Hello, everyone. I am back and here is another chapter of 'This Is Growing Up'.
Just a quick note before you guys start reading. First off, I would like to thank every reader and reviewer for taking interest in my story. I wasn't exactly sure how it was going to be received but it's gone better than I could have hoped, so thank you all for that.
Secondly, I want to address a few things. 1) Shorty and Ali are not officially an item in this story. So Shorty did not "cheat" on her. He's doing what teenage boys typically do, taking an interest in females. This isn't to say there isn't mutual interest, but they are not together as of this moment in the story.
2) When leaving a review, please limit it to 1 (at most 2) per chapter. I recognize that someone leaving an unofficial review can do so as many times as they want. But it gets a bit hectic and I cannot respond to those who leave reviews unofficially if they have a question or would like me to PM them. So I would ask that you leave one review and leave it at that. If you want to PM me about something, my mailbox is always open.
3) Hyp, Nod, and Mutt are not a part of this story. They just aren't relevant enough to me to bring them in. At this point, they'd also nearly be fully grown. As for Chomper and Ruby, well, you'll just have to find out what happens with them ;)
Anyway, just thought I'd address those concerns. I'm not frustrated or upset, just felt the need to clarify that stuff.
On with the story!
Chapter 14. Parental Interference
In hindsight, she should have known better. They both should have known better. Out of all the times to be caught kissing a longneck, it had to be the one instance her father caught her doing it. Cera was accustomed to dealing with her father's temper, but this was completely out of the realm of usual disputes. And that fact was quite telling by the look on Topps Threehorn's face, who looked as though he had seen a ghost.
But as Cera had feared, that shocked look slowly gave way to shock and anger, as his features contorted into that of rage.
"What is this?!" he practically sputtered.
"Um…well there's a perfectly good explanation," Cera offered but she guessed it would do no good. And her guess proved to be correct.
"If there is, I would rather fling myself from the highest cliff in the valley, than hear the explanation as to why my daughter was just caught…doing….THAT with a longneck!"
"Daddy, please! Don't be upset!"
Littlefoot could tell that the situation was worsening by the second and out of affection for Cera, tried to remedy the disaster.
"Mr. Threehorn, sir, don't be angry with Cera. It wasn't her fault-"
But evidently, this was the wrong thing to say, as it only seemed to anger the bull Triceratops even further.
"Oh, make no mistake you filthy flathead! I have no doubt in my mind as to who's fault this is!"
"I swear, nothing bad happened-"
But any attempt to calm Topps at this point was in vain, and at that moment his rage broke. With a terrifying roar, he charged straight towards them, horns bared.
Littlefoot was quite large in his own right by this time, but he knew he'd be a fool to try and take on a fully grown, pissed off male threehorn. Especially one intent on protecting his daughter. So, with adept footwork and a nifty move, he carefully avoided Topps' charge and quickly did an about face just in case he charged again.
"Daddy!"
"Cera!'
He craned his neck and saw that Topps had not tried to injure him, but merely wanted to separate him from Cera. However, it did not make the situation any less tense or the prospect of facing down her father any less intimidating. The threehorn was scraping the ground and snarling viciously at him.
At this point Littlefoot was prepared to defend himself if necessary, but really hoped such a thing would not be required. Plus, the pond was behind him and he did not want to fall in. He glanced at Cera, who's expression held a mixture of fear and longing as if to say, 'Please be careful, I don't want to lose you.'
Before he could do anything else, however, he heard a very familiar voice call out his name.
"Littlefoot?"
"Littlefoot!"
Slowly but surely, the forms of his grandparents appeared and they were headed in his direction. Relief replaced fear for a brief moment, but the reaction his guardians would have in this fiasco…well he could only hope for the best.
"Littlefoot, what on earth is going on?" his grandmother asked seriously as she and her mate managed to reach their grandson in time.
"We've been wondering where you were ever since you left the falls," said his grandfather. "Shorty said you had seemed rather upset."
'Remind me to give Shorty a good whack with my tail the next time I see him.'
His brother had many fine qualities, but keeping his big mouth shut was not one of them. And now he was in the very last position he wanted be in.
"It's nothing guys," he muttered. "Let's just go home."
"On the contrary," his grandpa retorted as he turned his attention towards Topps who was still fuming and standing directly in front of Cera. "Topps, I do pray you have not tried to harm our grandson. That would be a grave mistake."
The tone his grandfather used was much different than Littlefoot had ever remembered. Rather than the soft, reasoning voice he usually employed, this latest statement held no illusions of its intent. It was a subtle threat at the threehorn, warning him what would happen if he had acted aggressively towards their only grandchild.
"What do you have to say for yourself?" his grandmother asked icily.
But Topps did not back down. On the contrary, he took a couple steps forward and looked the longneck elders straight in the eye.
