Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of The Land Before Time and the story of The Lion King, only how the story goes. The characters of The Land Before Time belongs to Universal and the story of The Lion King belongs to Disney. I apologize for any errors and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.
A/N: I'm gonna do this chapter kind of how I did it in the "Warrior Leader" story.
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Chapter Nine: Stampede and Tragedy
As Chomper and Scales stood there watching the skies as Pterano flew off. Chomper looked Scales and asked, "What do you want to do now?"
"Why not take a stroll?" Another voice asked. They looked back to see Scar-Eye walking up to them. Looking between them he said, "Just you and me, by the way, Chomper."
"I don't know, Uncle Scar-Eye." Chomper said as he looked to the ground. With a shake of his head he said, "I think I've had enough adventuring for a while."
"We both have." Scales agreed, not really wanting to go anywhere. Expecting this kind of response, Scar-Eye knew just what to do and said, "Say no more. You kids had a fun filled day yesterday. I get it." Looking to Chomper he said, "I was just going to take you to places where my father took me and your dad."
Chomper took a moment to think about it before saying, "I guess a small stroll wouldn't hurt."
"If that's what you want, Chomper." Scar-Eye said before moving between the two cubs. Looking down to Scales he said, "If you'll excuse us."
Scales took the hint and turned to leave. They watched her go before Chomper then followed his uncle down the stone steps.
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Later that day in the afternoon, Chomper and Scar-Eye made it to the side of the Canyon. Looking down the side the younger Sharptooth asked, "So, why are we here again?"
"This is a place where young sharpteeth and other dinosaurs come to practice their roars, bellows and screeches. And I wanted to show it to you." Scar-Eye said as they came to a path that led down into the canyon. Both sharpteeth walked down the path to the floor of the canyon and walked for some time. They soon came across a tall acacia tree with a rock under it. Then Scar-Eye had a smile as he said, "And I know I shouldn't tell you just yet, but your father has a marvelous surprise for you."
"Ooh, what is it?" Chomper asked, becoming really excited about it. Scar-Eye chuckled while Chomper climbed up the rock. His uncle then said, "If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise now, would it?"
"If you tell me, I'll still act surprised." Chomper said with a nod, really wanting to know as his uncle came up next to the rock. Scar-Eye found this funny as he laughed and Chomper sat down on the rock. With a shake of his head, the black Sharptooth then said, "Hoo, hoo, hoo! You are such a naughty boy."
Chomper's face fell from his uncle staying firm in not telling. Standing up again, Chomper came a little closer to his uncle and pleaded, "Come on, Uncle Scar."
"No, no, no, no, no." The black Sharptooth said as he shook his head. Then as Chomper backed off, the older Big Biter then said, "This is just for you and your daddy." He tried to think of something else to say while he made a circular motion with his left hand, "You know, a sort of father-son sort of thing."
With nothing else to say to his nephew, Scar-Eye smiled and said, "Well, I'd better go and get him." He turned and started to leave the canyon.
"I'll go with you." Chomper excitedly said as he jumped off the rock. But when he landed, Scar-Eye turned around and angrily snapped with a scary face, "No!" This shocked Chomper and the black Sharptooth caught on to what he was doing and chuckled to seem less threatening to the cub. His face fell and he shook his head, "No." Then making Chomper back up onto the rock he said, "You just stay on this rock."
As Chomper sat back down with a disappointed look, Scar-Eye then said something to make him feel bad, "I don't think you would want to end up in another mess like you did with the Fast Biters do you?"
This surprised Chomper as he looked to his uncle and asked, "You know about that?"
"Chomper, everybody knows about the incident." Scar-Eye said as if the whole world knew what had happened. Chomper slouched a little as he asked, "Really?"
"Oh, yes." Scar-Eye said with a nod as if it were a matter of fact. As Chomper started to feel guilty again about what had happened, it made Scar-Eye feel joy to see the torment on his nephew's face. Then with a grin he said, "Lucky thing that your father was there to save you, hmm?"
Then with a gasp he then said, "And just between us," He pressed the side of his head against the cub's head as he said, "you might want to work on that little roar of yours, hmm?"
"Oh. Okay." Chomper said, feeling a little down. Scar-Eye then told him, "Don't fret, you can practice your roar here. Remember what I told you?"
