We Are the Same

Down at the bottom of the waterfall, just a few yards away from the base, Dil shot out of the water, taking in a huge gasp of air. She then lumbered up onto the nearest shoreline and collapsed on the ground. She took a moment or two to catch her breath, and to register the fact she just survived and fifty-foot drop off a waterfall.

"I can't believe I survived that," she mumbled to herself.

"Hey!" an irritated voice squawked. "Stop your panting, Dil, and get me out of here!"

The gator gave a glazed-over expression and looked to her right. To her own irritation, Ichy had survived the drop as well. Only he still had his head stuck in the log. Right now, the tree was positioned in such a way that he was now upside-down.

"Get yourself out!" Dil snapped.

"And ruin my feather?!" the bird glared. "Listen, leather-head, we gotta find those kids! And you can't do it without me!"

It was then that Dil gave a mischievous smirk.

"Okay," she said.

The gator slowly opened her jaws and prepared to move in for a bite. Seeing that hesitation and gaping mouth, Ichy became fidgety.

"No, Dil!" he stuttered. "Remember the good times we had!"

A second later, Dil lunged forward and bit hard on the end of the log, just a few inches away from Ichy. The bird let out a terrified screech as the jaws barely missed him.

"Not so close next time, lump-head!" he snapped.

Dil gave a disgusted look and spat out the wooden pieces in her mouth. She then whipped around and bit down on the opposite end of the tree branch. With the small piece that still had Ichy lodged in it separated from the rest of the tree, he fell to the ground like a rock and landed flat on his back. He only took a second to be dazed before getting up and shooting an angry look at Dil.

"Now look what you've done!" he complained. "How are you going to fix this?!"

Dil looked around at Ichy. She then gave a toothy smile and licked her lips. Just seeing that was enough to make the predatory bird begin to panic. The moment the gator opened her elongated mouth; he fell backwards and began to try to use his talon feet to push the log off of him.

"No, Dil!" he squawked. "It's alright, N-NO!"

In a split second, Dil moved in and bit down on the log with her front teeth.

Despite being free, Ichy didn't give an ounce of gratitude. Instead he glared up at Dil with irritated anger. He realized that Dil was just trying to scare him. And she succeeded, which would irritate him to no end.

"There, you're free!" Dil sneered. "Now, are you going to just stand there like an idiot or are we going to find those kids?!"

Ichy let out a deep huff before leaping up onto Dil's head. With this matter out of the way, they began to search for their prey once again.

A few hours later, just as the sun had set behind the western horizon, the group of nine travelers soon found themselves walking among a grove of tall grass. There were also a lot of flower buds that were closed up. They all assumed it was because it was nightfall and whatever flowers these particular buds contained were just resting until morning.

However, they didn't really think too much about that detail, as they were all exhausted at this point.

"When are we going to get there?" Cera asked. "My feet hurt. And I'm hungry."

"I know, Cera." Littlefoot replied. "But we have to keep going. We have to find the Night Flowers for my grandpa."

"We are almost there," Aylene turned to Ken, "aren't we, Ken?"

"I think so," the boy hesitantly replied.

"What do you mean, "think so"?" the human girl raised and eyebrow in suspicion.

"Well," Ken bit his lip, "the thing is…I've never really seen the flowers for myself before."

"You haven't?!" Littlefoot said, his voice bordering on shouting.

Feeling ashamed, Ali and Ken both looked back at the group and sadly shook their heads. Littlefoot gave out a mournful groan and hung his head. All the hopes he had on saving his grandfather were nearly depleted now. Now he seemed even further away from his goal than before.

Sensing his despair, Aylene placed a hand on the back of his neck. The Apatosaurus looked up at the human and saw that she was giving him a humble smile.

"Don't give in just yet," she said. "It's called the Night Flower for a reason. I'm sure it'll come out some time tonight."

Although he was still feeling downhearted, Littlefoot gave a weak smile and nodded.

"In the meantime," Aylene continued, "we should rest for a while. We've had a long day, and we're going to need our strength."

"Aylene's right." Ken said. "You guys get some sleep, I'll keep watch."

"But Ken…" Ali began to say.

"Don't worry about me," the boy calmly replied. "You all need to get some rest."

"Then I'll join you." Aylene stepped forward.

"Aylene…"

"Two pairs of eyes are better at night than one," the girl explained. "Besides, I'm not going to take "no" for an answer."

Ken looked at Aylene for a moment. He could definitely see that she wasn't going to budge on the idea. If there was one thing he knew about Aylene so far, it's that she had a sense of responsibility. Not to mention, a stubborn streak.