"Why don't you ask your precious grandson?" he growled. "Ask him what he was doing to my daughter!"
Grandpa Longneck kept a very stern gaze on Topps, but at the same he could not help giving a sideways glance to Littlefoot. His wife did the same.
"Littlefoot?" his grandpa asked. "What is Mr. Threehorn trying to accuse you of?"
At this moment, the teenage longneck wished he were a better liar. He was almost incapable of it, as he couldn't stand the guilt that followed. Lying to Mr. Threehorn after scaring spiketails was one thing, doing so to his grandparents after being caught with Cera was quite another.
He sighed, there was no way to comfortably answer this question, whether telling a truth or a lie, it ensured he would be put in a no-win situation. A lie would break the trust between him and his grandparents (not to mention anger Mr. Threehorn further) and the truth might jeopardize what he had just shared with Cera forever. In the end, his guilt won out.
"I…kissed Cera. And then Mr. Threehorn caught us."
The moment he said this, his grandparents gave him a look that Littlefoot had rarely seen before, if ever- a mixture of shock, disappointment, and even horror. The pit in the teenage longneck's stomach began to drop like a stone.
"You see! Your boy even admits it! What do you have to say for yourself?!"
"Daddy, please-" Cera tried to interject but to no avail.
"QUIET! You're lucky that your punishment isn't worse than the one I'm thinking of right now! The behavior you've displayed tonight shames the entirety of the threehorn herd! Now, not another word from you! Is that clear?!"
Cera did not dare say anything further, as she only gave an affirmative nod, the forming tears in her eyes the only indication of any kind of protest. Otherwise, she remained silent as the grave.
Topps turned back to the longneck elders, who held grave expressions. It was difficult to tell in the fading light of the day, but their eyes held piercing glares and held no inkling that they intended on backing down.
"All these years…" Topps trembled with rage. "All these years, I knew there was something wrong with that grandson of yours! Leading my daughter into danger, situations where she could have gotten killed or made into a meal for a sharptooth. But now I come to find he lusts after her?! I swear to you, if it weren't against the rules I'd…"
"MR. THREEHORN YOU WILL CEASE!"
It was the first, and only time, Littlefoot had ever heard his grandfather yell. It was such a departure from his usual calm demeanor that it almost frightened him more than the prospect of facing a predator. As was with Cera, he too remained quiet.
"Whatever our grandson did does not warrant threats," he stated sternly and more than a hint of his own anger. "And you'd best remember that, Topps, lest you go too far. I do not take such things lightly."
This did not calm the enraged threehorn, who still refused to back down.
"You're boy just-"
"We know what he did," Grandma Longneck cut him off. "A repeat of the tale is not required, least of all from you. Rest assured, our grandson will also be punished accordingly for his actions tonight."
Littlefoot's heart skipped a beat.
'Did Grandma just say 'punish'? She's been disappointed a few times, maybe even a bit frustrated but they've never had to punish me.'
The situation only continued to make him feel worse, and he knew that Cera was feeling the same. But he dared not look at her, lest he risk angering Mr. Threehorn further.
"You…you longnecks and your arrogance!" Topps sputtered. "You really think I can just let this go like nothing happened?! That I trust whatever punishment you have for him?!"
"However we choose to discipline our grandson is not your concern," Grandpa Longneck countered swiftly. "But in the interest of the valley, it is best not to speak of what has happened tonight. There are more pressing concerns that require our attention and effort."
"But your boy-"
"Will most assuredly not be speaking to your daughter again," Grandma Longneck said firmly, which was just the icing on the cake of an evening gone wrong for Littlefoot. To say he was shocked would not begin to describe what he was feeling. He had been sure that even if his grandparents had eventually found about his feelings for Cera, they would at least try to understand. All his life, they had stuck up for him anytime Mr. Threehorn or others had made unjust assumptions about him. But this was different. Grandma and Grandpa looked almost as angry as the Triceratops opposite them. And the implication was clear: he would not be allowed to see Cera anymore.
Tears in his own eyes began to well but he did not cry. The situation was far too unjust for him to simply wallow in despair. He needed to convince his grandparents of the mistake they were making. He tried to begin speaking, however, the looks they both gave him was enough to send a clear message: there would be no debate over this decision.
Meanwhile, Topps did not look at all ready to let the issue go. Nevertheless, he could still recognize a losing battle when he saw one. He was not about to engage in a physical battle with two fully grown longnecks, knowing full well how it would affect not only him but the valley in turn. Very reluctantly, he stood down and prepared to leave, but not before issuing a final warning.
"For the sake of the valley we lead, I won't pursue this further. But that boy is not to go even a mile within my daughter again. Is that understood, longneck?"
"Quite so. And I need not say what will happen if you behave aggressively towards one of the young ones again, especially Littlefoot," Grandpa Longneck replied in kind.
