Chapter 3: Loss
The large silvery night circle slowly began to lower from the night sky as bits of light from the bright circle could be seen over the horizon. The herd of long-necks and their sharp-tooth companion settled down to rest in a small clearing in the dead forest. Mother Longneck and the grandparents slept quite well as they leaned their heads against a few nearby boulders.
Littlefoot rested peacefully on his mother's back with Chomper leaning against his side as the two adopted brothers slept. However, as they slept, a large frog sat atop Grandpa Longneck's head, as if waiting for something to happen.
Just then, the frog leapt off Grandpa's head, snatching a buzzer with it's tongue as it landed right next Littlefoot and Chomper, startling them awake. Then, as if to taunt them, the frog opened it's large mouth to show of the remains of it's meal.
Needless to say, it wasn't very pleasant to look at.
The frog then jumped off of Mother Longneck's back as Littlefoot and Chomper watched it hop away.
"Hey, hopper, come back!" Littlefoot said, playful smiles growing on the adopted brothers' faces as they slid down mother Longneck's back and began chasing after the hopper.
The two brothers quickly ran after the large frog as they came by a cluster of rocks that lead to the center of a decaying tree. Littlefoot and Chomper both entered the log, ready to go after the frog.
However, just as they hopped into the log, they were suddenly greeted by a certain grumpy young three-horn.
"You two again?" Cera questioned rather crossly. "Go away! That's MY hopper!" She then turned away from them, flicking her tail and raising her horn high in the air as she walked away.
"We saw him first." Chomper stated, showing annoyance as both he and Littlefoot frowned at the headstrong three-horn.
"Well, he's in MY pond." Cera rebuked. She then jumped out of the large log, sliding down a small slope and into a bubbling pond of mucky water just under a hollowed out, dead tree. Littlefoot and Chomper were quick to follow her down the ledge. As they went down, Littlefoot slipped down the slope and landed on Cera, forcing her head into the pond while Chomper lost his footing and tumbled down the slope, landing on Littlefoot's back.
Cera quickly raised her herself out of the murky water, scowling deeply as she turned her head and glared at the two adopted brothers who both smiled sheepishly.
However, her anger for them almost immediately faded away as the trio of children spotted the reflection of the frog they were chasing earlier in appear in a large bubble. Thinking it was the real hopper, Chomper jumped off Littlefoot's back and landed on the bubble, causing it to burst under his feet, much to his confusion and disappointment.
Pretty soon, more bubbles began to appear out of the water, each of them all with the same face of a frog in them. And this time, Littlefoot decided to join in as he began to jump on the rising bubbles as well.
Cera stared at them incredulously for a moment before she simply shrugged with a small smile and began jumping on the bubbles as well. For a while, the three children played in the pond, popping each bubble that sprung up from the water as they laughed joyfully.
"Hey, this is fun!" Cera admitted happily as the three children continued to play their little game. It was almost as if she had completely forgotten that Littlefoot was a long-neck and that Chomper was sharp-tooth, and was instead just wrapped up in the enjoyment of the moment.
However, all of them were completely unaware of the danger that was approaching.
As they were playing, they failed to notice a giant dark shadow looming overhead. Suddenly the ground beneath them began to shake, the water they were standing in began to ripple with small waves.
Littlefoot, Chomper, and Cera all felt it as they immediately stopped playing, searching around almost frantically for the source of the shakes.
Chomper sniffed the air, something he had taught himself to do when he was very little, trying to catch the hint of what was making the shakes. After a bit, he managed to catch the scent. It was strange, almost unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time. However, what was definitely familiar about the scent was the horrid odor of dried and rotting flesh in it's mouth. And whatever creature he was smelling was something big, something huge. A big dinosaur. Get out of here.
Cera turned her head to the direction the tremors were coming from, and her eyes widened as she let out a scream of absolute terror.
"SHARPTOOTH!" She shrieked, running in the opposite direction.
Littlefoot and Chomper both turned to the source of the tremors, and their eyes widened in horror as well as they saw it.
Standing just a few yards away from them was a massive sharp-tooth, marching towards them with bits of saliva dripping from it's mouth. It's eyes were blood-red and filled with malicious intent.
Fear filling their entire beings, Littlefoot and Chomper both screamed in terror before turning around and dashing after Cera.
"MOTHER!" Littlefoot cried out as they ran while the monstrous behemoth smashed through the dead tree in pursuit. The three children then ran into a large grove of thorns, hoping to seek better shelter.
They then moved back to the middle of the bush as they could feel Sharptooth's thundering footsteps come closer and closer. Their fear only intensified as a small shower of splinters and thorns came down on them from above. They looked up and nearly gasped as they saw Sharptooth make a huge hole in the bush!
Sharptooth then began to crawl into the bushes, sniffing for his prey as Littlefoot, Chomper, and Cera tried to flatten themselves against the ground. Only a long, thick branch blocked Sharptooth's enormous snout from reaching them.
The three children trembled as they felt the hot, foul, snorting breath of the monster's nostrils shoot down on them. They shivered with fear as they huddled closely to each other, silently praying that Sharptooth wouldn't find them.
