Chapter XVIII: Bonding and Hunting

In which dinosaurs draw close, and old foes draws near.

Dusk and his companions were slowly making their way over a vast wasteland of dust and bones. The wind provided some comfort, but the heat was still nigh unbearable.

"Whew, it is sooo hot out here," Agu pointed out.

"Wow, really? I hadn't noticed," Ali replied with a smirk.

"Grrr."

"Let's not get testy, guys," Dusk instructed. "We'll be at some clean water soon where we can cool off."

"Any food?" Agu asked.

"Not sure. I suppose some creatures visit there off and on. I'm certain that Ali will find a meal there though."

Ali playfully stuck her tongue out at Agu, and he turned away in anger.

"If you two don't start getting along soon, I'm going to tie both of you together until you learn how," Dusk said sternly.

"It's her fault!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

"Enough!" Dusk roared. "Come here you two." Agu and Ali somberly approached until their shadows were touching each other. "Shadow Bind!"

The two children looked at Dusk in confusion, then tried moving apart, only to find that they could not.

"What did you do!" Agu exclaimed.

"I bound your shadows together. Now you two have no choice but to learn how to get along."

The two of them glanced at each other, then quickly turned their heads, muttering "Humph!" in unison. Dusk sighed.

"Oh, look," Dusk told the group cheerfully. "See that area over there with all the plants, near the ocean? That's the perfect spot to rest, and it means we're nearly there."

"Alright!" Ali exclaimed. Completely forgetting she was connected to Agu, she took off full speed down towards the fertile area. With an abrupt "Whoa!" from Agu, he lost his footing and began being dragged along the dirt. Ali quickly noticed and tried to stop suddenly, but she stumbled and the two of them began rolling down the decline until they landed at the bottom with a loud thump.

Ceit rolled his eyes, Menta and Dusk couldn't stop laughing, and Coaley ran down to them. "Are you guys okay?" she asked them, very worried.

"I WILL be when she gets her fat butt off of me," Ago groaned.

"Oh, so now I'm fat, huh? You're in no position to throw insults," Ali retorted, but only mildly angry.

"Fine. I'm sorry."

"You obviously don't mean that, but it's a start." And with that, Ali stood up, allowing Agu to get to his feet as well. Dusk, Menta, and Ceit caught up with them, and Dusk suggested that they all get some water from a little pool flowing through the plants.

They all bent over and began pleasurably hydrating their bodies. Agu stood back up, wiped his mouth off, and declared, "I'm going for a swim."

Ali's head quickly jolted up. "Agu, wai-" but she was too late. Agu jumped headfirst into the water, but Ali's weight restrained him. His body was halfway under water, and his arms and legs were splashing about, getting water all over the whole group. Ali quickly pulled him out so he could breathe.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Menta asked, wiping off her soaked body.

"I am beginning to have my doubts, but let's see if anything more comes of it."

Though no dinosaurs were about, the Sharpteeth dined on a few insects while Ali nibbled on some bushes.

"Ceit, mind looking around to see if we've been followed?" Dusk asked him.

"Not at all, ma lord," he replied, flying high then out of sight.

"I'm going to go on ahead a little bit. I want to make sure the pathway is still around. The ocean was slowing destroying it, and I fear it may be gone entirely now," Dusk explained.

"Mind if I come along?" Menta asked. She did not want Dusk to leave her sight.

"Ooh! I wanna come too! Can I, can I, can I?" Coaley begged.

"Alright, girls, come on," Dusk said with a chuckle, and Menta giggled a bit herself. Coaley had a real knack for livening the mood. The three Sharptooth moved on, leaving Agu and Ali alone.

"Okay, I hate this as much as you do, but we might as well make the most of it," Ali suggested.

"Speak for yourself. There's nothing about this to make anything of. Being stuck to you stinks."

Ali sighed. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"I just hate Long Necks, okay!" Agu suddenly burst out, catching Ali completely by surprise.

Finally finding her voice, she asked simply, "Why?"

"I'm a great hunter. I've caught Spike Tails, Dome Heads, Yellow Bellies, Swimmers, you name it- except a Long Neck. I came really close one time. I was standing on a ledge, a young Long Neck below me. I was careless, so I slipped and fell to the ground. Most kids would have ran in fear at the sight of me. Wanna know what that Long Neck did? He turned and laughed at me. He wasn't scared at all! That made me so mad I just wanted to scream. I'm sure I could have caught him if I hadn't hurt my leg from the fall. I walked home, crying. It was annoying enough that I could never catch one, but to think one would actually stand there and make fun of me. I've hated them ever since."