"You said that this is where dinosaurs come to practice their sounds." Chomper repeated. Scar-Eye nodded and said, "That's right. It was right here in this canyon where me, your father and the others of the pack would come to practice our roars." Scar-Eye then looked as if an idea popped into his head, "Now, there's a thought."
"What?" Chomper asked. Scar-Eye then said, "Since your father has a surprise for you, why not surprise him with a powerful roar of your own."
"Do you think that it would work?" Chomper asked. Scar-Eye nodded and said, "Of course. My father was proud when me and Rex were able to let loose our roars.
"So why not practice yours while I go and get your dad, hmm?" Scar-Eye said with a grin. Chomper nodded and Scar-Eye turned to leave again. But before he could disappear, a question popped into Chomper's mind. Looking to his uncle he asked, "Hey, Uncle Scar-Eye! Will I like my father's surprise?"
This caused Scar-Eye to stop in his tracks. The black Sharptooth took a quick second to come up with something. Then choosing his words in a way that didn't sound to dark, Scar-Eye looked back with a smile and he said, "Chomper my boy, it's to die for."
Then Scar-Eye continued to walk away from Chomper's tree as a bird screeched overhead. When he felt that he was out of Chomper's sight, Scar-Eye quickly made his way out of the canyon.
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The Sharptooth hunting patrol was coming around the bend and was about to turn to meet up with the king when they heard the bushes rustling up ahead. They all prepared themselves for a fight if there was to be one. But it wasn't when Redclaw stepped out into the open. One of those from the patrol took a deep breath before saying, "Oh, Redclaw. It's you. We thought it was trouble."
"Sorry for the scare, fellas." The scarred grey Sharptooth said. Then he said, "King Rex asked me to come and find you guys to tell you that we're supposed to meet him at the Thundering Falls."
"But that's a little farther from where he wanted to meet up." Another sharptooth said, now confused. Redclaw just shrugged and said, "I know how you feel. But this is what the king wants and I'm trusting his judgement."
The patrol looked to each other with uncertainty before following after their friend. While he took the lead of the patrol, Redclaw kept a straight face while smiling on the inside. He had a feeling that his master's plan would work this time.
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High above the canyon floor, a few yards from the edge, a large herd of Threehorns grazed on the tall grass. A few of the males of the herd watched for any signs of trouble while other males grazed with the females and young ones. And not far or that close under a familiar but smaller looking rock formation, a stomach growls really loud. An annoyed Clawdette looks to its source and growls, "Shut up."
"I can't help it. I'm so hungry." Leaper complained as he sat with the four of them. Then standing up he quietly shouts, "I've got to have a Threehorn!"
"Stay put." Clawdette warned with a glare while Screech and Thud grabbed their comrade and pulled him on his backside and he yelped in pain. Leaper sighed before asking with a plead, "Can't I just pick off one of the little sick ones?"
"No!" Clawdette, Screech and Thud all snarled in his face. They all sat up as she then reminded, "We wait for the signal from Scar-Eye. Now just sit there and shut up."
Leaper then remained quiet while the continued to wait. Screech looked to Clawdette and said, "Way to keep your focus for the mission."
"What we talked about has really got me thinking." Clawdette said and closed her eyes. Screech then said, "You keep this up and the boss will do you all good."
"Do us all good." Clawdette corrected and lightly nudged her fellow Fast Biter with her arm. Thud, Leaper and Scratch all watched the sight with mixed feelings.
Some where close by, Scar-Eye made sure to stay down wind as he climbed up to the top of a rock wall. When Clawdette looked to the spot she noticed him, "There he is." All five Fast Biters stood up with grins on their faces. Clawdette turned her head to the others and made a comically evil face as she said, "Let's go."
All five of them moved out to put the plan into motion. Thud looked to Scratch and said, "I didn't know she could make such a funny face."
Scratch only gave a crazed cackle in agreement before they all started running.
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Back down in the canyon, Chomper sat on the rock with his hands under his head. He looked a little upset as he thought about his uncle's words as he repeated, "You need to work on that 'little roar' of yours. Puh!"
But then he let out a sigh as he thought that his uncle might be right about it. Then he looked back and saw a little lizard climbing off the tree. Thinking that maybe he could practice his roar to scare it away, Chomper took a deep breath and let loose a small and not very powerful roar. It didn't scare the small lizard as it just kept on going. Getting up he ran off the rock in front of it and decided to try again. Taking in another deep breath, he let loose another roar. But once again, it didn't do anything as the lizard kept walking away. Becoming annoyed, knowing that he could do it, knowing that third time could be the charm and wanting to make his father proud, Chomper jumped behind it and took a third deep breath. His chest puffed out a little before he let out another and stronger roar. The lizard ran off in fright as the roar echoed off the canyon walls.
