Chapter 7: How to Make Friends and Influence Volcanoes

The friends met each other in the middle of the Valley, early the next morning.

"Ready?" Taria asked the group, anxiously.

The others nodded assent. It was time. They would either prevent a disaster today or die in the attempt. Littlefoot looked at Taria, still remembering what she said to him in his sleep story last night.

"If you really loved me, you would have prevented this."

"Something wrong, Littlefoot?" Taria asked. Littlefoot snapped out of his reflections, coming back to his senses.

"What? Oh, no. I'm fine."

"Stay focused," Taria said, looking Littlefoot straight in the eyes, "There's no room for mistakes today."

"I will," Littlefoot reassured her, "don't worry."

Taria looked to the rest of the group. "Let's go." They set off through the Valley, heading for the Smoking Mountain. As they walked, Fyn observed Shael. As he watched her, he was once again amazed at her sheer beauty. He was surprised no one else had taken her as a mate, yet. Then he realized that today would be the first time she'd actually be eligible for a mate. If they managed to return in time for the Day of Mates, Fyn would have a lot of competition for her. He sighed. The way things between them had been going, he was lucky to still be a friend. His chances of being her mate were probably ruined. He looked at Littlefoot, walking next to Taria.

"Those two," he thought, "were made for each other. They'll probably have no problems accepting each other as mates."

His friend was lucky, and Fyn felt somewhat jealous that everything so far had gone well for him. He suddenly reprimanded himself. This was not the time or place to think about relationships. There was work to be done; work that demanded all of his concentration. He could consider other issues later.

They slipped through the dawn, silently, so as to avoid waking anyone else. Littlefoot's grandparents would inform them of the gang's task today in time. Right now, there was no need for anyone else to know. Fyn could smell the dew in the air. It soothed his lungs and helped clear his mind. Its coolness also felt good on his feet. He'd been through a lot in the past few days. Maybe when this task was complete, he could settle down for a while. He looked forward. The Smoking Mountain was just ahead.

Taria led them up a precarious path, leading to a rocky patch halfway up the Smoking Mountain.

"This is it," she said.

"Right," Cera said, where do we start?" The Bright Circle had risen, and they could see dinosaurs gathering in the Valley below for the Day of Mates.

Taria examined some of the rocks, which stretched farther up the mountain.

"Here's what I'm thinking so far: the weak spot is right below us, right? So if we started our rockslide here, we should be able to get this place unstable enough to erupt."

"Yeah, but we'll be right here when it happens," Littlefoot said.

"I've already thought of that. We should be outside of any danger. At the worst, we might feel a bit of a shake."

"Well, if you say so..." Littlefoot didn't sound entirely convinced.

"Relax," Taria said, "I've thought all of this through."

Cera spoke. "Enough talk. What do you need me to do?"

Taria looked back up the mountain, towards a pile of loose boulders.

"I need you and Spike up there. Look for a weak boulder somewhere. We'll need a good, strong rockslide."

Cera nodded. "On it. Come on, Spike." The two moved up towards the rocks, scouting immediately for the right spot.

"Petrie," Taria turned to the Flyer, "I need you in the sky. We need an eye above us, to monitor the whole process."

"Me ready!" Petrie opened his wings and caught a draft of wind, soaring into the air majestically.

Taria turned her attention to everyone that was left: Littlefoot, Fyn, Ducky, and Shael. "The five of us are going to help the smaller rockslides along once the big ones get started. The more force we have, the better.

"Excellent," Shael said, "let's split up and find our spots."

They all moved off in separate directions. Fyn chose a small ledge which was loosely balanced on a cluster of rocks. He checked it out, making sure the ledge was unstable, and could tip at a moment's notice. Reassured that the ledge was, in fact, very capable of tipping, he sat back to wait, watching everyone else. He could see Cera and Spike high up, still looking for the best spot to start their push, and Shael was to his right. He decided to focus on her. She was looking at her own pile of rocks. Suddenly, she looked up, and looked back at Fyn. Fyn quickly averted his gaze, but he was almost certain she'd seen him looking at her. After a while passed, he lifted his head back up and saw that she'd gone back to her business. The Bright Circle was now high in the sky, and up here without trees for shade, it was getting hot. Fyn didn't mind, hot temperatures suited him, but Littlefoot and the others were in for a rough day if this persisted, he thought, settling down.

Littlefoot had noticed the heat. He and Shael had gone to a different part of the mountain, and had found a boulder large enough to require their combined strength to tip it. Littlefoot was panting, and heat exhaustion was setting in, but he had to stay ready for the moment when Cera gave the "ready" call. He decided to talk to Taria, to pass the time.

