Chapter 4
I'll Go With You

It was high noon by the time the young dinosaurs and their human companion reached a tall ledge. There was a ramp which led them down to a jungle and beyond the jungle was the volcano. They could actually see the volcano from the ledge and like they suspected, it was live and ready to erupt at any point. Smoke was bellowing out from the crater and there was an unmistakable volcanic hue.

As much as they wanted to run down the ramp and rush towards the adults, the rescue party knew they had to plan their actions carefully. According to earlier confrontations, Talia most likely had her forces amassed here, using them as a screen to forbid the adults from moving. If they wanted to get in and get out without hurting themselves, they needed stealth tactics.

That means no machine gun and no unsuppressed firearms. Bryan had to resort to his knife or, when the situation requires him to do so, his MK22 Hush Puppy pistol. He uses a long stick and draws their plan of attack on the ground.

"Silence is key to victory." He draws a circle then an arrow next to the circle. "The circle is where Talia's men will be. We crouch walk silently past them and we should be safe."

"Should we worry about them rushing us once we've past? Littlefoot asked.

"Exactly why I said we should get there undetected. There are many solid defensive positions beyond the forest."

"How many do you think Talia has?" Cera questions.

"After the massacre? Less than a hundred and fifty. We've faced a lot more than that before, we can do it again."

"Are there big ones?" Lima inquired.

"Only one, Talia herself."

Just then, a cloud of smoke blooms out from the volcano, catching everyone by surprise. Much to everyone's horror, the volcano had erupted and Lava was slowly oozing down. There was not much time left, they had to move and they had to move now. One more second of hesitation and the adults could become smoked dino. Bryan slings his rifle on his back and unmounts the M60 from Cera's back. He proceeds to attach a box magazine on the side of the gun and load a fresh two hundred round belt into the weapon.

A change of plans

Instead of the sneak attack, the relief force would charge headlong into Talia's line. Using a pair of smoke grenades Bryan brought with him to create confusion, the relief force planned to prevent an organized enemy reaction to their arrival and smoke as many bandits as they could before making their way to the adults.

Rain was pouring down as darkness once again shrouded the land. The desolate landscape was drenched. What was once a single continent was now separated with new cracks and divides, most of them impassable. One of the divides stood out amongst the rest. It was the widest and longest of them all, a Great Divide. "Great Divide" was indeed its name, a name now synonymous with death.

Many individuals have fell to their doom from its ledges and their bodies littered the bottom, which was known as the big underground. Originally a cave, the big underground's roof had been torn apart when the clash of continents struck and it was now part of the Great Divide's lower regions. Many creatures lived in these parts of the land, including lizard like Dimetrodons.

Amongst the bodies found within the Caverns was that of Sharptooth's. Neither the fall nor the bullet from Bryan's rifle had stopped him. What killed him was the sudden stop at the end. His ribcage had been shattered and his lungs deflated. Blood was spewing out from the wound left by the human's rifle.

Back on the surface, Bryan was dealing with something he hoped he would never need to face. Earlier Littlefoot had encountered a young Apatosaurus who was wounded while scouting the area and he yelled for his "father", hoping human technology could help save the youngling's life. But Bryan didn't need to inspect the young Sauropod. One good look was enough to tell him that he wasn't making it.

He glares at the youngling with great sympathy and shakes his head, silently telling him that there was nothing he could do. In response, the wounded Sauropod merely nodded and smiled.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Littlefoot asked, still unaware of the truth. "Help him."

"He's mortally wounded, Littlefoot." The male human answered. "I can't do much apart from granting a merciful death if he wants one."

"But dad, you're a human!"

"I'm not a doctor, Littlefoot. And besides, all the lifesaving equipment is in the hospital, not in my backpack."

"And what about your medical kit?"

"It won't be of much use in this case. He's too far in."

"Is there nothing we can do to help him?"

"I'm afraid not…"

Silence filled the air. Littlefoot looks away as his "father" draws his M1911A1 pistol and places the muzzle against the wounded Apatosaurus' forehead. He disengages the safety and places his finger on the trigger, looking away as he did. Clearly he was reluctant to end the life of an innocent youngling but he knew it had to be done. Either way the young one was going to die; it was just a matter of quick and painless or slow and painful.

BANG

Tears flowed down Bryan's eyes as he engaged the safety of his pistol and reholstered it. The lifeless body of a young Sauropod now laid beside him, a silent reminder of what nature could do. Littlefoot looks back at his "father" and notices the young adult weeping as he sat beside the corpse, looking traumatized. He approaches Bryan and cuddles up beside him, giving him warmth and companionship.

"I'm sorry, Littlefoot." He wept. "I-I just…"

"It's okay, dad." The youngling nuzzles his "father" in the chin. "You did what you had to do. I understand why you pulled the trigger."

"You don't blame me?"

"Why would I blame you?"

"Because… I dunno, I killed I member of your species?"

"Of course not, dad. You killed him so he could have a quick and painless death and not suffer through all the agony."

"Thanks, Littlefoot. I just…" Bryan wipes the tears from his eyes. "Well, you know my story."

"Yeah."

"Without you I might not have even pushed on."

"Really?"

"You know why I came to this realm?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Because I wanted to get away from it all, from the dark times. What I didn't anticipate was the fact that you would recognize me as a parent."

"W-What do you mean? I thought you were my dad."

"I am. Just… Not your real dad."

"But you told me I was a special one, born with a human father."

"You were born with a human father by your side. I'm not saying I AM your biological father, Littlefoot."

"So I really am adopted?"

"Yes you are, Littlefoot."

At first Bryan had no idea how Littlefoot would react. In fact, he was hesitant to tell the young Apatosaurus at first and held back. Until now. He didn't really want to talk about it but somehow, he accidentally stumbled upon it. The young Apatosaurus looked at his adoptive father as he glared at his XM16E1. This revelation took him aback, but nevertheless, he still felt an emotional connection with Bryan.

The human was, after all, the one who single handedly raised him ever since the day he hatched. He licks Bryan in the cheek, causing him to wince.

"You just had to slobber me, Littlefoot." He chuckled. "I'm moving out at first light. Whether you want to come or go find your parents is up to you. I know my place, I'm not going to force you."

"I'll go with you." Littlefoot pauses for a second. "Dad."

"Very well then."

Both adoptive father and son snuggle next to each other as they dozed off to a peaceful slumber. They knew they had a long day ahead of them, for the Great Valley is still very far away.