littlefoot and Chomper to shrink down a bit as they slowly backed away from the grumpy three-horn. Cera then, in an act of boldness, leapt forward as she glared a bit at the two brothers.

"Three-horns never play with long-necks or sharp-teeth." She snootily said, repeating her father's words with smug pride before they were suddenly picked up and carried away by each of their parents.

Mother Longneck and Cera's father both exchanged a short glance at each other before they turned away and went in their own separate directions as they held their children in the air by their tails.

"Long-neck?" Littlefoot questioned as Mother Longneck carried both him and Chomper. "Mother, what's a long-neck?"

"And what's a sharp-tooth, mother?" Chomper also asked curiously as Mother Longneck gently placed them on her back.

"Well, a long-neck is what you and me are, Littlefoot." Mother Longneck answered calmly. "And a sharp-tooth is what you are, Chomper."

"Oh." The two brothers said simultaneously as Mother Longneck continued to walk. However, Chomper couldn't help but notice that Cera's father had been particularly nasty to him, even more than with Littlefoot. Why was that? Was it because he was a sharp-tooth?

"Well, why can't we play with that three-horn?" Littlefoot asked, breaking the little sharp-tooth out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, we were having fun together." Chomper added with a small giggle.

"Well.. we all keep to our own kind." Mother Longneck replied, trying to put it to them lightly. "The three-horns, the spike-tails, the swimmers, the flyers, we never do anything together."

"Why?" Littlefoot asked as he and Chomper were confused.

"Well, because we're different." Mother Longneck simply answered. "It's always been that way."

"But what about me?" Chomper asked, still confused. "I'm a sharp-tooth. I'm different from you long-necks, and you still took me in."

Mother Longneck chuckled a little. "Well, you were just a baby when we found you. We couldn't simply leave you to fend for yourself. And don't worry so much. Once we reach the Great Valley, you will have all the time you want to play together."

Littlefoot and Chomper sighed a bit. "I wish were there now." Littlefoot said wearily.

"Well it's a long way yet." Mother Longneck told him as the small herd ventured through the dead forests, still following the bright circle as it began to come lower and lower to the ground. "Past the great rock that looks like a long-neck, and past the mountains that burn, still a long way. But we'll get there, I know it."

And with that, the herd continued on in silence.

And that's it for now. Sorry for such a short chapter, but I figured I should end it here in order for the next chapter. See later!