We're nearly at the end, guys! I hope you enjoy this! Sorry this took so long, I had to deal with a lot of stuff like school and having a small writers block as well as some technical difficulties, as well as this one guest in the reviews who kept spamming the reviews with stuff like "make more!" and "I'm getting impatient" and just in general being very annoying and making this pretty frustrating at times (whoever that is, please stop, I appreciate that you love the story, but it's harder to work if you tell me to hurry up), but here it is at last!

Chapter 13: Desperation

Fear was not something Ducky liked feeling. It was not something she ever liked feeling. While it was a little reassuring that her sister Ruby was with her, that was still not enough to keep her from feeling an immense sense of dread as they wandered through the caves that Sharptooth had gone into.

Keeping to the shadows, the two adopted sisters crouched low to the ground, making sure to keep their distance so that Sharptooth couldn't smell them immediately.

Ducky whimpered as she and Ruby ducked down behind a large rock. From behind, they could hear Sharptooth growling as his thunderous footsteps shook the ground beneath them before pausing to sniff the air.

The little swimmer looked to her big sister, who appeared to now be just as nervous as she was since she was now sweating up a storm, which didn't do much to reassure her. Ruby looked down at Ducky and quickly nodded, her heart pounding in her chest.

Ducky felt her heart do a dive into her stomach as a wave of nausea and pure fear swept over her. Swallowing, Ducky peeked over the rock, sucked in a large breath, and did something that taken out of context would seem incredibly stupid, suicidal even.

She screamed.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Sharptooth jerked up in alert as Ducky ducked back under the rock. Ruby slowly scooped up Ducky in her hands, getting ready to make a run for it back to the pond, just like they had planned.

But instead, they were met with silence.

They waited.

Nothing.

There were no sounds of footsteps or the snarling and growling. Even the oder of rotten flesh that emanated from his breath was gone. Cautiously, Ruby slowly peeked her head over the rock and scanned around the cave.

There was nobody there. It was almost as if Sharptooth had disappeared into thin air.

But even still, Ruby didn't let her guard down as she began to slowly step back towards the entrance of the cave. Sharp-teeth were known for being expert ambushers when they needed to, and now Ruby was beginning to wonder if they were really now the hunters or still just the hunted.

Sharptooth may have even simply brushed off the sound as a mere distraction before going deeper into the caves, but Ruby was not waiting to find out.

With her nerve nearly at it's limit, Ruby turned to the cave entrance about to leave when suddenly...

BOOM!

Sharptooth suddenly leaped in front of them almost out of nowhere. It was in that horrifying moment that the two sisters realized that they had been set up for ambush themselves, one they had immediately fallen into.

Wasting no time, Ruby clutched Ducky close to her chest and ran forward as fast as she could. She ducked under the sharp-tooth's legs in a quick pink blur, narrowly avoiding his jaws which snapped down at her before heading out of the cave.

Sharptooth quickly gave chase as he lunged for them, throwing all of his mass at them, his jaws wide open and about to snatch them up. Instinctively, Ruby jumped up, landing on Sharptooth's snout as the giant beast slid down the rocky hill on his belly and down into the pond below.

As Sharptooth crashed into the shallow waters of the pond, he hit a large rock sticking out of the water and shattering it to bits, the jolt of which sent Ruby and Ducky flying off and into the pond.

"RUBY!" Littlefoot shouted, peering past the boulder.

"DUCKY!" Petrie cried in horror as he and the others looked around, trying to desperately to find their two friends.

Chomper looked down below from the ledge he stood on, his eyes scanning the waters.

Just below the water, he could see the barely visible outline of Ducky hiding under a large rock in the water. Ruby, meanwhile, was searching around desperately for her little sister while also trying to get as far away as she could from Sharptooth.

Meanwhile up above, the thundering splashing of the water snapped Petrie out of his shock and fear. The signal! He was supposed to give the signal now! Petrie frantically began trying to whistle, but instead the came out as the sound of spitting air. Finally, Petrie took a deep enough breath and let out the loudest whistle he could muster.

Upon hearing the signal, Littlefoot, Cera, and Spike immediately began pushing the boulder towards the edge of the cliff. "Push, guys!" Littlefoot encouraged. "Push with all your might!"

"That's what we're doing!" Cera retorted.

Sharptooth didn't even notice what they were doing as continued searching the pond for his lost prey. Just then, he spotted Ruby duck under the water and scoop up Ducky in her hands before heading for the shore.

Petrie noticed this as well, as he picked up a small rock and threw it at the monster with all his might. The rock hit Sharptooth, bouncing harmlessly off his head but hit him hard enough to get his attention. He laughed hard, clutching his chest as Sharptooth looked up in his direction, turning his attention to the little flyer.

Enraged, the beast charged forward and rammed his head into the cliff side, shaking it and shattering a large chunk of rock. Slipping, Petrie scrambled as fast as he could, trying to keep ahead of the crumbling rocks that fell into the water.