After a few painstakingly long seconds, Sharptooth lifted his snout to get a better position. Now was their chance.
"Go." Chomper whispered, nudging Littlefoot and Cera. The trio quickly and cautiously made their way to the other side of the bush, being as quiet as they could. They then came to a small part of bushes that split into two paths.
"This way." Littlefoot whispered, gesturing to the path on the right, with Chomper quickly nodding in agreement.
However, to their horror, Cera shook her head and instead ran down the path on the left!
"Cera, wait! Come back!" Chomper cried as the little sharp-tooth ran after her.
"Chomper, wait up!" Littlefoot called, immediately racing after his adopted brother. "Cera! Your going the wrong way!"
But Cera ignored the brothers' pleas as she kept on running down the path. The situation quickly took a turn for the worst as Sharptooth raised his head out of the hole just in time to see the trio of children run out of the bushes.
Without a moment of hesitation, Sharptooth dove for them, knocking down several thorns as he just narrowly missed Littlefoot. The young long-neck screamed as he jumped out of the way before Sharptooth could bite at him again.
Littlefoot attempted to run, but found himself tangled in a series of thorns, preventing him from going any further.
Chomper turned around and nearly froze in terror as he saw Sharptooth was closing in on his big brother.
"LITTLEFOOT!" Chomper cried, racing back to help his best friend, his adopted big brother.
"CHOMPER, NO!" Littlefoot shouted as he struggled to get out of the thorns. "SAVE YOURSELF!"
But Chomper ignored his big brother's pleas as he quickly rushed over to the young long-neck. Acting quickly, Chomper began to bite through the thorns with his teeth, and after biting off the last thorn, Littlefoot finally came free!
At the same time, however, the thorns and vines snapped back and struck Sharptooth in the left eye.
The monster let out a roar of agony as he burst up out of the thorn bush, using his left arm to claw the thorn out of his eye. Sharptooth was furious as he composed himself, snorting angrily.
Littlefoot and Chomper ran as fast as their little legs would carry them, eventually catching up to Cera as they hoped that they had escaped the dreaded monster's wrath.
But their hopes were completely demolished as Sharptooth leapt out of the thorns and landed right behind them. The ground shook violently beneath the children at the monster's landing, causing them to lose balance and fall. Sharptooth blew his hot, putrid breath onto them in murderous rage as he moved in for the kill.
Suddenly, a large, lengthy tail whipped around almost out of nowhere and smacked Sharptooth away.
Littlefoot, Chomper, and Cera looked up to see Mother Longneck standing protectively above them. Her body was tense as she glared at her sons' attacker. The group of children quickly got up and rushed under the mighty long-neck as Sharptooth struggled to get back up, smashing his head against a boulder several times before he finally got back to his feet.
"Run, children! Run!" Mother Longneck ordered, nudging the three young ones away from her.
Littlefoot, Chomper and Cera scrambled out of the way from Mother Longneck as she stood on her hind-legs to avoid a bite from Sharptooth. She then brought her front feet down in an attempt to crush the monster's head, but Sharptooth quickly moved out of the way before snapping his jaws at her, forcing her back.
Mother Longneck then whipped her tail around again, hitting Sharptooth square in the face and knocking him into a wall of rocks. She then turned to guide the children away when Sharptooth suddenly leaped high into the air and landed on Mother Longneck's back.
The three young ones could only watch in helpless horror as the monster ripped a chunk of flesh off of the older long-neck's back with his jaws. Mother Longneck reared up and managed to dislodge Sharptooth from her back, despite it hurting terribly.
Sharptooth quickly recovered and advanced on the older long-neck, determined more than ever to kill her.
With all the force that she could muster, Mother Longneck swung her tail again and knocked Sharptooth to the ground, sending him sliding down a hill into a batch of rocks and dirt.
"Mother!" Littlefoot cried out as he and Chomper quickly rushed over to her.
"Your hurt, mother!" Chomper exclaimed, his voice full of panic.
"Do not worry about me." Mother Longneck stated, trying to hide the pain in her voice, but failing. "Just run!"
The four of them then set off running again, trying to get as much distance from the monster as they could. But they didn't get far as the ground suddenly started to shake again, but it wasn't Sharptooth's footsteps this time.
"EARTHSHAKE!" Cera screamed.
The earth shook violently beneath their feet as cracks began to spring up in the ground. A large rock then sprouted up from the ground, separating the children from the adult and leaving them completely stranded.
Littlefoot, Chomper, and Cera didn't have long to register this as Sharptooth had somehow gotten out of the rubble and was charging at children with saliva and blood dripping down his fangs.
The three children immediately sprinted away in a panic, going as fast as their legs could carry them. But Sharptooth quickly caught up with the trio, towering over them as the three children moved to avoid his large feet. Sharptooth then brought his left foot down, causing the three young dinosaurs to fly into the air and land on his foot. The monster tried to shake them off, but the children refused to let go.
Boiling hot steam suddenly shot out of a nearby crack in the earth, startling Sharptooth and nearly scalding his foot. The behemoth jerked back from the sudden shock, at the same time flinging the three children off of his foot.