With a cold nod, each adult acknowledged the other one last time before proceeding in the opposite direction, completely oblivious to the fact that their respective children were completely miserable.
For Littlefoot and Cera, what had seemingly begun the start of a new kind of relationship between them had been thwarted before it had begun. Victims of standards they had dared to defy and were now paying the price for.
Littlefoot could only take one quick glance back at the girl he had only just confessed his love for, before moving away from the pond and into the trees, keeping close to the massive bodies of his grandparents, both of whom were not happy with him.
"Young one, we need to have a serious discussion about what just transpired."
"Yes, grandma," he said quietly.
'It's my fault, he thought to himself. 'If I hadn't kissed her none of this would have happened. Now I might never see her again.'
Seconds later, Cera did the same, casting a quick glance at the teenage longneck before continuing to cross the grassy plains back to their home, forced to listen to her father's grumbling lecture.
"Young lady, this goes far beyond anything you've done before. Disappointment can't begin to describe my feelings. What is the world coming to now? Why back in my day…"
She managed to tune out her father for a moment, if only to allow herself a single, sad thought.
'Littlefoot, I'm so sorry. For everything.'
The Next Morning
In contrast to the tumultuous events of the previous evening, the rise of the bright circle the following day brought sunshine and clear skies. Over on the edge of the eastern wall, lay two juvenile dinosaurs, snoozing away.
The hadrosaur was as quiet as a mouse as she lay on the side of a young Stegosaurus, one who was quickly becoming larger by the week. The small plates and spikes that were trademark of his kind, were already starting to show through. Dreaming of all kinds of green food to eat, he snored lightly, smiling as he did so. The spot chosen to rest by these two dinosaurs was not a coincidence. It had plenty of bushes and low plants to snack on, but
Only the sounds of buzzards and other small reptiles could be heard within the brush. And it was moments later that one of these said insects landed on the nose of the hadrosaur, flapping its wings incessantly, as if it were curious why the sleeping dinosaur in front of it was still sleeping with the bright circle above the skyline.
That insectoid curiosity, imaginative or otherwise, seemed to have the desired effect, because without warning, the swimmer woke up with a such a fright, it caused her to leap into the air. This is in turn, lead to her losing her balance and falling over backwards over the top of her brother's back.
"AHHH!"
It was only a seconds after the hit the soft ground with a dull 'thud' that she realized there was no threat to be had. The buzzer landed on her nose again, and with that Ducky frowned and quickly swatted it away. Even in her teenage years, she was still no fan of things that buzzed, stung or sucked your blood.
Slowly, she got up and walked into the small clearing in the canopy, where the bright circle's rays were strongest and took in the warmth, energizing her body with its heavenly rays. As she looked up into the light blue sky, a flyer was seen flying overhead.
Just then a small noise and a large yawn could be heard behind her. Spike had obviously just woken up, but Ducky knew that it always took him awhile to get on his feet. 'Waking up' and 'getting up' were two different concepts, but the Stegosaurus didn't care much for the distinction.
'Of course…he is awake AFTER I scream and have a huge fall. That is Spike alright, yup, yup, yup.'
Ducky turned her attention towards her brother, rolling her eyes ever so slightly.
"I swear, Spike. If a flying rock were to hit the ground and destroy all the dinosaurs, you would sleep through it. You would, you would."
Spike merely shrugged, as if the prospect of Armageddon was no more of a concern than finding that morning's breakfast. And on the latter, he didn't have to walk far. He immediately began munching on a large bush. Business as usual. Ducky could only smile and went to try to find some food of her own.
For the young Stegosaurus, consumption of green food was usually enough to keep the mind occupied. But the past few days had been rather topsy-turvy, even for him. As someone who was hardly fazed in even the most serious adventures, the fact that eating was not enough to placate him was troubling.
'Momma says I eat too much. But the problem is I can't stop eating. My favorite thing has become a problem. Even worse, now Ducky and Momma hate each other. I wish we could go home and go back to the way things were.'
He heaved out a heavy sigh and this did not go unnoticed by his sister. She perked up a brow and expressed a look of concern.
"Are you okay, Spike? You do not look happy."
Her brother sighed and gave a small grunt which, given her unique ability to translate his way of communicating, Ducky understood all too well.
"I do not miss her at all. I do not. Nope, nope, nope."
Spike shook his head as if to say, 'I don't believe you.'
"Why should I miss her? She was always trying to control everything I did. Now that we are here, we can do what we want. I can finally relax, and you can eat whenever you want."
Spike chomped on a huge leaf, spat it out and stomped his foot into the ground as if to emphasize a point.
"Oh, so now there are more important things in life than eating?! Who are you to say what I am feeling?"
The spiketail only gave a low rumble as he stepped next to her. It was then that Ducky realized just how large Spike was getting and how formidable most Spiketails were. But her brother was a gentle giant and contrary to what most of the valley thought, perfectly capable of showcasing his own intelligence. Ducky knew, that of all people, Spike could read her the best. Once glance from his curious, heartfelt eyes was all it took for her to admit the truth.