Sharptooth snapped his jaws, craning his neck as far as it would go, just missing Petrie by mere inches. Suddenly, Petrie felt himself being pushed upwards by a large gust of breath from the biter's nostrils. In a panic, he rapidly flapped his wings in a quick succession, managing to steady himself.

And it was there that he realized that he wasn't falling. He was still up in the air.

"I flying," He whispered in shock before a huge grin broke out across his beak, "I flying! I FLYING!" Petrie shouted with joy. He felt so happy that it made him almost completely forget the danger at hand as he fluttered clumsily but effectively. It was only when the cries of terror coming from Ruby and Ducky caught his ears did he snap back to reality.

"HELP!" Ducky screamed as Ruby held her close to her chest, swimming as fast as she could through the water as Sharptooth refocused on her. The monster lunged towards them, jaws wide open.

With newfound confidence, Petrie puffed up his chest and swooped down and slammed his beak into Sharptooth's eye. Sharptooth bellowed loudly, jerking his head up from the water.

Chomper so far had just been watching the struggle from afar, atop the small ledge he was standing on, almost as if he were frozen. But now it was his turn to be the distraction. He would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little nervous, but he couldn't let that get in the way. Not while he still had a role to play in this trap.

Summoning his courage, the little biter picked up the largest rock he could lift and he heaved it with all his might over the ledge. The rock hit Sharptooth right on the back, drawing his attention once again away from Ducky and Ruby.

Now knowing the time was now, Chomper took in a deep breath. He had never done this before, but there was always a first for everything. "G-G-Get... a-away... from t-them!" He growled, trying his best to speak sharp-teeth. Though by a leaf-eater it would sound like he was making a bunch of growling and roaring sounds, by a sharp-tooth, the sound of his vocals was crystal clear for all to hear.

His voice had a thick accent, but his words were still decipherable enough for Sharptooth to understand and enough to distract him from Ruby and Ducky, allowing them to slip out of the water and head up the hill to join the rest of their friends. "So," The beast spoke in his own language, "you are able to speak our tongue."

The fear that Chomper had felt before was now seizing him again, and his legs gave a barely noticeable shake, but he didn't let that show in his expression as his eyes narrowed and he puffed out his chest.

"L-L-Leave my f-friends a-alone!" Chomper replied, his voice already feeling strained.

Sharptooth simply sneered as he lunged for the ledge, but Chomper jumped away from the edge just as the monster's massive jaws dripping with saliva clamped down on the dry rock, crushing it in a cloud of dirt and dust.

"Why throw away your life for these worthless flat-teeth?" Sharptooth questioned as he spat out the remaining rocks in his mouth.

Chomper quickly scrambled to his feet, glaring at Sharptooth. "B-Because they're my f-friends!"

"Friends?" Sharptooth questioned with a sneer before he rammed into the side of the ledge, causing it to shake and crumble. "HA! You truly believe they are your friends? One day, they will all turn against you. And when that happens, you will be alone!"

The young sharp-tooth flinched, his resolve fading a bit. He hated to admit it, but Sharptooth's words did have some truth to them. One day he might be forced to leave his friends, either willingly or not. One day he would perhaps be alone out in the harsh world that takes as much as it gives.

But then he remembered his friends, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Ruby and Spike. The ones who had all accepted him from the beginning, now all atop the ledge above him, pushing the large rock together to kill the beast that had terrorized them all for so long. The ones who would never turn their back on him, no matter what.

And it was that remembrance that allowed Chomper to muster up a determined glare as he looked Sharptooth dead in the eyes. "Maybe your right, Sharptooth." Chomper stated, his voice now unwavering. "Maybe one day I will be all on my own. But what I do know is that my friends will never cast me out! Never! I know that no matter what, we will always be friends, a herd, a family!" A ghost of smile made its way onto his face as he subtly glanced up at his friends, no, his family. "And that's something you'll never know, Sharptooth!"

Sharptooth growled at the defiance of the young biter, so much so that he had almost completely forgotten about Littlefoot and the others finally pushing the boulder over the ledge.

The monster heard the crackling pebbles and quickly realized his mistake of not paying attention to the children on the ledge above. However, by the time he realized this, it was too late as the giant rock hit right on the head with a loud crunching sound. It was almost like the boulder had shattered his skull.

Sharptooth staggered, his head jumbled from the sudden impact. He began to notice that his life was now quickly draining and he began to topple backwards. But as he began to fall, he just barely noticed the small flyer just barely within reach.

If he was going to die, at least one of them would die with him.

Using all of his remaining strength, Sharptooth reached out and caught Petrie's small tail in his jaws, pulling the little flyer with him as he fell. Petrie let out a shrill shriek as he was being dragged down.

