Chapter 9:
Aladar Joins The Herd
Eventually the light purple-scaled Kritopony stallion stood on a flat rock on a hill alongside with the tan-scaled Kritopony mare and the brown-scaled Kritopony stallion stood nearby as the herd came to a stop with scattered bellowing and calling as it was made of Kritoponies, Edmontoponies, Toroponies, Tricornatops, Leptocornatops, Ornithohippomimus, and several other kinds of Dinoponies.
Aladar and his family caught up with the herd and panted as he catches his breath and turns towards the three Kritoponies on the hill as well as the other herd members turned to them.
The light purple-scaled Kritopony stares at the distance of the wide open landscape ahead.
"Kron," the brown-scaled Kritopony said to him by name as Kron snorted and turned to him.
"There is a more protected spot further down the…" the brown-scaled Kritopony said.
"We'll rest here for the night. Go ahead, Bruton," Kron said, he was a creature who knew what he wanted, and didn't take no for an answer. It was his way or no way.
Bruton snorted and then bellows out to the herd as they all begin to head off to find a resting spot for the night. Kron and the tan-scaled Kritopony mare watched as the herd moved about.
Aladar just moved aside as some of the smaller Dinoponies ran past him.
"Oh, Eema. I wish we were at your nesting grounds now," an elderly female voice said as Aladar turns to see a small group of Dinoponies from earlier as two elderly Alamopegasus were talking to the Tricornatops.
"I agree with Baylene. All they are doing is pushing and shoving about just for a place to sleep," an elderly male voice said.
"Evan and I are not used to this kind of behavior," the female Alamopegasus said, shaking her long neck.
"Baylene, you and Evan have big hooves just give them a kick! GIT!" Eema, the Tricornatops, said as she noticed a Pachycelphalopony in front of her and kicked it as it rushed off.
"Oh, but we couldn't possibly," Baylene said, not liking the sound of that. She was very kind-hearted. Then she noticed some Leptocornatops, part Unicorns, part Leptoceratops, skittering around her hooves and stammered.
"Shoo, shoo. Move along now, little creatures," Evan said next as he and Baylene tried to shoo them away with their hooves.
"Will you two come on? If you want to get to the nesting grounds alive, show some backbones!" Eema commented, she was elderly too, but no nonsense and expressed her opinions.
"Hey there," Aladar said, appearing next to her as Eema screamed with a fright from his sudden appearance and quickly turns to him, almost having a heart attack causing Aladar to cringe from that.
"Oh, sorry about that. It's just we overheard you talking and um…" Aladar tried to apologize as he saw Url standing in front of him as he snuffled and panted and Url nudges a rock near Aladar's hoof and panted like a Dinopony version of a dog.
"Well, my word. Look at Url. He doesn't normally warm up to strangers so fast," Eema said, astonished as Url continues panting and twirling.
Meanwhile, Baylene and Evan were more curious about the Eohippus on Aladar's back. So they sniffed Half-Light, Her Friends, and The Chieftresses on Aladar's back and then snorted and sneezed.
"What an unfortunate blemish," Baylene commented.
"I have never seen strange creatures riding on one back before," Evan said.
"Perhaps a good bath'd clear those right up," Eema added, not noticing the Eohippus.
"Excuse me? But who are you calling blemishes?" Rareness said, turning to her.
Eema let out a bellow in surprise as she thought they were clamps on Aladar's back.
"Um, she's my cousin. A couple of times removed," Aladar explained with a chuckle.
"Try a couple of species removed," Sky Color commented from the back.
"Uh, my name's Aladar. This is my sister Half-Light and these are our friends. We're all that's left," Aladar said, introducing himself and his family on his back.
"Oh my dear, Evan and I are so sorry," Baylene said sadly as she and Evan felt truly sorry, for they somewhat know that feeling.
"I, Baylene, and our herd are the last ones of our kind at first. But we managed to find stragglers like us all along the way," Evan said to Aladar.
"Oh, you poor little things," Frolic Timid said sadly.
"Little?" Sky Color asked, being bewildered.
"Excuse me, but my sister and I heard you say something about this 'Nesting Grounds'?" Bright Cycle asked, curious about wanting to know more about the place.
"What is that place?" Half-Light asked next, just as curious.
"Oh, it is the most beautiful place there is child. It's where the herd goes to have their babies," Eema said with a smile.
"Um, Mrs. Eema, we'll find any creature that looks…like us there?" Sweet Pebble asked as she, Free-Fall, and Tangerine began to wonder.
"The last few days, I've seen them all shapes and sizes. Who knows what we'll find. The hard job now is getting there," Emma said with a shrug.
