Ch.5: Lonely Hearts
Hours passed as the Bright Circle dipped its head lower and lower in the sky, twilight colors painting the air. Cera was running out of breath.
She had tried her best to find Megumi, and no doubt that the others did too, but not a sign of the longneck could be found anywhere, and Cera was growing distressed.
"Dad must be wondering where I am by now" she thought " it's almost nest time."
The threehorn was just about to turn around and go back when the soft sound of crying suddenly reached her ears. Curious, Cera stepped over to where she had heard the sound, and stopped when she saw Megumi lying there, down in the grass, crying tears into a small pond.
"Megumi, are you alright?" asked Cera, stepping up cautiously.
"Cera?" said Megumi, a little surprised, wiping away her tears " What are you doing here?"
"We got worried about you" said Cera " Littlefoot told us what happened at the watering hole. Don't judge his grandpa to harshly, he's usually a nice guy."
"Heh" laughed Megumi, almost humorlessly " you couldn't tell. He had that same look in my father's eyes,"
"Your dad?" asked Cera.
"Yes" said Megumi " Bigtail. He…he never seemed like such a dad."
"Hey don't worry" said Cera, thinking of her own father " I know sometimes dads can be rough, but it doesn't mean that they don't mean well."
"My dad never meant well" said Megumi " He was angry all the time, especially after my mother passed away. He's the one who abandoned me in the Mysterious Beyond. I haven't seen him since."
Cera was stunned by this revelation.
"Man" the threehorn thought " she's had it tougher than I thought."
"Do you still want to play?" asked Cera, hoping to break the tension " We still have some time before nightfall, and the others would love to see that you're alright, especially Guido. You guys are best friends, aren't you?"
At that question, Megumi paused, thinking over what Cera had said. Best friends? Did she and Guido really become that in one night? Cera sure seemed to think so, and maybe it was true.
"Here, in the valley, I do have people that care" thought Megumi " I'm not as alone as I thought. The words of one grumpy longneck don't mean a thing! I have friends now, and I will continue to cherish them 'till the day I'm gone."
Getting up, Megumi stood and looked over to Cera, a big grin painted on her face.
"Alright, let's go back."
And the two females returned to the group, who had all gathered in one place, exhausted from their search for Megumi. There were cries and cheers of happiness once Cera and Megumi came back.
Megumi grinned when she looked over at Guido, who seemed to be the happiest of them all to see that she returned. Without a word, she gave the little dino a grateful kiss, making Guido blush under the cover of his jade-feathered wings.
The tension was gone from the air, a lonely heart beat no more. What throbbed now was hope and joy, beating for a new life.