"Petrie!" Ducky cried as the others could only watch helplessly from above. None of them could help him...

... except Chomper.

Acting so fast that he was barely thinking, Chomper sprinted forward and jumped with all his might, landing on Sharptooth's snout. He quickly reached forward with his small arms and easily managed to pry Petrie from the glistening fangs. He then threw Petrie in to the air, allowing him to fly up to the ledge above.

Chomper was about to jump when he suddenly felt a sharp stinging pain in his ankle. And with horror, he suddenly knew that Sharptooth had managed to clamp down on his leg as they both fell into the deep dark water, disappearing beneath the surface with a large splash.

"CHOMPER!" Littlefoot screamed while the others gasped in horror.

Without hesitation, Littlefoot dashed down the hill and towards the shore of the pond with his friends close behind. As they came towards the water, they could see bits of rock and dust floating on the surface, and below the water they could vaguely make out the outline of the now dead Sharptooth.

But there was no sign of Chomper.

Littlefoot instantly broke down into tears as he fell to the ground, burying his face in his paws as he sobbed loudly. First his mother was gone, and now his little brother too? It was all too much. Why did this world have to take so much from him so soon?!

Seeing their friend in mourning saddened the others as well, even Cera.

"He was our friend, our friend he was." Ruby said sadly.

"Poor Chomper." Ducky wailed as she began crying as well.

"Poor, poor Chomper." Petrie murmured, tears falling as Spike lowered his head and whimpered.

Cera said nothing as tears flowed down her cheeks, a whole plethora of emotions flowing through her. She felt sad, she felt angry, she afraid, but most of all, she felt helpless.

The group spent the next few moments mourning the loss of their companion, their friend, their brother. But they knew that the best thing to do was to keep moving and find the great valley.

So, with heavy hearts, the group slowly got up and began to walk away, with Littlefoot being in the back. His usual cheerful smile and twinkling eyes were now gone, replaced with a sorrow frown. As they began to walk further away, Littlefoot wished with all his heart that his brother could be with them.

And as if the heavens above heard his wish, a small pile of bubbles began to form, moving closer to the shore, more and more appearing as whatever was making them came closer to the surface.

Hearing the bubbles, the group turned around, observing the bubbles when suddenly, Chomper came bursting out of the water, exhausted but alive!

"WAIT!" Chomper cried as he collapsed on the shore, drenched, completely out of breath and coughing up water. "Don't-don't go... without me!"

"Chomper?" Littlefoot whispered as he could hardly believe his eyes. A massive smile then broke out across his face. "CHOMPER!" He shouted, rushing foward and tackling the little sharp-tooth in a tight hug, now crying tears of joy and relief. "Your alive!"

Chomper laughed as he hugged his big brother back equally tight while the others hurried over.

"Chomper!" Ducky cried as she and Petrie hugged Chomper by the arm and snout. "You're safe! Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep!"

Cera and Spike came up and nuzzled Chomper's face while Ruby hugged him around the neck.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Littlefoot smiled, nuzzling his little brother.

"We all are glad you're okay." Ruby added.

Chomper giggled. "Well, it'll take more than a sharp-tooth and some water to keep me away from my family."

The group remained there for a long time, taking in the moment as they held each other dearly.

At long last, Sharptooth was no more.

They were free from his ominous shadow.

And all of his victims, including Littlefoot and Chomper's mother, could rest in peace now that they had been avenged.

As the bright circle began to fade over the horizon, the small herd agreed to rest in the cave at the top of the hill for the night. Once inside, they finally gave into their fatigue as they collapsed on the cave floor, finally being able to relax after everything they had been through.

"Well," Chomper spoke up as gathered up at the cave entrance to watch the bright circle set. "we sure had quite a day, huh?"

"Yeah," Cera agreed as they watched the sky slowly turn from a bright orange to a dark blue hue. "Who would've thought we would be the ones defeat Sharptooth?"

"Petrie also learned how to fly too." Ruby pointed out with a smile.

The little flyer grinned as began to fly circles around them. "I a true flyer now!" He said happily, causing everyone to laugh.

"I also cannot believe defeated Sharptooth." Ducky said. "We are just hatchlings."

"No, we're more than that." Littlefoot stated as they looked to each other. "We're a group, a herd."

Everyone smiled at that. After all they had gone through, after all the trials and tribulations and hardship they had gone through, that could not be a more true statement.

But then, to remind everyone how tired they were, Spike suddenly let out a long yawn as he stretched his limbs.

"I think Spike has the right idea," Ducky said drowsily as she lay down. "I am tired too, yep, yep, yep."

"Yeah, me too." Chomper yawned, smacking his lips. "We should get some sleep. Who knows how much farther until we reach the Great Valley."

With that, the group of seven all huddled together and quickly drifted off into the deep comforts of slumber as the night circle rose up in the sky.

Done. Wooo, this took a really long time. Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time!