"Okay, Spike. I do miss her. I don't like being out here all the time. We have not seen our friends in days because we don't want momma to find us. But I do not want to go back either. She will just try to boss us around all the time again."
Spike was about to reply again, when suddenly, the underbrush began to move and shake. It appeared that someone was trying to make their way through the thick vegetation. This made the two teenagers rather nervous.
"What do you think it is?" Ducky asked.
Spike shrugged, but instincts were preparing them both to run. That is until they heard a familiar call.
"Ducky! Spike!"
The female Saurolophus's eyes widened.
"Momma?"
Just as the she said it, an adult female hadrosaur burst through the underbrush and into the clearing, shaking off some scratches and leaves that had stuck to her along the way. It was none other than Susa Duckbill herself.
"Oh! My babies!" she cried, overjoyed and she rushed forward to embrace them.
Spike was ecstatic and quickly ran the rest of the way to be held by his adoptive mother.
"Spike!" Susa cried, bending down to give him a light kiss and big hug. "You both had me so worried. I've been trying to find you for days!"
Spike laughed happily as he gave her his trademark lick. However, tension soon returned to the situation as the mother hadrosaur stood up and made eye contact with her daughter, one who had a mixture of emotions on her face. Susa couldn't tell precisely but it looked like a combination of relief, happiness, resentment, and sadness. Ducky was always an emotionally expressive dinosaur but this time she seemed content to watch the scene unfold. Or rather, she still held a grudge against the one who had hatched her.
"Ducky."
"Momma," was the curt reply.
Susa gave a heavy sigh. This wouldn't be easy, but she tried to remember Grandma Longneck's advice best she could and hopefully she would listen.
"Ducky, please. Will you hear me out?"
"Why should I?" she replied, crossing her arms.
"Because I'm not here to argue or fight with you. I want to talk. And more importantly I want to listen to you."
Ducky didn't appear thoroughly convinced, but nodded her head to indicate she would at least not interrupt.
Susa took her chance, took a couple of steps forward and began what she had been preparing for the last few days.
"Ducky, I know I've been hard on you these past few months. And though I didn't always agree with your behavior, I share some of the blame for this as well."
This seemed to catch the teenager off guard, as she uncrossed her arms, giving away that she was more open to listening.
"You're going through a tremendous time in your life right now," Susa continued. "It's a time every dinosaur goes through, including myself. I know exactly what you're experiencing…yes it's true," she added as she noticed Ducky scoffing. "I went through the hot flashes, the mood swings, the feeling that no one understands you."
Ducky could feel her hardened heart soften, and yet she there was something she couldn't wrap her head around.
"If this is all true, if you know what it is like then why have you been so controlling towards me?"
"There are a couple of reasons for that," her mother answered, a look of sadness appearing in her eyes. "You are my first children and as a parent, having children going through the Time of Great Growing is new to me. But above all, I thought if I disciplined you enough, the effects of the change wouldn't be as bad for you as it was for me."
At this point, had almost forgiven her mother. Even if she hadn't admitted it, she very much wanted to return home. But there was some indignation left in her.
"Well, you were wrong."
Spike visibly cringed as he awaited the next round of arguing to commence between his mother and sister. But it did not happen.
"You're right, Ducky. I was wrong, in the sense that my approach did not help the situation. But I want to fix that. I promise that from now on, if you are having a problem I will do my best to listen before judging or punishing you. I have spoken to your father, and we both agree that this was best."
She then turned to Spike.
"And I must apologize to you too, Spike. I didn't take the time to learn more about the effects of the Great Growing on your kind. I also spoke to Mr. Thicknose and he explained to me everything you've been going through as well."
Spike had already forgiven his mother at this point, but he nodded nonetheless indicating he appreciated it all the same.
"I've been unfair to both of you. Will you both come home…please?"
The words were so sincere and her emotions so powerful, Ducky was already in tears by the end of her mother's speech.
"Yes, yes, yes. We will come home. I'm sorry for what I did too. I won't run away, I promise."
And with that, mother and daughter swimmer received each other in a tender embrace, emotions running high. As they broke, it occurred to Susa there was another reason she and Ducky had fought so much lately, one she had not thought of until now. Out of all her daughters, Ducky was the one that resembled her in both personality and physical appearance. Perhaps, those with similar mindsets could clash as often as those that had opposite ones.
With happiness, and a newfound confidence that things would better from now, Susa lead the way back their home that rested by the stream. It was then she noticed a couple of things.
"It's only been a couple of days, so maybe I'm just imagining things. But Ducky you've grown quite a bit lately. You're as half as tall as I am."
Ducky seemed surprised by this as well, but it did not take long for her to take notice as well.