Chomper smiled as he listened to his roar echo throughout the canyon. But his smile faded when he heard something that sounded like rumbling thunder. The young sharptooth looked down to see some small stones jumping from the intensifying rumbling. Fliers started to caw in fear as Chomper looked to the source of the rumbling as it grew louder. At the top of the canyon, where the slope wasn't really steep, a herd of Threehorns came running down the wall.
Chomper's face turned to sheer horror and gasped when he saw them running right at him. When he snapped out of it the young sharptooth cub quickly turned and made a run for it. The Threehorn herd continued to run down into the canyon like a flowing river. Chomper didn't slow down for a second even as the herd started to gain on him.
At the top of the canyon, the Fast Biters kept making the herd stampede into the canyon. Clawdette ran up to one and snapped his teeth at one of the frilled dinosaurs. When the last of them went down into the canyon, the five Fast Biters came to stop at the edge and looked down to watch their work unfold.
Down in the canyon, Chomper continued to run for his life as the Threehorns kept coming. Chomper took a glance back before whimpering in fear.
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Not far from the canyon, King Rex and Pterano were patrolling around the grounds of the valley. Pterano was currently sitting on the king's back when he heard a sound and looked towards the canyon. Without taking his eyes off of it he said, "Oh, look sire, Topsy's herd is on the move."
"Odd." Rex said as he looked to the canyon and could see that it was true. They were soon surprised when Scar-Eye came running up to them and said out of breath, "Rex, come quick." Turning to the canyon he frantically said, "Stampede! In the gorge!" He looked truly worried as he said, "Chomper is down there!"
"Chomper?" Rex worriedly questioned and thought about his son. Then with a mighty leap he jumped over his brother's head and started to run to the canyon with Scar-Eye following after him. Pterano opened his wings and took flight.
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Speaking of the sharptooth prince, Chomper was currently running for his life as the stampeding Threehorns kept running behind him. He tried to go faster, but couldn't seem to pick up the pace. Soon the frilled dinosaurs started to overtake him and he had to watch himself as he ran with the herd. Looking ahead, Chomper saw a dead tree and thought of it as a way to avoid the stampede. Quickly climbing up one root, he started to climb up the branches as best as he could before making it to the top branch. When he made it the young sharptooth wrapped his arms around the branch as it swayed from the running herd.
Rex, Scar-Eye and Pterano all hurried to the canyon as a great dust cloud billowed from it. With a flap of his wings, Pterano flew ahead of the two sharpteeth and dived over the edge to look for the young prince. He flew over the herd to stay out of the way while looking around for any sign of Chomper. Then looking ahead, the Flier gasped and nearly fell out of the sky when he saw him. Quickly catching himself, Pterano flew to the tree and the branch was really swaying from the stampede. Chomper looked to see the Flier coming at him and shouted, "Pterano, help me!"
"Your father and uncle are on their way!" Pterano shouted as he hovered close to the branch as he nearly slipped. Seeing that his wing beats weren't helping much, Pterano knew that he might endanger the cub. As Chomper pulled himself back up the Flier then said, "Hold on, young one!"
"Hurry!" Chomper shouted as Pterano flew off. Chomper wrapped his arms and his legs around the branch as he waited for his dad to come rescue him.
Rex and Scar-Eye came jumping down the rocks of the canyon down to a more even spot over the stampeding herd. When they ran to the edge, they looked down to the floor for any signs of Chomper. Pterano came flying up to them and pointed as he shouted, "There! There! There on that tree!"
The two sharpteeth looked to the spot with worry and saw the tree. Rex was very fearful as he watched his son cling to the tree. Rex then shouted to his son, "Hold on, Chomper!"
At that moment, a Threehorn rammed into the tree and broke a chunk off of it. The force of the blow caused the dead tree to sway again, and Chomper started to slip. He was able to keep a good grip on the wood with his hands and chin, but his feet dangled in the air. He cried out, "Aah! Dad!"
Knowing that he couldn't waste another moment, Rex jumped down from the ledge onto a rock formation and carefully made his way down. As he neared the canyon floor, Rex looked to see that Chomper could barely hold on as he kept slipping from the swaying branch. Rex came down to a spot where he could run with the herd, the father jumped down before rushing to save his son.