"Okay," he finally nodded. "Meanwhile, the rest of you get some sleep."

"Okay," the others nodded, yawning at the same time.

A few minutes later, the young dinosaurs and Tickles had settled down in a small group. In just a few minutes, they were all fast asleep. Meanwhile, Aylene and Ken stood side-by-side a few feet away from the slumbering group. For a few minutes, they just scanned their surroundings, looking for any sign of trouble.

However, as Aylene looked around the grassy land, she kept glancing back at Ken. She nervously rubbed her hands together, trying to think of a delicate way to ask a question that had been nagging at her from the start.

She knew that Ken never wanted to come back to the Land of Mists, and now that she had seen it for herself, she could see why he would feel that way. However, she couldn't help but feel like there was something more under the surface. Especially now that she had an encounter with Ichy and Dil, who had personal grudges against Ali and Ken.

And what the human boy said earlier about not wanting to talk about Ali's father, and later he said he couldn't lose anyone else, there was DEFINITELY something going one that he wasn't telling her. And whatever it was, she was willing to bet that Ichy and Dil had something to do with it.

That was it. She had to have answers now.

"It was them, wasn't it?" she said.

Surprised by Aylene's sudden statement, Ken looked over at her.

"Huh?" he replied.

"Ichy and Dil," the girl turned to look at the boy, "THEY were the reason you didn't want to come back, weren't they?"

Ken glanced away, giving a small look of bitterness.

"That's none of your business," he mumbled.

"Ken!" Aylene replied harshly. "Littlefoot and I were mistaken for you and Ali! And those two have a personal grudge against you guys! And it's obvious you have a grudge against them! And you two barely talk about Ali's father…!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Ken snapped, making Aylene step back. "And why is my past so important to you anyway?!"

Despite being taken aback by Ken's harsh tone, Aylene stood her ground. She had to have answers.

"Because I want to know the truth!" she stated. "You wouldn't be so adamant about us not coming back here if something didn't happen! I'm not blind, Ken! I KNOW something happened that you're not telling me! And whatever it is, it's the same reason why you didn't want us to come back here! Now what happened?!"

Ken glared at Aylene for a moment. However, despite feeling a stab of pain in her chest by the boy's angry face directed at her, Aylene didn't lift her stern expression for a second. She didn't want to be mean to him, but he had given her no other choice. She just had to have the whole story.

Finally, Ken took a deep breath and clenched his fists. He let out a defeated sigh and released the tension in his shoulders.

"Since you're so keen on knowing," he gritted, "I'll tell you."

Aylene's glare softened a bit as Ken continued.

"It was several weeks after the torrential rains started," he said. "By that time, rivers had risen and the land was becoming soggy. The herd knew we had to leave the land. On one rainy day, just as we were about to leave, Ali and I were walking on the bank of a large river. Because the land was so moist, the ground had become slippery and the two of us ended up falling into the river. Or rather, we landed on something that was IN the river."

Aylene blinked.

"The next thing we knew," Ken continued, his voice growing more solemn, "Dil rose up in the water…"

"ALI!" Ken cried out. "LOOK OUT!"

The longneck and human both swayed as the large Deinosuchus reared up out of the water, giving a vicious roar to the sky. She then turned her head around just enough to see Ali and Ken on her back.

"Well, well," she grinned, "looks like I found myself a little snack."

Ken stared with terror at this enormous gator. He knew perfectly well that alligators in his world were dangerous, especially in the water. But this was no alligator; it was something ten times worse.

And that meant being in the water was ten times more dangerous!

The gator suddenly whipped her body around, sending Ali and Ken flying off and into the water just a few feet away from her. The moment the two them hit the surface and went under, Ken felt numb and dazed. However, his sudden need for air forced him to scramble back to the surface. He rose up out of the waves and gasped. However, he soon began coughing uncontrollably as the rain from above accidently fell into his mouth and caused him to choke.

"A-ALI!" he shouted as loud as he could.

Ken looked around frantically for his friend. Fortunately, he managed to see that she had surfaced as well. However, he could also see that she was struggling to stay above the water.

"KEN!" she cried. "HELP!"

"JUST STAY CALM!" Ken tried to sound reassuring. "WE GOT TO GET TO LAND!"

"Alright!" the gator growled. "Where'd you little brats go?!"

At that moment, a screechy voice came from above.

"They're behind you, Dil!"

Ken looked up to see a black and white Ichthyornis circling overhead. He then looked over and saw the large gator turn around and look straight at them, squinting at the same time.