"Well, what do you know? I am taller. Yup, yup, yup."
Spike grunted as if to say, 'big deal'.
"Mr. Thicknose said that girls start to grow before boys do. He did."
However, their mother turned to Spike as they made their way through the thick vegetation, and it seemed he too had gone through some changes, previously unnoticed.
"Spike, the plates on your back. They've started to come through."
Ducky perked up at this as well and clasped her hands together.
"Oh yes! They have, they have! Does it still hurt, brother?"
Spike pondered for a moment as he arched his head to get a better look for himself. He shrugged, shaking his head.
"That's wonderful!" Ducky exclaimed. "Now you just need your spikes on the end of your tail so you can really be Spike!" and the teenager proceeded to giggle at her own pun.
Susa could only smile to herself, as the affection that the two siblings showed to each other never failed to touch her heart. There would be further challenges ahead. The Time of Great Growing had just begun after all. But there was a poise she felt now that had not been there before. The assurance of whatever happened, they could face it as a family.
"There's just one thing I still don't understand."
The mother duckbill looked at her daughter curiously.
"What's that, Ducky?"
"How did you know where we were?"
Susa could only chuckle slightly.
"Oh Ducky, a mother has her ways. You'll understand someday when you have children of your own."
'I must remember to thank Violet for spotting them this morning. Otherwise, it might have taken me a couple of more days.'
Ducky and Spike merely glanced at each other and shrugged as they proceeded on their journey back to the nest.
On the ledge of an ordinary flyer nest, lay a young male Pteranodon, with the most bored look imaginable on his face. This stemmed not simply because he had nothing to do, but that his siblings seemed intent on fighting over nonsense.
"It was your fault, idiot!"
"No, it was your fault!"
"Whose idea was it pebble brain?"
"Yours!"
"You have a bad memory pebble brain!"
"Call me 'pebble brain' one more time and see what happens. I dare you!"
Immediately, squawking and screeching began as his brothers discord turned physical. Rolling his eyes, Petrie decided he had better see what this was about. He slowly walked back towards the inside of the nest from the ledge and the sight that he beheld did not surprise him.
"What the heck you guys doing? Stop fighting!"
His five brothers all stopped in mid fighting pose, one had the other in a headlock and two others were wrestling with a third. Slowly, they disentangled and brushed themselves off.
"None of your business, Petrie," scoffed one of his brothers, named Terry. "Why don't you buzz off and find those friends of yours."
Years ago, Petrie might have become more indignant at that kind of remark, but this behavior had become so commonplace over the past few months, it didn't faze him.
"Me no able to find them. What else is me supposed to do?"
It had been a number of days since he had seen any of his friends, the last time being the day he, Ducky and Spike had witnessed Littlefoot and Cera walk away from each other without the slightest of reasons as to why. The next day he had tried to find Ducky and Spike again, but they were also nowhere to be found.
"Start by not telling us what to do, squeaky." And they all laughed at the joke.
"You just mad mama ground you again for doing something stupid."
His brother took a swipe at him for that, but ended up missing and hitting his other brother, Argus, instead.
"Ow! You, moron!"
"It was meant for Petrie, not you."
The brown teenage flyer simply sighed as his brothers continued to squabble.
'We need new nest soon. This place becoming too small for all of us.'
"Why you mad at me anyway?" he asked. "It not my fault you fly into Mysterious Beyond when you not supposed to."
Terry gave him a piercing glare in return.
"Oh, yeah? So it's perfectly okay when you and your friends go off and nearly get eaten but when we do the same it's somehow wrong?"
"We no mean to go on adventure," Petrie explained. "It just happen. Besides, we not go beyond valley for years."
"Whatever," said a third brother, named Dac. "I don't know why you shy away from it, Petrie. It's a flyer's destiny to seek adventure and glory. You've already seen more than most of the grown ups."
Petrie didn't like where this conversation was going.
"Like me said. Most of the time it just accident."
"You're too modest," Terry said, putting his wing around his smaller brother in a manner a bit too similar to his uncle. "Think of all the flyer ladies that would love to hear all the things you've done. It's a nice 'in', you know?"
Petrie shrugged, not really wanting to keep discussing it.
"Geez, you try to help a guy out and you get nothing," his brother proclaimed. "I don't think you understand. We're flyers. We can do the one thing no other dinosaur can: fly. To see the world, witness wonders and uncover secrets no one else can."
'Me hope you not fly so high you lose head, Terry' Petrie thought shaking his head.
"Uncle Pterano tell you this?"
"Hardly. He won't tell us anything anymore. All he does is try to give us corny advice. We've been speaking to other flyers. Even sharpbeaks."
Petrie's eyes widened a bit more at this statement. He hadn't known that his brothers had gone to such lengths to seek the kind of glory they sought. It was a marked change in their usual behavior. Or rather what used to be their behavior.