"Well, I certainly don't hate you," Ali said softly.

Now it was Agu's turn to be caught off guard. "W-what?"

"You may hate Long Necks, but I don't hate you. You're not a bad dinosaur, that I know. You may be short-tempered, whiny, and rude, but I believe you have a good heart."

"Uh… thanks?"

Ali burst out laughing. "Excuse my sense of humor. But seriously, in the time we've been traveling together, I've come to see you like- a little brother."

Agu's eyes widened. "I am an only child," he said. "I've always wanted a sibling, but my parents had always said they had their claws too full with just me. I was so angry at them, that's why I ran away with Dusk after I happened to meet him one day while I was out exploring. Do you really view me as- a sibling?"

"I do."

A small tear formed in Agu's eye, and it slowly streamed down his face Ali smiled, leaned over, and nuzzled gently against his cheek.

"Dusk was wise to stick us together," she said.

"Agreed."

Ali suddenly heard a voice in her head. "Oh no!"

Agu sat up abruptly. "What is it?"

"Dusk, Menta, and Coaley- they're in trouble! Come on!" Ali began to run in the direction the others had taken, but with his much-longer legs, Agu couldn't keep up and starting dragging behind. "Hop on!" Ali instructed, and Agu got on her back as she ran to help her friends.

xxxxx

"Well, here we are," Cera told the group, coming to a halt at the edge of the forest.

Spike let out an excited grunt as the group came into daylight and ran a short distance away.

"What is it, Spike?" Littlefoot asked, coming to his side.

"Oh, lookie," Ducky called from atop his back, and she motioned to the ground. Before the group were three sets of footprints, each going in a different direction.

"Good job, Spike," Littlefoot complimented. Spike gave a cheery grunt.

"Look like more of that Flying Sharptooth's illusions," Petrie pointed out.

"Yeah, no duh," Cera retorted curtly.

Ruby bent over and stuck her hands in one of the prints. She walked over to the second set, then the third. "Hm," she said thoughtfully, hand on her chin. "These illusions don't just look like illusions, they feel like them too. Pressing my hand in each set still felt like it was going down."

"I have an idea!" Chomper exclaimed. The group turned to him. "Remember how that Ali illusion didn't have a scent on it? That Flying Sharptooth assumed we wouldn't notice no odor. I bet if I smell all of these, my sniffer will know just which ones are real."

"Go for it, buddy," Littlefoot encouraged.

Chomper bent over and began sniffing the footprints of all directions. His face brightened, he straightened up, then he said, "Yup. They went this way," as he pointed to his left.

"That's reliable Chomper for you," Ruby said proudly. Chomper beamed.

"Alright guys, let's get moving," Littlefoot instructed. Cera eyed him, but Littlefoot failed to notice and they all began their trek farther into the Mysterious Beyond.

It wasn't long before they grew thirsty, and Littlefoot stopped. "Hey Ducky, think you can make some water for us?"

"I am sorry Littlefoot, I am, I am, but I can only control water, not make it," Ducky admitted sadly.

"Oh, it's okay. Petrie, want to fly up and see if you can find any water nearby?"

"Sure!" And with that, he flew way up high and began to search. He put his wing over his forehead to block out the bright circle, and looked in all directions. "Ah ha!" he said.

"You found water?" Chomper asked, and the whole group grew excited.

"No, me say 'Ah ha' because me found out there no water anywhere nearby at all." He flew back down with a smug expression, proud of how well he did his job of searching. To his surprise, the group glared at him angrily, and he said, "What me do?"

"Never mind, Petrie. Let's just keep following these track and hopefully we'll find some water," Littlefoot said with a sigh.

"Oh uh, okay," he replied, still confused about why the group looked so annoyed.

The winds began to pick up slightly, blowing against the group. They considered it a blessing, as the day was hot. The cool air brushing up against them offered a comfortable reprieve from the blazing wrath of the bright circle. Little did the gang know however, that that breeze would cause more trouble than comfort.

A tall dinosaur turned his head slightly. He sniffed the air a few times, then changed his course. The two smaller dinosaurs who were accompanying him looked up at their leader, and the large one licked his lips. They both grinned, and the three of them hastened their pace towards the scent of meat.