Meet Again
The next morning, Ali and Ken's herd gathered as the Old One called them all together.
"Listen up, everyone," she commanded, "we will be leaving in just a few moments."
A few yards away, on top of a small hill, the Gang, Ali, and Ken met one last time to say their good-byes.
"I still can't thank you guys enough for everything you've done for us." Aylene smiled graciously.
"I'm glad we could help." Ali replied humbly. "And I'm glad we got to meet all of you."
"Me, too." Ken nodded. "Well, I guess this is "see you later"."
"Don't you mean "good-bye"?" Littlefoot asked, confused by what the human boy meant by the remark.
"No," Ken shook his head confidently, " "See you later". Because I know we'll meet again someday. This isn't good-bye."
"Yeah," the male longneck smiled, "you're right."
"Well, Ken," Aylene shrugged, "I know you and I will definitely meet again. We go to the same school."
"Yep," the human boy gave a sharp nod.
"But when will we see you both again?" Ducky asked.
"I don't really know." Ali said. "Our herd constantly moves from place to place. But we're going to miss all of you, that's for sure."
"Well, don't forget," Cera smirked, "you're both part of OUR herd, too."
"That's right," Aylene nodded, "which means if you ever need a home, there will always be one for you here."
Ali and Ken both gave warm, grateful smiles at the statement.
It was then that Ali's mother came lumbering over to the small slope. Everyone turned to look at her. She didn't need to speak for them to understand what she was trying to tell her daughter and the human boy.
Ali and Ken both nodded to the elder Apatosaurus and briefly turned back to the Gang.
"See ya later." Ken said, giving a single sharp wave with his right hand.
"Bye." Ali bowed her head slightly.
After the two friends said their good-byes, Ken climbed onto Ali's back and the young female Apatosaurus ran off down the hill toward her mother. The Gang all called out their own farewells as their new friends raced to rejoin the migrating herd. They all stood at the edge of the hill and watched Ali and Ken follow the other longnecks out of the Great Valley. Before they exited, Ali stopped and she and Ken turned back toward the Great Valley dinosaurs and human. Ken raised his right hand high and gave one last wave of farewell. Aylene, Petrie, and Ducky, responded by waving back to him and Ali.
Finally, Ali and Ken turned back towards the direction their herd was taking and ran off to join them, disappearing into the pass leading out of the Great Valley.
"Well," Petrie said, "me better be getting home now. Bye bye!"
"See you, Petrie." Littlefoot said as the little Pteranodon flew off towards his nest.
"We should be going, too." Ducky said. "C'mon, Spike."
The said Stegosaurus grunted in agreement. With the little swimmer riding on his back, Spike plodded off towards the nesting ground.
"I'll you guys later." Cera said to Littlefoot and Aylene.
"Sure thing, Cera." Aylene replied. "Bye."
The yellow Triceratops turned and set out for her nesting ground, leaving Littlefoot and Aylene standing alone on the hill.
The two friends both turned and looked at the pass that Ali and Ken had taken when they left with the migrating herd. They both let out a simultaneous sigh as they recalled the memories of the adventure they had just taken with the two newcomers. After all they had been through, and after all those two had done to help them save Littlefoot's grandfather, Littlefoot and Aylene couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of sadness to see them go.
"You really think we'll see them again?" the Apatosaurus asked.
"I know we will," the human girl replied. "It's just a matter of time before we do. Of course, Ken and I go to the same school now, so I know I'll see him again real soon."
"Speaking of Ken," Littlefoot said hesitantly, "um, can I ask you something?"
"Sure," Aylene turned to her friend. "What is it?"
"Well," the longneck carefully searched his words, "I'm just curious. Do you…like Ken?"
Although she wasn't surprised by the question, Aylene glanced away for a moment. She knew exactly what Littlefoot was asking her. She didn't even want to try and deflect the question by saying that Ken was just a friend, so of course she liked him if he was her friend. And there was no use in denying it either. Not only would she be lying to her best friend, she would also be lying to herself. Right now, it was best to be honest, even if it would cause her a little embarrassment.
Then again, this was Littlefoot she was talking to. She knew he wouldn't make fun of her or anything like that.
"Well," she slowly answered, "to be honest, yes. I do like him. He's…polite, brave, protective, fun, and a really good guy. And after all that we've been through together…I guess you can say I like him…a lot."
Littlefoot blinked at the confession. It was also then that he noticed Aylene's cheeks were now a noticeable shade of pink and she was wringing her hands a bit. He knew that gesture pretty well by now to know that the human girl was trying to hide her embarrassment.
Aylene looked up at her friend and noticed his expression. To her surprised, he didn't look curious or like he was about to tease her. Instead, he looked…confused.
"What?" the human girl asked.
"Well," Littlefoot said, "it's just that I've never seen you like this before. And I remember what you said about girls fighting over boys at this "homecoming dance" thing that you humans have. I thought you didn't want to get involved in that."
"I don't." Aylene replied. "But…most of the people at my school didn't go through what Ken and I have in this world. Plus, they just like to create drama out of relationships, all because they're searching for their "perfect one"."
