Chapter 13: The Big Reveal

Hey, guys. I got a lot of new ideas from thinking, and I am going to try to make the next arc of this story interesting, as the 'Berserker's Mindset' has now evolved into Yuri's basic instincts.

Also, 'Hunter', what the hell!?

Daggir was going to kill Yuri's kinda-sorta girlfriend just for sport, and you're talking about Yuri being humane!? You were the one who said 'a fight in the wild is for Survival', and killing Daggir or not, you're saying Yuri should've been humane to that evil jerkface!? UGHH! Hunter... you tire me!

I'm sorry for complaining to you, but you sometimes don't make sense to me... but regardless, Daggir is dead, and it is behind us.

And yes, I have considered Krav Maga, but I kind of wanted to go for Hapkido or Aikido.

Once we had left the cave, I was greeted by the group. Topps was the first to say anything, and what he said was "Dang, that must've been one bloody fight."

"Like you wouldn't believe," Cera interrupted, "That Daggir didn't know what was coming to him."

Everyone looked at him in awe, and Topps was the one to ask the question, "Did you kill him?"

"He fell off the side of the mountain and died... so yeah... But only after he was about to kill me."

The group had an understanding of the concept. As animals, they did understand 'self-defense'. 'Heh heh... It's funny 'cause I can't really even call them animals.'

"So," Grandpa Longneck asked, "does that mean you'll be returning to the Valley tomorrow?" and now that I did what I wanted, I said "Actually, I'll be returning today."

Everyone was a slight bit shocked, and Grandma Longneck asked, "But what about your traditions?" So, I had to tell the truth.

"The truth is... this trial wasn't any tradition or anything. It was just a way to master the 'Berserker's Mindset'."

Everyone looked at me in shock. Topps spoke up. "But why? Based on what I saw, that Berserker's Mindset looked pretty mastered."

"Well, yeah... but that was only when certain requirements were met. In this world, I'd need a lot more than that."

"Yuri," Cera had to ask, "Why would you need to master your instincts."

"I figured if I'm gonna be stuck here for a while, I might as we-"

"Oh, please," she scoffed, "Come on, Yuri. Tell me the real reason. You need to be honest with us."

Then I remember I told Cera I wanted honesty between us when training. 'Drat. My own words used against me.' With that, I sighed, and said "Alright. The truth is... I was scared..."

"Of what?" Littlefoot asked asked innocently, "What had you afraid?"

Everyone was patiently waiting, and the thought of it brought back some particularly bad nightmare memories. Tears were stinging at my eyes, as I remembered the horrible dreams. So I just looked down, and said in a low voice "I was afraid of... losing you guys."

They stared at me, curious as to what I meant. So when Ali asked "Us? We're why you came out here?" I had to tell them:

"I had a nightmare the day I left. You guys all died and... I couldn't go 'Berserk' in time. I was stuck there watching you guys be killed in front of my eyes... and I felt a pain beyond anything I'd felt before. I vowed I would never let that happen in the real world! That's why I came out here to begin with."

Everyone who knew me was amazed to hear that. They looked at me in awe, as if hearing this come out of my mouth was a shocker to them. Ali came out, and said "You survived six days in the Mysterious Beyond to train yourself... on our behalf?"

"Yeah. It may sound insane, but after only a week of knowing you, I feel closer to you than my old friends. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you guys..." I was waiting for them to laugh, or gasp, or something. It felt like I was just standing there, looking at the ground for an eternity. After a little bit of time had passed, Ali came up, and told me, "Yuri... look at me..."

And when I looked up to see her face, she grabbed me, and pulled me into a kiss. It was a short one, but it was certainly as good as the last one, if not better. As soon as it was over, the rest of the younger dinosaurs came over and practically dogpiled me. Getting on my knees, I stayed in the middle of a giant group hug. They didn't seem to mind that I was covered in blood, or that I was really dirty and sweaty.

They were just happy that we were together.

After the group hug had broken, Grandpa Longneck asked, "So now that you've achieved your goals, what are you going to do?"

"Well first... I'm gonna go down to the waterfall. Wash the poison from off my skin." The gang looked at themselves, and realized they all had some blood on them. "You guys can join me if you want." With a small chuckle in unison, the group laughed, and got up. With that, we started our little trek to the falls.

I was still a little weak from the fight, and Cera noticed this. "I can't let our little champion walk after what he's been through," she said, picking me up, and putting me on her back. "You deserve a rest after that display." We all nodded at this, as I nodded off.

In my sleep, I had a small dream. It was at midnight. Ali had a knife near her throat, held by a vicious Fast Biter. She looked to be a goner, but then a warrior stepped in, his face shrouded by shadows, and his body covered in scars. He defeated the vicious creature with a single strike, and Ali was safe.

As the warrior stepped into the light of the moon, I knew exactly who it was: Me...

SPLASH!

My eyes bolted open, as I found myself in the water. Cera was looking up at me with a bit of a smirk, and I realized we were at the springs. "Enjoy the water," she said, "After what you've been through, you've earned it." Looking over to the side, I saw the rest of them.

They were having fun in the water, as the river washed away the blood and dirt. I felt like it was cleansing me of my rage, as it cleansed my body of the blood. It was a good feeling...

"Hey Yuri," Littlefoot called out, breaking me from my trance, "We're gonna play a game. You wanna join?" A request that I accepted in an instant.

We began playing a game similar to my world's game 'Marco Polo'. It was a simple little game, that got my mind off of today. As we played, I noted the innocence in the groups eyes. Their ability to enjoy themselves as soon as they don't have to be serious. A skill I should most certainly learn from them.

As the game continued, I thought to myself 'Whatever happens, we'll be just fine.'

So here's a nice little chapter. And you know what? This will be the end of this little story. I kinda have nothing left to write about for this story, but I had fun writing it. I hope you guys enjoyed 'The Search for Paradise'. There might be a sequel...