"Oh, Scar-Eye, this is truly awful!" Pterano said in fear as the two watched from the ledge. The red and brown Flier started to panic as he flew in front of the sharptooth and questioned, "What do we do?! What do we do?!" Scar-Eye's widened when Pterano then suggested, "Ah, I can go back for help, that's what I shall do." He flew to the other side of the sharptooth as Scar-Eye glared at him when he said, "I'll go back for he-"
Pterano never got the chance to go and be useful when Scar-Eye swatted him in the back with his tail. The blow caused the Flier to smack into a rock wall. Pterano grunted when he fell onto his back and lost consciousness. Scar-Eye snorted a puff of air in irritation at the thought of Pterano ruining his plan. He turned his gaze back down to the canyon floor to make sure that everything worked perfectly.
Rex continued to run with the Threehorn herd and passed by Chomper's tree as the young sharptooth cub began to slip a little more. Finding a gap in the stampede, Rex was able to move between two of the Threehorns and turned to face the tree. Then running towards the tree, a big male Threehorn caught him off guard knocked into him as he didn't notice it until it was too late. Rex grunted as the blow made him roll back. When he stopped he shook his head as he looked to the tree. Another Threehorn broke through the tree and it sent a screaming Chomper flying through the air. But before he could hit the ground, Rex ran up and jumped while grabbing his son by the tail with his teeth. The father then turned while tossing Chomper onto his head. Then he started to run with the herd again.
From up on the ridge, Scar-Eye followed the two's progress. He watched as Chomper hung onto his father's head while Rex made his way through the herd.
Rex carried Chomper and made sure to take it easy while staying alert. But then he accidentally smacked into the side of a Threehorn and he growled as Chomper tumbled off of his head. Chomper grunted as he rolled across the ground. Getting up, the young sharptooth cub moved out of the way when a Threehorn came right at him. When he moved to a more open section of the stampede, Chomper looked behind him right as Rex came running up to him and grabbed him with his tail as he ran by. They moved out of the way just in time as a Threehorn tripped and fell with a skid.
Rex was able to move to the side of the canyon while moving Chomper to his clawed hands. When they made it to the wall, Rex hopped onto a stone ledge and set his son down on a higher ledge. But before he could try and climb up himself, Rex was knocked back into the stampede by a passing Threehorn. Chomper's eyes were wide as he shouted after him, "Dad!"
Rex tumbled as he landed amongst the stampeding Threehorns. Chomper's eyes darted to the left and right as he looked for his father. But when he couldn't see him it only made Chomper grow much more worried. Then in one huge leap, Rex suddenly jumped out of the stampede and crashed against the side of the canyon wall. He slid down a little before his feet touched against a small rock ledge. Rex took a moment to catch his breath. Chomper had a look of relief when he saw his father. Rex looked up and saw a few places where he could climb. Chomper watched as Rex started to carefully make his way up the rock wall. He became scared for a moment when a foot hold under his father's feet gave way, but relaxed when Rex was able to keep on going. As Rex continued to climb up, Chomper turned and started climbing up a different path to see if he could help his father.
Rex had climbed up to a part of the slope that was really steep. Taking a deep breath the sharptooth made a big leap and shakily landed on top of the slope. When he stood at his full height, Rex panted from the exertion and looked to his left to see Scar-Eye appear from behind a wall. Rex had a grin as he said, "Scar-Eye. Brother."
Scar-Eye didn't say anything as he had an emotionless expression on his face. Rex grunted in pain from the injuries he sustained from the Threehorns. With a deep breath he said, "Come on. Let's go find Chomper and get out of here."
"No, I don't think so." Scar-Eye said when Rex took a step forward. This made Rex very confused and he looked to his brother. With a quirked brow he asked, "Scar-Eye?"
The deep black sharptooth then rushed at his brother before turning a full circle and slapping his sibling with his tail. Rex grunted as he fell to the ground and looked up with a gasp to see Scar-Eye trying to stomp down on him with his foot. The Sharptooth King rolled out of the way and Scar-Eye's foot caused a few cracks in the ground. Rex quickly got up and rammed his head into Scar-Eye's midsection. The older sharptooth stumbled back while clutching his chest. Then with a growl he glared at his brother while Rex then questioned, "Why are you doing this?"