"You know those things eat us sometimes, right?"
But once again Terry dismissed him.
"They almost never do. Besides, we could easily escape them if they tried any of that."
"Man, I don't know how you went on all those life and death adventures," Dac added. "From what it sounds like, you always acted like a scaredy egg. Were you useful for anything?"
Petrie became indignant at this.
"Me always help friends when they in trouble," he said trying to keep his voice from cracking without much success
But his brothers remained skeptical and continued to laugh at his misfortune.
"Yeah, I'd love to see the day you're actually brave, Petrie," Argus smirked, while the others snickered. "Especially with that cracked voice of yours."
At this point, the young flyer had had enough and was not interested in enduring more teasing from his brothers. He turned his back on them and proceeded to head out of the cave and onto the rocky ledge.
"Where's mama?" he asked.
"Oh, what? You're going to tattle on us now for making fun of you?"
Feeling his anger rising, Petrie kept it down long enough to give a non hostile answer.
"No. Me just want to know what we having for dinner."
"Oh. No idea. She said she had to leave this morning to go do a favor for someone. The girls are out gathering food."
Petrie barely acknowledged them and did not wait a second longer to spread his wings and take off into the air.
As he soared away, whipping through the sky with precision and skill, he couldn't help but remain frustrated at his brothers for their poor treatment of him. He knew his siblings could give him a hard time in the past, but lately it had only gotten worse as they started to hit their Time of Great Growing as well. Only none of his brothers had been afflicted with the same voice problems he had. If anything, it was their attitudes that had changed the most. As opposed to simple mischief and games, they had taken to much more dangerous stunts, ones that their mother had expressly forbidden. This did not stop them from making various incursions into the Mysterious Beyond and each attempt resulted in greater risk and greater futility of his mother in trying to punish them.
Petrie shook his head as he circled above the valley gracefully, witnessing the dinosaurs below him go about their business. He did not really understand the mentality of his brothers. Before his previous talk with Pterano, he had not realized that those of his kind could carry such haughty, care-free attitudes. But looking back on it, had he not carried some of those tendencies himself?
"It not his fault others not know how to fly away."
"Me have dreams about flying high above mountains and tall trees."
"This most smart, most brave, and handsome creature to ever rule world. The fliers!"
The more he thought about it, the more he came to conclude that his uncle had been right about the nature of their species. And the more he thought about what his brothers had said, the more it bothered it him. Even if it wasn't strictly true, there was no denying he was rather "jittery" by nature and at times, easily spooked. Normally, he'd just go hang out with Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, and Spike and forget all about it, but given that they were either busy or MIA the past few days, there was no one to reassure him he was not what his brothers claimed.
'Not even Cera say stuff like that to me', he thought.
It was leaving a heavily conflicted swirl of emotions within the teenage flyer. On the one hand, he wanted to heed his uncle's advice and not become another daredevil without regard for those around him (or physically below him). On the other, with his cracking voice and timidity, he felt the need more than ever to prove that he would not cower in the face of danger. That he was more than just a pair of wings.
With some effort, he forced those thoughts away, trying to keep an eye out for the familiar figure of his mother. He tried to make a call, but it ended up being rather jumbled due to his voice cracks.
'Will anything ever get better?' he mused in frustration as he looked up towards the bright circle.
As it turned out, it had no answers.
Later that afternoon…
Littlefoot had no short list of people he clashed with: Mr. Threehorn, Shorty, Rhett, Cera, and not to mention all the sharpteeth he had managed to escape from. Even he and his father had had their differences. But this was the first time in his life he could recall having a full blown argument with his grandparents.
To make matters worse, it was the first time he felt they were genuinely wrong about something. Within the confines of their usual resting ground, a patch of grass on a meadow guarded by two trees, a conflict ensued.
"Littlefoot, we don't want an argument about this," his grandfather stated calmly but sternly. "For the good of the valley, you must not engage with that threehorn any longer."
"She has a name," he shot back. "It's Cera. You had no problem using it up until this point."
"Littlefoot, for the good of the valley…"
But the teenage longneck was not buying any of it.
"You guys always talk about the 'good of the valley'. But what about what's good for me?"
"We always have your best interests at heart," his grandma said to him.
"Really?" Littlefoot feigned sarcastically. "Because it sure seems like you're doing the opposite of what I want."
His grandma gave him a piercing look, one he knew was usually enough to silence him, but not today.
"Littlefoot, having someone's best interests at heart does not always mean it is what they desire. Sometimes, it requires them to look past the short term, especially when they have not reached full maturity."
Littlefoot frowned at the cryptic wisdom.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that though you are older and have grown quite a bit, you still do not have the proper perspective to make certain choices on your own yet," explained his grandpa.