The piece of earth itself seemed to dislodge as Littlefoot, Chomper, and Cera hit the ground and slid back to the edge of the rock, the dark abyss awaiting below. Sharptooth let out a roar as he too slid down the rock. His large body slid to the edge of the rock, nearly pushing the three young dinosaurs off the edge had they not grabbed onto Sharptooth's large tail.
"MOTHER!" Littlefoot shouted as he, Chomper and Cera held on for dear life on Sharptooth's tail.
"HELP US, MOTHER!" Chomper also cried as he began to feel his little hands slipping.
Using all of the strength they could muster, the three children climbed atop Sharptooth's tail and ran up his back. They then jumped off of his snout and landed on a small, steep slope that was just below the cliff-side.
Sharptooth began to crawl up the slope as well, still trying to devour the children. However, Mother Longneck made it to the edge just in time as she smacked Sharptooth off the rock.
The monster let out an ear-piercing howl as he plummeted into the chasm below while Mother Longneck quickly grabbed the three children by their tails with her mouth, pulling them back up.
The moment Mother Longneck let them go, Littlefoot and Chomper immediately sprinted away from gorge while Cera ran off in the opposite direction, screeching for her family.
The earthshake only worsened as spikes of rock began to spring up from the ground, the land itself rolling like a large tidal wave. Masses of lands with dinosaurs on them dislodged themselves from the earth and fell into the newly formed crevasse, taking the herds with them.
Cera could just see her father just a little ways away as she approached a small dip. She called to her father as loudly as she could as she sprung forward. But before she could reach him, the land suddenly split in half, creating a huge gap. Cera screamed as she just managed to stop herself from falling off the edge before scrambling away.
As Littlefoot and Chomper approached a nearby rock, the earth below them shifted, elevating them up and leaving Mother Longneck below among plumes of dirt and dust. The two adopted brothers screamed as they clung fearfully to each other as the earthshake continued.
Then suddenly, almost as quickly as it came, the earthshake stopped. Dark clouds began to form in the red-tinted sky before the sky-water finally came down.
The land itself had changed drastically. Long, flat lands were now with cliffs and deep, wide chasms that cut through the ground like heavy wounds.
And on the lower level, Cera could only look in despair as her families faces peered over the top of the large wall of rock. The newly formed canyon made it impossible for her to reach them. All she could do now was call up to them, her voice being the only thing that could reach them now.
Meanwhile, Littlefoot and Chomper looked down from where they were, and were stunned silent as they gazed around at the destruction below.
"Mother." Littlefoot whispered, his face filled with dread.
"Come on." Chomper said, his voice thick with desperation. "We have to find her!"
The two then made their way down the ledge as fast as they could, climbing past broken rocks and constantly jump from one ledge to the other. The sky-water showed no mercy either as it pelted their skin, made the ground slippery, and made their vision vague with no signs of letting up.
Littlefoot and Chomper were soaked to the bone as the trudged on with their search. They were cold, tired, wet, and miserable. But that didn't matter to them at the moment as they were so focussed on finding their mother.
"MOTHER!" Chomper called, putting his little hands to his mouth.
"MOTHER, WHERE ARE YOU?!" Littlefoot also called.
The two brothers made another turn and nearly gasped at what they saw. Out in a large outcrop of rocks lay Mother Longneck, her body sprawled out on the rocks as blood oozed from her back.
"MOTHER!" Littlefoot and Chomper both cried, immediately rushing over to their dear mother. Mother Longneck tiredly raised her head as her two beloved children approached her.
"Mother," Littlefoot whimpered, "please get up."
Mother Longneck let out a weak cough. "I'm... not sure I can, Littlefoot." She replied feebly, trying and failing to hoist herself up.
"Yes, you can." Chomper pleaded. "Please, get up!"
Mother Longneck tried to stand, but her strength was gone, drained from exhaustion, blood loss, and shock. She sagged a bit before falling, making the rocks crumple away beneath her.
Littlefoot and Chomper fought back tears that sprung in their eyes as they sat down in front of their mother's face. Their little hearts felt like they were about to crack as they felt sick to the stomach.
"My dear, sweet children." Mother Longneck spoke, barely breathing. "Do you both remember the way to the Great Valley?"
Chomper sniffled a bit. "I guess we do." He quietly replied.
"But why do we have to know?" Littlefoot questioned, his voice breaking. "You're going to be with us, right?" He and Chomper were now barley holding back their tears as they lovingly nuzzled their mother.
"I'll always be with you." Mother Longneck whispered. "Even when you can't see me."
"What do you mean if we can't see you?" Chomper asked innocently. "We can always see you."
"Littlefoot, Chomper," Mother Longneck said, her breath incredibly shallow, "let your hearts guide you. They whisper, so listen closely."
And with those last words, Mother Longneck closed her eyes for the last time as she breathed her last breath.
"Mother?" Littlefoot whispered, his voice shaking. "Mother?!
"Mother, wake up!" Chomper begged tearfully, nudging Mother Longneck's now still face. "Don't leave us!"
But nothing happened. Nothing at all.
Littlefoot and Chomper burst into tears as they held each other, their little bodies wracked with heavy sobs as the realization quickly came to them.
Their mother was gone... forever.