"Because it's my time to assume the throne and rule this land." Scar-Eye growled with anger in his voice. Rex's eyes widened in shock as he realized that the stampede was all his brother's doing. With a growl of his own he said, "You willingly put my son in danger just lure me to my death and make yourself king?"
"This isn't the first time that I tried to be honest." Scar-Eye said with a slight smirk. Rex's eyes widened again when he realized that the event in the Mysterious Graveyard was also his brother's doing. With an angry snarl he said, "What you've done is unforgivable! How do you think father would take to you trying to murder your own family?"
"I'd think that he would have seen it coming." Scar-Eye casually shrugged. Then he added with a sadistic grin, "Seeing as how I had my friends complete his journey for him. They told me that they and their clan had a glorious feast when he reached the river near their lands."
Rex gasped as he thought about his father being killed by the Fast Biters and having his journey being cut much shorter. Tears welled up in the king's eyes as he shouted, "You monster!"
Rex rushed towards his brother, but Scar-Eye smirked as he knew that his little brother would react this way. When his brother was in close range, Scar-Eye side stepped and avoided being rammed into while raising his left leg and scratching his brother in the side and left three large gashes. Rex roared in pain while Scar-Eye grabbed his brother's tail with his teeth and yanked him back. The king yelped as he was pulled back and Scar-Eye followed up with a headbutt to his brother's gut. The blow sent Rex into the rock wall and he tried to keep himself on his feet. Rex panted as he knew what was on the line; his life, his wife, his kingdom and his son. Rex roared in anger at the thought of something happening to his son and prepared to fight.
Scar-Eye smirked as he prepared himself as well. The two sharptooth brothers rushed at each other and rammed their bodies together. Rex and Scar-Eye tried to shove each other back when Scar-Eye smirked as he had his brother right where he wanted him. Quickly moving out of the way, Rex stumbled forward before coming to a stop before the edge. He turned to Scar-Eye as the black sharptooth had a smirk before darkly saying, "Long live the King."
Rex tried to move out of the way, but wasn't quick enough when Scar-Eye turned full circle and slapped him in an uppercut fashion to the chin with his tail. The blow sent Rex falling backwards off the ledge. The wounded king then fell into the canyon and roared as he fell into the stampede back first. Chomper had made it to a ledge, but looked back when he heard his father's roar and his eyes widened.
"No!" Chomper screamed in horror as he watched his father fall into the stampede. Not hesitating for a moment, Chomper began to jump back down the rocks as the last of the herd ran through.
When he reached the canyon floor, Chomper quickly runs along as he searched for his father. He couldn't see much in the giant dust cloud. Feeling scared during his search, the purple sharptooth cub coughed from the dust before moving on. Not seeing any sign of him, Chomper called out, "Dad!"
But all he could hear was his echo bouncing off the canyon walls. The sharptooth cub ran further along the canyon floor and kept searching for his father. He slowed his pace to search by a few rocks. When he didn't see anything, Chomper kept looking before he heard a rustling sound. With a hopeful heart Chomper looked to the sound and said, "Dad?"
But it turned out to be a straggling Threehorn. The Threehorn ran right past the sharptooth prince and past the broken dead tree to rejoin its herd. That's when Chomper noticed a large shape lying underneath the broken wood. As he came closer, Chomper saw that it was his father lying on his right side. With worry in his heart, Chomper quickly ran to his father. But when he came closer, Chomper slowed down when he felt that something was wrong. The sharptooth cub moved to his father's head and noticed that Rex's eyes were closed and he didn't appear to be breathing. Both wishing and hoping that his father was only sleeping, Chomper came a little closer and said with a small smile, "Dad?"
His smile fell when his father didn't stir. Then he said, "Dad, come on. Wake up." Rex still didn't move, and Chomper nudged the bigger sharptooth's snout with worry as he said, "You have to get up."
When he moved back, all his father's head did was stay still. Becoming really worried about his father, Chomper then said, "Dad?" Chomper looked as if he were about to start crying as he nudged his father's head again and said with a cracked voice, "Come on. We got to go home."
The nudging didn't work and Chomper ran back to his father's arms and gently took one in his mouth. He gave it three good yet gentle tugs on the arm, but Rex still didn't wake up. Feeling truly scared now and breathing heavily, Chomper let go of the arm and looked around for any form of assistance. He ran a few feet from his father's body and shouted, "Please, help!"
His plea for help once again echoed off the canyon walls. Chomper kept shouting, "Somebody!" Then his voice fell as he said a broken heart, "Anybody."