"I see them, Ichy!" she shouted.

"ALI, SWIM!" Ken ordered.

However, it was clear that Ali and Ken wouldn't get away in time. They were helpless in the water, while this gator was practically built for swimming. In just a matter of seconds, she was on their tails and was getting ready to deliver a fatal bite to the both of them.

But before she could, there was an enormous "SPLASH", and a huge wave knocked Dil's aim aside. At the same time, something large came out of nowhere and smacked her away.

Ali and Ken were also caught in the wave. But before they vanished out of sight, something grabbed Ali by the tail and Ken by his gym bay, and hoisted them out of the water. They both looked up and hope filled their souls.

"FATHER!" Ali cried.

"Hang on, you two!" the adult Apatosaurus said in deep voice.

Ali's father quickly swung his head around and placed his daughter and the young human onto the safety of the ledge.

"Thanks, sir!" Ken panted. "Let's get out of here!"

However, just as Ali's father was going to climb out of the river, he let out a cry of pain and was dragged back into the water. Ken and Ali watched in horror as he fell over and hollered in agony. Despite being nearly panic-stricken, Ken got up from his spot and raced over the edge of the ledge. He gasped in terror as he saw that Dil had recovered and was know attacking the elder longneck. By now, the gator had caused a horrible wound to the male Apatosaurus leg. His side was also horrible gashed with a deep bite. The water ran red as the blood it slowly leaked out of his injuries.

To make matters worse, Dil was now going for the Apatosaurus neck. One lethal blow and Ali's father would…

"STOP!" Ken screamed.

Without a moment of hesitation, Ken took off his crossbow, grabbed and arrow out of his quiver, loaded his weapon, took aim, and fired. In less than a second, the arrow hit its target: straight in Dil's left eye.

The enormous gator let out cry of agony and staggered back. She lashed around wildly as the pain in her eye became unbearable.

"KEN!" Ali suddenly cried. "ABOVE YOU!"

The human boy looked up and saw that the predatory bird from before was swooping down straight towards him, his talons eager to strike. Reacting quickly, Ken loaded his weapon again and took aim. However, because this target was so much smaller, not to mention swifter, he had a hard time locking onto it. On top of that, he was also aiming up at the sky, which was pouring down rain like there was no tomorrow.

Finally, when it was clear that Ichy was getting to close for comfort, Ken released the arrow, hoping it would do some damage.

The arrow struck Ichy in the wing. He screeched in pain and began to tumble out of the sky. He fell to the ground and slid down the edge of the cliff. He came to a stop in the mud at the edge of the river.

Ken turned his attention back to Ali's father. He was about to head down the cliff to help him when the adult longneck suddenly shouted:

"KEN, NO! TAKE ALI AND GET OUT OF HERE!"

The longneck's voice was already sounding weak. Ken could tell that he was slowly dying due to his injuries.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to leave the Apatosaurus. He had to at least try something. He just had to!

"NO!" the boy cried. "I WON'T LEAVE YOU!"

"YOU MUST!" Ali's father replied.

"BUT FATHER…!" Ali tearfully shouted as she ran up to the edge of the cliff.

"JUST…GO!" the longneck's voice grew weaker. "PLEASE!"

"BUT…!"

"Ali," the male Apatosaurus' strength was giving out, "I…I love you. I know you'll…become stronger one day. And Ken…I'm glad to have met you. You have become…a fine human. Please…promise me you'll…protect each other."

"Father!" Ali wailed.

"We…" Ken choked back the tears. "We promise."

"Good," Ali's father weakly smiled. "I'm so…so proud of…both of you."

With those last words, Ali's father closed his eyes one last time and his head fell over into the water with a big "SPLASH". Faint bubbles rose to the surface as he let out his last breath.

"FATHER!" Ali painfully cried.

The young female Apatosaurus then fell to the ground and began to sob uncontrollably. Ken just stood there in utter shock and despair. Everything around him began to feel surreal and numb. His tears mixed with rain and streamed down his face. He kept his gaze fixed on the adult longneck, now lying dead in the river with the currents rushing over him.

It was only when another large splash occurred that Ken eventually snapped out of his trance. He looked over and saw that Dil was looking up at him and Ali with her one good eye, and it was filled with a poisonous glare. She was also moving toward them at a hasty speed and was getting ready to climb the ledge.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, KID!" she shouted.

Ken fearfully stepped back before rushing over to Ali.

"ALI!" he cried. "WE HAVE TO MOVE NOW!"

Ali, however, couldn't bring herself to stop crying. She didn't even seem to notice the danger.