"So, what do you think of the Great Valley so far?" he asked with a grin.

"It's certainly... interesting. Definitely not a bad place for me to finally settle down, though."

"Excited about the Day of Mates?"

"Yeah, I just hope the dinosaur I'm waiting for shows up."

Littlefoot's heart seemed to skip a beat. She wasn't waiting for him, that much was clear.

"I hope so, too. I want you to be happy."

Taria didn't notice his words, however. Cera and Spike had finally located a weak point, and Cera had called down the slope, informing everyone that it was time. Taria relayed the message to everyone.

"Listen up! When I give the signal, Cera and Spike will start the rockslide. Then, when the rocks are falling, start your own slides. We should be able to get this on the first try."

Everyone understood. Taria looked back to Cera.

"Ready when you are."

Cera nodded.

"Now!" Taria said.

Cera and Spike groaned as they pushed their massive boulder with all of their might. Slowly, it began to move onto some smaller, more slippery rocks, and its speed increased. Soon, Cera and Spike released it, and it began to roll away by itself, slowly gaining momentum. Littlefoot watched in awe as the massive stone picked up speed, smashing through other rocks and creating what Littlefoot could only describe as a rocky version of the Thundering Falls. As the mass approached, he looked to Taria.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

They nodded, their signal to begin, and pushed against their rock. It started rolling, forming a smaller rockslide which added to the main slide. They stepped back, and watched the others do the same. Taria could see the weak spot as the rocks approached: a sandy area with no protection from such an unstoppable force. The fact that it angled towards the oncoming rocks would only add to the force at which they hit. She marveled at the power of their creation. The vibrations caused by the slide were shaking her very teeth, and anything in the way was instantly obliterated. As she watched, the rocks smashed into the weak point, seeming to shake the entire mountain. They all watched, in breathless silence. Nothing was happening.

Littlefoot whispered, "I think we need to try agai-"

"Shh." Taria cut him off. She thought she could hear something: a low, rumbling, gurgling noise.

"Everyone stand back," she said, "I think its coming."

Suddenly, the ground buckled skyward, knocking everyone down. Littlefoot watched in shock and amazement as the mountain began to crack at the weak spot. The shaking had grown louder, and more violent.

"Are you sure this is safe?" he asked Taria.

"It's safer than trying to get past it down to the Valley!" She yelled over the clamor.

Without warning, there was an ear-splitting crash, and Flowing Fire shot into the sky, followed by a booming sound that shook all of the dinosaurs to the core. The force of the eruption knocked everyone back. A few even lost their footing and fell.

"A little shaking, huh?" Littlefoot asked Taria.

Taria was at a loss for words. All she could look at was the thick, black cloud of smoke and fire pouring out over the Mysterious Beyond. So far, everything was going according to plan.

Fyn was close to the eruption when it happened, and he braced himself, planting his feet firmly into the ground to stay upright. He was looking at Shael to make sure she was safe, when the first shock hit. Shael had been unprepared and was flung backwards, falling over. She looked fine, but Fyn could see she wasn't getting up. Another rockslide started, farther up the mountain. It was headed straight for Shael. With complete disregard to his own safety, Fyn left his spot, running and sliding down the mountain towards Shael. By now, bits of flaming debris were raining down everywhere, sending shards of stone into the air when they hit. Fyn paid no heed, even continuing forward when one hit him in the flank. Shael still wasn't moving, and he had to get her out of the way of the rockslide.

"Shael!" he yelled, rushing to her side. Her eyes were closed.

"Shael, wake up! Can you hear me?"

She groaned, opening her eyes slowly.

"Fyn?"

"We need to get to safety. Can you walk?"

Shael looked back at the approaching rockslide.
"I can try." She stood up, shakily, balanced by Fyn. They began to move down the mountain, but the rocks were approaching fast.

"We're not going to make it," Fyn said, under his breath. He began to look for temporary shelter. Finally, he spotted a small, shallow cave.

"That'll have to do," he thought. The rocks were almost upon them, now. Acting quickly, he pushed Shael in, and dove after her, narrowly missing the rocks thundering by above. He shielded her from the debris with his body, though most of the rocks simply passed over, missing him. He watched as they began to block up the cave entrance.

"No matter," he thought, "I'll just break out."

When the shaking subsided, he looked, out of breath, back to Shael.

"You came back for me," she whispered.

Fyn nodded, "and I always will."

Back on the mountain's surface, Fyn and Taria were staring in awe at what they and the others had done. The Great Valley was safe, and the Smoking Mountain was docile once again.