"I see." Littlefoot shrugged. "At least I think I do."
Aylene couldn't help but give a small snicker to the Apatosaurus's naivety. He was still too young to completely understand what she was talking about.
"It's okay," she said, "you'll understand when you're older."
Littlefoot gave a frustrated sigh. He was so used to being told that he was either "too young" to understand anything the grown-ups were talking about, or that he "would grow up someday", that the two concepts were becoming repetitive.
"I wish I was grown-up now," he mumbled.
"I know," Aylene replied. "But just enjoy being the age you are now."
Littlefoot looked up at Aylene with a small look of irritation.
"That's what Grandma and Grandpa always say," he said.
"I know," the human girl shrugged. "But it's true. As you get older, life gets harder."
Aylene then gave a small smile.
"Which is why I'm glad to have some of the greatest friends in the world to help me through," she said softly.
Littlefoot looked up at Aylene when she said that.
"Really?" he asked. "Who?"
"You guys, of course." Aylene's smile grew even bigger. "You and the rest of the Gang are the best friends I've ever had."
The longneck dinosaur was so touched by the compliment that he couldn't help but smile back at his friend.
"Thanks," he said. "And you're the best friend we've ever had. I couldn't ask for a better friend."
The two friends then shared a joyful laugh. The two statements the shared were very much true.
Ever since their very first adventure together, they both knew that the bond they shared was one that would never break. They knew this fact so well that they didn't have to say it out loud for it to be true. The two of the, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike all shared the same bond of friendship. No matter what would happen, that bond would never break. It was something that tied them together, even across different worlds.
After the two friends stopped laughing, Aylene glanced down at the magical stone around her neck and shrugged.
"Well," she said, "I suppose it's time for me to head home now. I hope Grandpa Longneck continues to get better."
"Don't worry," Littlefoot nodded, "he will. The Night Flower is working just like the Old One said it would."
"That's good," the human girl smiled with relief. "Well, I guess I'll see you later then. Take care."
"You too, Aylene," the Apatosaurus replied with a smile of his own. "Good luck."
With their good-byes said, Aylene turned around and used the Time Stone to open a portal back to her world. Before she walked through it, she took one last glance over he shoulder and waved good-bye to her friend, who acknowledged her gesture.
Finally, Aylene stepped through the greenish portal and back into her world. Shortly after she was through, the portal closed behind her, leaving no trace of it the connection between the human and dinosaur world.
Littlefoot stood alone on the edge of the hill for a moment before turning around and walking back towards his nesting ground.
After a few minutes, he reached his location. When he looked up to see his grandparents, a huge smile streaked across his face when he saw the scene before him
Grandpa Longneck was getting up and walking around again!
Overjoyed, Littlefoot raced over to his grandparents. His fear of never seeing his family together again like this again had completely washed away. Now that Grandpa Longneck was getting better, Littlefoot knew now that he had nothing to worry about anymore. All of the efforts of him and his friends paid off in the end. His grandfather was really going to be okay.
Knowing whom he really had to thank, the young longneck looked over to the Great Wall on the west side of the valley and smiled. Although he couldn't see his two friends, he at least hoped that this message would at least reach them in spirit.
"Ali, Ken," he whispered, "thank you for everything."
Meanwhile, back in the world of humans, Aylene got herself ready to take a shower. Once she had taken off her gym bag and archery equipment, and gotten some clean cloths together, she gathered them up and walked out of her room. As she headed toward the bathroom, Derek rounded the corner.
"Hey, Bro." Aylene said.
"Hey, Sis."
However, after Derek saw his younger sister, he stopped dead in his tracks and his surprised face stared right at Aylene's head. He blinked twice as he tried to register what he had just seen.
"What?" the human girl asked, concerned by his sudden action.
"Uh, Aylene," Derek narrowed his eyes slightly, "did you just come back from your own little world?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Did…you hit your head on something while you were there?"
Aylene eyes widened at that statement. She suddenly remembered that she was knocked unconscious when she and Littlefoot were hiding in the caverns. And if Derek was asking a question like that, it could only mean that…
Aylene immediately dashed into the bathroom, switched on the lights, and looked up into the large mirror. She wasn't disturbed by how dirty she was. She was more worried by what Derek was looking at.
On the left side of her head, just a few inches above eye, was a large, noticeable bruise!
"Oh, no!" Aylene groaned, touching the injury.
"What happened to you?!" Derek asked as he peaked around the corner.
"I was knocked out by a rock!" the girl replied, her voice bordering on panic. "Oh man, what am I going to do?! If mom and dad see this, they're going to want to know what happened! What am I going to say?!"
"Aylene, calm down." Derek said in a composed tone. "Look, you better just take your shower before mom and dad get back from work. You can tell me what happened later. Right now, just get yourself cleaned up."
"But what about THIS?!" Aylene nearly shrieked, pointing to the bruise.
"Leave that to me," the human boy said with full reassurance in his voice. "Just get yourself cleaned up, or mom and dad will really start asking questions. And I know you don't want that."