"ALI, PLEASE!" Ken's voice raised even more. "WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

The human finally nudged the little longneck just enough to make her look up. When she saw Dil quickly approaching the two of them, she screamed in terror. Her instincts then took over and she dashed away from the river with Ken running close behind her.

However, Ken could still hear Dil's final threat as he and Ali fled for their lives.

"WE'RE COMING FOR YOU! YOU HEAR US, KID! WE'LL FIND YOU AND YOUR LITTLE LONGNECK FRIEND! JUST YOU WAIT!"

After Ken had finished his story, Aylene stood in shock. She had her hand cupped over her mouth and tears began to well up in her eyes. That was probably the saddest story she had ever heard.

On top of that, while Ken had been trying to fight them back with all he had, tears began to fall down his face and his breathing was very raspy. He was obviously in a lot of emotional pain. Seeing that made Aylene's heart wrench.

"There was nothing I could do!" the boy clenched. "I…I let Ali's father die! The same dinosaur who stood beside me since my first visit…I watched him die right before my eyes! And the way Ali looked…I…I…"

"Ken…" Aylene softly said.

"THAT'S why I didn't want to come back!" Ken voice spiked in pain. "Don't you understand?! I can't let anyone else get hurt! I know I try to be tough, but I'm just weak! I couldn't save him! I…I…"

Suddenly, Ken found himself unable to speak anymore. For at that moment, Aylene rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. He looked over at the girl with surprise. He had never been hugged by a girl before. So having one suddenly embrace him out of the blue had rendered him speechless.

It was then that he felt something wet drip onto his shoulder. His eyes widened when he realized that Aylene was crying.

"Ken," the girl's voice was soft and gentle, "I DO understand. You and I…we're the same."

Ken blinked at that statement. What did she mean by that?

"When I first came to this world," Aylene solemnly continued, "Littlefoot and I were attacked by Sharptooth. Littlefoot's mother…she saved us, but…at the cost of her own life."

Ken drew in a small, sharp breath of air.

"And I…" Aylene's voice cracked with sorrow, "I was so frightened…I couldn't do anything. At least…you stood up to them. I…all I could do was watch. It still hurts me to remember Littlefoot hurt the way he was. And every day…I regret it…and wish that it could've been different."

"Aylene…" Ken whispered.

"You're not weak, Ken," the human girl tearfully said. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. But I do know…you're not weak. Because you and I…we are the same."

Ken looked over at Aylene and his face softened. She was right. They had both gone through the experience of losing someone they deeply cared for, seeing their best friend hurt by losing their parent, and having to live with the consequences that came with it.

They both had felt that pain.

Eventually, Ken lifted his arms and wrapped them around Aylene. He closed his eyes and held her close to him. For a moment, the two humans stood there, embracing each other out of a shared sympathy and care.

"Aylene," Ken whispered, "thank you."

Aylene let out deep exhale and her face softened to comfort. Aside from her brother, Derek, Aylene had never been hugged by a boy before. With Ken, she felt a feeling of safety with his warm embrace wrapped around her. She couldn't stop the hammering of her heart in her chest, but at same time, she didn't want to. She wasn't sure why, but just something about this moment was something she wanted to cherish for a long time.

At the same time, clouds in the sky began to drift away, revealing a magnificent full moon shining brightly in the heavens among a million stars. The moment its silvery rays touched down to the earth below, something spectacular happened.

All of the flower buds began to slowly open up, revealing beautiful golden petals. In just a matter of minutes, the whole valley looked like it had become strewed with small pieces of shining gold.

It was then that Aylene opened her eyes slightly. When she saw the golden radiance of the flowers all around her and Ken, she gasped in a happy surprise.

"Ken, look!" she cried.

The human boy looked around and a smile grew on his face. There was no mistaking it: this was the Night Flower!

"Aylene, we found them!" he laughed.

Aylene couldn't help but give a heartfelt laugh before racing back to the sleeping dinosaurs.

"Everyone!" she joyfully cried. "Wake up! We found the Night Flower! We found it!"

The others stirred at the sound of Aylene's voice and slowly opened their eyes. A simultaneous gasp of happiness and relief was shared when they saw that an endless valley of golden flowers surrounded them. Pretty soon, they were all up and running around, laughing and cheering with delight.

"We were looking for the Night Flowers," Ducky leapt around happily, "but the Night Flowers found us!"

"We did it!" Littlefoot laughed. "We really did it!"

Indeed. At long last, they had finally found the Night Flower.

Now all they had to do was get as many of them as they could carry back to Grandpa Longneck.