"We did it," Taria said, turning to Littlefoot.

Littlefoot looked into her green eyes, savoring them. "We did," he said softly. Without a thought, the two moved closer, about to touch muzzles, when Littlefoot suddenly recoiled.

"I'm sorry. I forgot someone was waiting for you back at the Day of Mates."

"Oh Littlefoot," Taria said, "can't you see? You were the one I was always expecting."

"Me? But-"

"I was good enough at hiding it, I guess, that I had you fooled. Now the secret's out."

Littlefoot smiled. "What a coincidence. You see, I was waiting to see if you would be at the Day of Mates."

"Well, then, I guess there's no point in pretending any longer," Taria said. "I love you, Littlefoot."

"And I love you, Taria." They moved closer, and with the Valley behind them, finally truly kissed, tenderly touching their muzzles together.

"I think I'm going to be sick," Cera said, watching from farther up the mountain.

Petrie dove down, interrupting them.

"Littlefoot, Taria! Fyn and Shael trapped!"

"Trapped? How?"

"Rockslide fall on them. They stuck!" Petrie pointed downslope, and Littlefoot saw a mound of boulders piled up on the mountainside.

"We can't move that alone. We need help!"

Littlefoot rushed down to the rock pile, his friends close behind.

"Don't worry," he said, hoping Fyn and Shael could hear him, "We're going for help."

He looked worriedly up at the rocks. It would take a lot of help to get this moved.

After resting briefly to regain his strength, Fyn decided it was time to break free.

"Hold on," he said to Shael, "we'll be out of here soon." He stepped up to the rocks, readied his tail, and swung. His tail glanced off of the stones, sending pain shooting up Fyn's body.

"That's not going to work," he groaned through teeth clenched against the pain. He decided to try a different approach, ramming the rocks repeatedly. Still, nothing happened.

"No!" he yelled, "not like this! Not now!"

"Fyn," Shael's voice said softly from the back of the cave, "everything's alright."

Fyn panted, but stopped his exertions, looking back to Shael. "I need to get you out of here."

"I'm not so sure we can get out of here."

"Don't say that! We can't give up now!"

Shael stepped towards Fyn. "Just listen to me, now. There's something I have to say." She lay down on the cave floor, and Fyn followed.

"When I first saw you, I thought I recognized you. I actually remembered you from my childhood. I didn't want to say anything, but I'd always looked up to you back in the grove. When we fought the other night, I thought I'd lost you forever. The truth is, I-"

She saw Fyn and stopped, reconsidering her words, "I trust you, Fyn, and for me, that's a lot. I've never trusted anyone else as much in my life."

"Thank you," Fyn said, "I'm glad to have earned your trust."

He laid his head down on the cold stones beneath him. Would he truly die in here, without ever having told Shael his true feelings for her?

Shael suddenly shivered. "It's so cold in here," she whispered, her voice becoming raspier. Fyn knew the air in here wouldn't last much longer, and Shael wasn't used to cold climates. He moved in closer, using his own body heat to warm her.

"Stay with me, Shael, stay with me." Time passed, and Fyn found that it was getting harder to breathe. Slowly, he began to feel tired. Next to him, he could feel Shael breathing.

"Good," he thought, "she's still holding on."

Fyn's vision began to blur. He was losing focus, and his grip on consciousness was slipping. He looked up as his world began to grow dark. Suddenly, a bright light appeared. Fyn squinted. So this was death. A figure appeared, materializing out of the light.

"Grandpa?" Fyn muttered, "is that you?" The figure moved towards him, blocking out the light, and Fyn finally lost consciousness.

"There he is," Labon said, finally breaking through the stone into Fyn and Shael's short-lived sanctuary.

"Are they alive?" Keva asked, coming to her mate's side.

"Looks like it, but we need to get them into the fresh air as soon as possible."

They enlisted the help of the dinosaurs around them to help carry Fyn and Shael out. Once Littlefoot had spread the word that his friends were trapped, dinosaurs everywhere volunteered to help. The residents of the Great Valley had grown to like Fyn, and his kindness towards everyone, and the dinosaurs in Bron's herd were all more than eager to assist Shael. Supporting the two, one unconscious and another fighting to stay conscious, they moved them back to their respective nests, laying them down. Then they went back to their festivities: the Day of Mates had begun.

And so, the menace is gone, and Littlefoot and Taria are together, but wait! Haven't we forgotten someone? This story isn't over yet, folks, oh no. Up next, Fyn. As well as the closure to this story.