"Precisely," agreed his grandma. "Especially when it comes to affairs of the heart. Littlefoot, if you are interested in finding a mate we would be more than happy to help you. Why there are plenty of young female longnecks around that-"
"So that's what this is really about, huh?" Littlefoot said bitterly. "I may be just a hormonal teenager in your eyes, but I'm not stupid. This isn't about the good of the valley, this is about the fact that I kissed a threehorn and for some reason, you don't like it."
"Littlefoot-"
"All my life, you've never lied or mislead me," Littlefoot said quietly, but there was no mistaking the hardness in his tone. "So, let's just clear the air right now. Are you preventing me from seeing Cera because it's what's best for the valley, or because you don't approve of me dating a threehorn?"
Similar to their grandson, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were not used to being in a complete disagreement with the one they had raised for nearly all his life. Therefore, they were unsure on how to handle such a situation properly. It was truly foreign territory for them.
"Littlefoot…" his grandfather tried to explain slowly, but there was difficulty in explaining it properly, as the teenage longneck gave him a raised brow.
"Because if this is about you not wanting me to be with Cera, you're no better than Mr. Threehorn."
"It's not quite that simple…"
"Yes, it is!" Littlefoot cried. "What about this is so hard to understand?"
He had held no illusions that many may not approve of his feelings for Cera, but his grandparents were a different matter. He had never seen them so stubborn before.
"You guys always talk about cooperation among the valley with the other herds!" he pointed out aggressively.
"Young one," his grandma interjected sharply. "There is a difference between fostering goodwill among the various kinds that live in this valley and what…what you were doing with that threehorn girl."
"Cera," Littlefoot growled. "That's her name."
"Young one, I'm warning you…"
"So, all that talk about being a herd leader and taking a mate basically meant I had to do so with your approval or whoever you wanted to set me up with?"
"Littlefoot-"
"Sounds like a load of sh-"
"LITTLEFOOT!"
The outburst from his grandmother surprised both him and his grandfather, to the point where they were both looking at her in surprise.
"Littlefoot, it may be hard for you to hear. But whatever you have with the threehorn…Cera, cannot happen. Such a thing has never happened before and there is good reason for that. How can you become leader of your own herd? How can you…have children?"
Grandpa appeared a bit uncomfortable at this juncture and subtly nudged his wife.
"Dear, perhaps it's a bit early to be thinking about that just yet."
"This is important, my love. Our grandson needs to learn what's expected of him and how the nature of our world works. He cannot marry a threehorn. For goodness sake, do we really need to explain this?!"
Littlefoot's patience had reached its end. As his grandparents continued to quarrel amongst themselves, he let out a bellow that was far deeper and powerful than any before. They immediately stopped and focused their necks back to him, eyeing him with surprise. The teenager sighed, deciding to go the soft route, as things were getting too combative already.
"Look, I love you guys. You've taken care me nearly all my life. I trust you more than anyone else…but don't even attempt to try and force me to marry someone I don't want to. Cera's dad already tried that and you don't even want to know how that went. Please, don't prevent me from seeing her again."
Both his grandparents gave expressions, although they differed slightly. Grandpa Longneck appeared tired, as if the conversation were wearing him thin, while his wife looked a tiny bit saddened but determined nonetheless.
"Littlefoot, even if we were to approve of this relationship, there is no way on this earth Topps Threehorn would ever allow it. I'm sorry, young one, but this is for the best."
A combination of sad indignation and anger surged through the teenage longneck and he was about to raise hell once more…
Until a loud bellowing call was heard echoing throughout the valley, one that sounded awfully familiar.
"Well, Mr. Threehorn certainly seems to be concerned about something," Grandpa Longneck observed with slight trepidation, no doubt not wanting to confront a council meeting so soon after the previous night's incident. But there was no choice. Once one of the herd leaders sounded the call, it was mandatory for every valley member to attend. Even the children.
"Let us put this aside for the moment," Grandpa said cordially but also with a hint of finality. "Littlefoot, I would ask you to adhere to our decision. For now, we have the matters of the valley to attend to."
'The matter of the valley. That's all they give a damn about' Littlefoot thought bitterly, as they began to lumber their way towards the meeting site.
Little did he know, the situation in the valley was about to get much worse.
5 minutes earlier…
"But Daddy…"
"No 'buts', Cera! You are not to question my judgement. You are never to see that longneck again, and that's final!"
It had nearly been nonstop arguing for over an hour. Cera was not to go anywhere while her father went out and took care of the usual herd business. She had begged Tria to let her go, but even her kind hearted step mother could not acquiesce to her request. When he had returned, it had simply spiraled from there.
"He's not just a longneck, daddy! He's my best friend! And I…"
"Don't you say it!" Topps growled, practically apoplectic by now. "I saved you from one rotten male. I don't want to have to save you from another."
"But, honey," Tria said trying to interject a voice of reason into the heated argument. "You know this longneck boy. You know he's not a bad influence on her."