Tears welled up in his eyes as he quietly said, "Please, help me."
With a broken heart and tears flowing down his cheeks, Chomper became sad as he accepted the truth; his father was gone. Chomper looked back to his father with a sad look before walking back to him. When Chomper was but a few inches from his father, he nuzzled his way under Rex's arm to feel as if his father were embracing him. Chomper looked to his father's face before closing his eyes as he cried and laid still.
A shape moved through the dust cloud and Scar-Eye stepped closer to the deceased king and the grieving prince. As he came closer, Scar-Eye walked around his brother's body and looked down on his nephew as he laid underneath Rex's paw. The black sharptooth then quietly said, "Chomper."
Chomper looked back to see his uncle standing there with a stoic expression as Scar-Eye asked in shock, "What have you done?"
Chomper pulled out from his father's hand and stammered as he cried, "Th-there was a-a stampede of Th-Threehorns, and my f-father tried to save me." He looked to his father as he said, "It was an accident." With a shake of his head he turned back to Scar-Eye and said, "I didn't mean for it to happen."
"Oh, of course not. Of course you didn't." Scar-Eye said with a false look of understanding. He used his head to move Chomper away from his brother's body and Chomper buried his head into his uncle's snout as Scar-Eye shook his head as he said, "No one really ever means for these kinds of things to happen."
Chomper continued to cry for his father as he rubbed his head against his uncle's. Then Scar-Eye's voice changed as he said, "But the king is dead."
The cub looked to the bigger sharptooth and vice versa as Scar-Eye made it sound as if it were truly Chomper's fault, "And if it weren't for you, he would still be alive."
Chomper was shocked at first to hear his uncle say that, but as he thought about the young prince thought he could be right. He backed up when Scar-Eye let out a gasp before asking, "What will your mother think? What will the pack think? And what will your friend Scales think?"
Chomper sniffled as he was very confused. Then he asked, "What am I gonna do, Uncle Scar-Eye?"
Scar-Eye lowered his head to the cub as he said, "Run away, Chomper." Chomper cast another look at his father's still form before Scar-Eye ominously said, "Run. Run away and never return."
Chomper looked in his uncle's eyes and saw that he was serious. Quickly turning away from Scar-Eye, the broken hearted Chomper started to run. He cast one final look before disappearing into the dust cloud. Scar-Eye watched as his nephew ran and smirked at how well his plan had worked. But his smirk fell as he knew that he couldn't have any loose ends with Chomper still being alive. Five figures appeared from the dust cloud as Clawdette, Screech, Leaper, Thud and Scratch all waited for their leader's command. Without any remorse in his voice, Scar-Eye ordered, "Kill him."
The Fast Biters didn't waste a second as they rushed forward with a screech with Clawdette taking the lead.
Chomper had ran to the far end of the canyon and had to stop when he came to a rock wall. He panted from all the running as he looked up for a way to the top. He did notice that there were some rocks he could climb but he heard the sound of foot prints. The sound of growling made Chomper look back and his eyes widened when he saw the three Fast Biters from the Mysterious Graveyard accompanied by two more. They all had sinister grins as they came closer to him. Not wasting a second, Chomper quickly ran for the rocky path and started to climb. The five Fast Biters charged forward to do their job. As Chomper scrambled up the rocks, he narrowly avoided getting scratched in the back by Leaper's claws as they only scraped against the rock. When he had made it to the top of the rock pile, Chomper started to run under a stone arch but slid to a stop when he came to the edge of a cliff. He looked down the sheer drop as some of the loose stones tumbled down the slope. The sound of growling made him look back and he gasped when he saw the Fast Biters coming from under the stone arch. Taking a leap of faith, Chomper jumped over the edge and grunted as he rolled down the steep slope. He continued to tumble as the five Fast Biters jumped down after her. When the cub had reached the end of the slope Chomper fell off the edge and landed into a large briar patch. After rolling to a stop under the briars, Chomper carefully crawled his way out to get away.
As they came down the slope and to the briar patch, Leaper started to pull ahead of the others with an eager grin. But when he saw what was coming up, he became scared and shouted, "Woah!"