"And we're being driven unmercifully through this journey," Baylene added.
Aladar didn't like the sound of it so he asked, "By who?".
"Kron, the herd's head honcho," Eema replied, drawing Aladar and his family's attention to her.
"We can hardly keep up ourselves. And older ones like me and Baylene…I-It's - Well, it's possibly indecent," Evan said regrettably and stated as he stammered at the last part.
"Then tell him. What's the worst he could do?" Aladar asked with a chuckle.
Growling was then heard.
"Oh!" Baylene exclaimed as they turned and saw Kron, Bruton, and the Kritopony mare appearing as Url moves aside. Bruton snorted at the Ankylopony as a clear sign to him to stay out of his way.
They then walked by Aladar as Kron snorted.
"Hey! What's his problem?" Aladar asked, unpleased and offended by that as they walked off.
"That's him, honey. Kron," Eema said as she went up next to Aladar.
"Huh. Uh, excuse me, Kron! You got a second?" Aladar said before moving forward much to the shock of Eema, Baylene and Evan.
Kron snorted when he looked back at the stranger.
Bruton turned to him and growled, "Get lost, kid," He said coldly to Aladar.
"Hmmm. Relax Bruton," Kron said with a small grin as he then turns and approaches Aladar with heavy hoofsteps.
"Who are you?" Kron asked, looking him over.
"Uh, Aladar," Aladar said, introducing himself a bit uneasy.
"And I'm his sister, Half-Light." Half-Light said, also introducing herself with a slightly nervous laugh.
"Why aren't you uphill with the…" Kron tried to say as he noticed the other Eohippus nervously smiled and waved at him on Aladar's back and Sky Color clicked her tongue lightly.
"...Uh, young bloods?" Kron asked, getting back on track, and snorted at them.
"Well…we were back here talking to these guys," Aladar explained as he looks back at Eema, Baylene, and Evan as Eema gasped and hurried behind Evan as Url was hiding behind Baylene's leg.
"I guess they…They're having a hard time keeping up. So, you know, maybe you could slow it down a bit?" Aladar suggested.
"And maybe let them keep up?" Half-Light added.
The Kritopony mare chuckled at how nice and charming Aladar was.
Kron pretended to think about it while looking at the three elders, "Hmmm, let the weak set the pace,".
"Um, that's not what Aladar and I meant…," Half-Light said.
"Now there's an idea," Bruton said.
"Better let me do the thinking from now on, Aladar and Half-Light," Kron mockingly said with a light chuckle and began to walk away.
Not liking how their new friends are being treated, Aladar then said, "Hey they need help back here…,".
"And they deserve some respect as well," Half-Light added.
Kron looked back at Aladar and Half-Light. This Kritopony doesn't like his leadership being challenged by anyone, but he kept calm and warned them, "Watch yourself, you two,".
With a snort, Kron turned back to the majority of the herd.
The Kritopony mare started to follow him but she stopped and turned to Aladar and said, "Don't worry. That's how my brother treats newcomers. No matter how charming they are,".
Then she walked off following her brother.
"Whoa, you sure know how to catch a mare's eye there, Stud," Sweet-Tooth said as she moved up to Aladar's head.
"Wouldn't be catching nobody's eyes if I was you. Especially Neera's. You just keep your head down and mind what Kron tells you," Eema advised as Aladar turned to her.
"Oh, come on. That guy clearly doesn't have any loyalty to the elders at all. Since when do we take orders from the likes of him?" Sky Color questioned, pointing to the Kritopony.
Eema chuckled, "Kron has swatted flies bigger than you, Color Hair,".
"Oh, please. Sky Color could hold that monster's brain in the palms of her…" Free Fall tried to say but was interrupted by Aladar.
"No Free-Fall, she's right," Aladar said, figuring that it is for the best.
"Yeah, and besides it's probably best that we should all keep our heads down with this bunch than getting bitten off by those things," Half-Light agreed, turning to her friends and then looking at the nearby hilltop as chittering was heard.
"Well, you and your friends considered yourselves lucky. That's all that's been following us," Eema commented turning to the Archeroponaptors chittering amongst themselves.
"I just hope we don't have to worry about anything else bigger following us, Cinnamon," Tangerine said, hugging her sister close in fright.
"Me too, Sugarcube," Cinnamon agreed, having the same thought.
Night Cycle didn't know why, but she had an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She would have to talk to her sister about it.
On the hilltop, two of the Archeroponaptors were confronting each other as they snarled and hissed and one bites the other's neck.
The Alpha hissed and snarled as he blinked and watches the herd nearby.