Topps gave a mighty 'humph' in dismissal.
"Taking my daughter on all sorts of crazy adventures, nearly getting killed by all manner of monsters, finding a damn sharptooth hatchling and raising it?! I've put up with all of it, until now. He's the closest thing to the words 'bad influence' as it gets, and last night was the last straw! Had I known all those years ago your friendship would lead to what I saw, I would have put a stop to it right then and there."
"And did you put a stop to Frank when you first met him? Did you care enough to know what he'd be like?" Cera spat furiously. "Forgive me, if I don't think you have much credibility."
"Don't put that on me, Cera," Topps stated with more than a hint of guilt in his voice, but he soon regained his own thunderous tone. "The minute I found out what happened, I took action. But finding you with a longneck is equally as unacceptable."
"He's not what you think, daddy!" Cera fired back, holding back a lump in her throat. She had cried too many times lately, she would not back down now and show weakness. But more importantly, she was not about to throw Littlefoot under the rock. She was done running from how she felt. "If this is about protecting me…"
"It's always been about protecting you!" Topps emphasized with a stomp in the dirt. "Until I met your step mother and had Tria, you were all I had left. You're the only thing that remains of…her."
The conversation had taken its most serious turn yet. Cera could count the number of times her father talked her mother on her forepaw. It was simply too painful to acknowledge most of the time. For both father and daughter. But circumstances had changed.
Tria respectfully bowed her head. She loved Topps dearly, but she was all too aware of how the tragedy of losing his first wife had affected him. She would never blame him for that.
"How could I live with myself knowing that my daughter could end up with someone who mistreats her? That could try and do what that…bastard, tried to do the other day."
Cera swallowed as she felt her throat constrict.
"She'd never forgive me, Cera. I could never forgive myself."
The orange threehorn calmed herself, but it didn't make the situation any less charged. Especially with her mother factoring in. She took a couple of steps towards her dad, as his stance softened slightly.
"You know Littlefoot, dad."
"Yes, and I know longnecks all too well. They're arrogant, lofty, and always have their damn heads stuck in the clouds. Thinking they know what's best for everyone."
"If you think that's how he would treat me…"
"Think, Cera!" her father's voice became urgent. "How is the line supposed to be continued if you don't marry within the herd? Who will become leader after I'm gone? Am I supposed to give my daughter away to a shit for brains longneck who may not have her best interests at heart?!"
"I would gorge you a new one for that language if Tricia were here," Tria chastised him.
"Sorry, dear…the point is Cera, not only is such a union unnatural and against the very traditions that we keep, but he will not be reliable. He will always be seeking the next prize that will give himself and all the other longnecks glory."
"How can you possibly believe any of that after all this time?" Cera challenged him. "You know Littlefoot. You know his grandparents. You know his dad. You work together to make this valley a safe and prosperous place for everyone. Do you really believe what you're saying, or are you just ashamed of the idea of your daughter falling in love with a longneck?"
That did it. Topps turned an ugly shade of prune at that last statement, and it was all he could do to keep himself from exploding.
"Cera," he said, voice trembling. "You are never to speak to that boy again, and I will not hear of any more argument about it. Do you understand?"
'Oh, I'm just getting warmed up 'daddy'!' the teenage threehorn thought viciously, preparing for an all out war.
Tria could not help but notice her step daughter's body language betrayed her furious intentions (that and her face had turned red, another danger sign), but just as she was about to mediate between the two, she noticed something coming their way.
"Topsy, look!"
It was enough for the male to focus his attention elsewhere, as a figure came into view, one that had clearly came from the direction of one of the lesser known entrances. He narrowed his eyes to get a better glimpse of what was ahead, until they opened wide with horror. The figure that came into view was a domehead, but one that was severely mauled and injured. Blood was dripping all over its body, and it looked as though it could barely walk. Still, it edged towards them.
Wasting no time, Topps ran towards the poor creature, as did Tria and Cera.
When they arrived to assist the domehead, the first thing they did was try to support him.
"My friend, who did this to you?" Topps asked, as the domehead looked on the verge of collapsed.
"Cera, run and fetch Mr. Thicknose!" Tria said, but it was of no use. The barely breathing dinosaur only muttered a few words before the inevitable occurred.
"Red Claw…coming…gaining strength…will kill….everyone."
And then, the domehead fell over to the ground, unmistakably dead as the body went cold and the heart stopped beating.
The threehorn family could only look on in horror for a few moments as they processed what had just happened.
And then, Topps issued the loudest gathering call Cera could remember.
Danger had just arrived on their doorstep.
Man, me and these cliff hangers lately, I tell ya.
Any guesses as to what happens now? What lies ahead for our favorite group of dinosaurs in the valley? Will Petrie manage to prove himself? Will Littlefoot and Cera ever see each other again?
Find out soon!
Thanks guys!
~TheWasp