Leaper frantically tried to stop himself from going any further by trying to slide to a stop. Only when he came close to the edge did he stop sliding. Leaper sighed in relief thinking that he was safe. But Clawdette came in from behind and bumped into him, it made him scoot up a little. Leaper let out a scared gasp as the other three Fast Biters bumped into Clawdette and it sent Leaper flying from the ledge and into the briars screaming. Clawdette, Scratch, Screech and Thud all looked to where he had landed to see what happened to their fellow Fast Biter. He came jumping up and clutched his butt as he screamed from the pain, "Yow!"
All four of the other Fast Biters started to laugh at Leaper's pain as he rushed to get out of the thorns. He winced in pain and grunted as he slowly pulled himself back onto the rock. Climbing back onto the rock, Leaper limped past Scratch and Thud to treat his wounds and winced with every step. Screech and Clawdette smiled at his torment before the latter looked out to the brambles and she shouted, "Hey, there he goes! There he goes!"
Screech, Thud and Scratch all looked to see Chomper make it to the edge of the briars and started to run off into the wilderness. Leaper pulled a few briars out of his hand before turning to his leader and said, "Well, go and get him."
"There ain't no way I'm going in there." Clawdette refused as he smiled while thinking of what happened to him. Then with a snicker she asked, "What, you me to come out looking like you, cactus butt?"
Leaper had just pulled a few thorns out of his backside and noticed that both Scratch and Thud were staring at him with grins. In an act of defiance, Leaper spat the thorns at him. Thud moved out of the way, but Scratch yelped in pain when the thorns landed on his snout and started to rub it. Leaper then reminded, "But we got to finish the job."
"Well, he's as good as dead out there anyway." Clawdette said with a glare in Chomper's direction. Screech looked around and then said, "Plus, there doesn't seem to be any way around the briars from here. We'd never catch up by the time we found a way."
Leaper walked over as Clawdette then looked to the both of them and said with a smile, "And if he does come back, then we'll kill him."
All five had smiles at that thought and Leaper shouted to the fleeing sharptooth cub, "Yeah! You hear that, runt? If you ever come back, we'll kill ya!"
The five Fast Biters started laughing before turning and making their way back.
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Soon, night had fallen over the Great Valley and sorrow hung over the air at Fang Rock. Scar-Eye had brought the entire pack together to tell them the bad news. Scar-Eye sat on a higher rock as he said in fake sadness, "I am sorry to say that both King Rex and Prince Chomper were unfortunately killed in a Threehorn stampede this afternoon."
He hung his head and shook it as he said, "Rex's death was a terrible tragedy." He choked up when he added, "But to lose Chomper, who had barely begun to liveā¦"
Scar-Eye let loose a sob while most of the others in the pack fell into despair. Eda hung her head in great sadness while Pterano put a comforting hand on her foot. Scar-Eye then said, "For me, it is a truly deep and personal loss."
Scales stood at her mother's feet and tears rolled down her face as she rubbed her head against her mother's leg. Scar-Eye took a deep breath as he closed his eyes while he said, "And so it is with a heavy heart that I now assume the throne."
Shadows began to appear behind him as he raised his voice and said, "But out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise. And become much stronger."
The pack, from the eldest to the youngest and the Flier, all gasped at the sight of the Fast Biter pack emerged from the shadows with grins on their faces. Scar-Eye stood up and sounded as if he would bring change, "To greet the dawning of a grand new era." The black sharptooth turned while the Fast Biters continued to swarm Fang Rock and moved up the stone steps before standing at the beginning of the ledge as he said, "In which sharpteeth of all kinds can come together in a great and glorious future."
Scar-Eye walked up to the top of the ledge as the pack soon found themselves surrounded by the Fast Biter pack. The Fast Biters all let loose cackles of glee at the new changes being made. On a rock not too far from the rock formation, Rai sat with his staff in his hands as he watched the scene unfold. He shook his head in sadness and knew that things would soon be falling apart. A young pink Fast Runner came up behind him and asked, "What's going to happen, Master Rai?"
"Bad things, Ruby." Rai said as he looked to her.
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Later that evening, the two were back in Rai's cave. Ruby sat in a corner and watched as her mentor was still sad from losing his friend and his friend's son. A tear rolled down his cheek and the Rainbow Face turned to the painting. Wiping the tear from his face, Rai stretched his arm out to touch it. When he felt the cool stone against his hand, he wiped his palm against the painting. Ruby looked to the smeared painting in sadness as well.
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Author's Note: I know that this chapter is a great deal different than the others, but so will future versions. I hope that you like my inclusion of Ruby in this chapter. And in the next chapter I introduce a few other characters as well. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See you next time.
