CHAPTER 2

OLD FRIENDS REUNITE

The two threehorn guards assigned this duty today were just lying on the rocky ground munching on some leaves, grass, flowers, and the few choice tree stars that they hand-picked themselves. They were bored out of their minds. Finally, the slightly smaller one spoke.

"Tell me again why we're out here, when we could be doing something much more fun today?"

His companion swallowed his bite of greens, and sighed. "For the fourth time, because Lesik wants the entrance to our valley guarded at all times in case any of those sharptooth decided to sneak in!"

"What's the use! The few sharptooth who knew about this place are long since DEAD by now! They don't care about this area anymore! Besides, somebody else coulda come here today!"

"You KNOW it's our turn, Celik! And we don't have much long to go, either! Our relief should be arriving shortly."

The smaller threehorn let out a sigh. "I still say that it was a mistake reopening the mouth of The Great Valley. They shoulda left it sealed for all eternity."

"Yes! I agree! But the Council decided otherwise! Lesik convinced them all of the idea that any green eaters still out there can find sanctuary in our great valley. 'It is useless to continue living in isolation', he said. They need a way to get in, which was why the rocks blocking this passage were removed."

"Humpf! The least our elder threehorn still on the Council could've done was argue more in favour of keeping this ravine blocked." He sighed. "I think he's becoming too old and weak to be a worthy member of the Council."

The larger male threehorn, Wendyk, growled. "Hey! That male threehorn also happens to be Cera's father! The female I am trying to become mates with!"

"Has she still refused your latest courtship?"

He sighed. "Yes."

"Ha! Maybe you're not trying hard enough. Or maybe she doesn't think you're worthy of her. Which wouldn't surprise me..."

"SHUT UP! It's not that, it's just that she's-"

The stomping sound up ahead cut his sentence short. His eyes grew wide as he saw what was approaching.

"I don't believe it!" he exclaimed as he quickly rose to his feet.

His companion echoed his surprise. "A sharptooth! Here?" He quickly got to his feet as well.

"Okay! Stand ready!" Wendyk exclaimed. "We must not show fear! They can smell fear, you know! That's how they're able to catch us!"

"Right." His companion took and imposing stance beside him. He tried his best not to show fear, but he was shaking like a tree star blowing in the wind.

As he neared the two threehorns, who had now assumed their traditional defensive posture, he swallowed the lump in his throat. It was unusual for him to be this frightened. He knew he could easily dismember the two threehorns standing a short distance away from him, or so his father always said he could. He never actually tried to take out a threehorn; or a long neck, for that matter; preferring to focus more on hunting all of the plentiful small mammals and birds that were everywhere nowadays. He was more afraid of failure than anything else. He knew that if he did not handle this situation properly, he and all of his kind were doomed.

The two threehorns began roaring at him in an attempt to scare him off "HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" the larger one yelled out at him. "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"

He did as the large threehorn commanded. He understood their language perfectly, although he had not spoken it, or heard it spoken, in many seasons. Then, raising his hands up in the air, he brought forth the words he knew they would understand him with. "I mean no harm! I do not want to hurt! I only seek Little Foot!" He was surprised at how well he remembered the green eater language. It all came back to him, like it was yesterday!

The two threehorns were taken aback at hearing this sharptooth speak their language. They eyed each other for a few seconds. Then, the larger of the two stepped forward a few feet. "How do you know our language?"

"It be long story! Please! There is no time. I only wish to see Little Foot!"

"Little Foot?"

The smaller threehorn intervened. "I think he means Lesik Foote, our Council leader!"

"Lesik... Foot? Is that his real name? And you say he is Council Leader!" the sharptooth smiled and roared in delight. "THAT BE GREAT! I have a name, too! I be Teekul Sharpe! My friends call me 'Teek'. But Little Foot know me as 'Chomper'."

"Chomper? Yeah, you look like a 'Chomper' all right! But you're not gonna CHOMP on any of us today! No way, no how!"

By this time, a third threehorn showed up. He was one of the two relief guards who was supposed to take over.

"What's going on?" he asks as he arrives on the scene.

"What? Oh, it's you, Veek." the larger threehorn said "'Bout time you showed up! You're not gonna believe this. This sharptooth speaks our language, and he says he's not here to hurt us. He only wants to speak to Council Leader Lesik. He even knows his hatchling nickname: Little Foot!"

"Ah, yes! I've heard those stories too, when I was a hatchling myself. About how Little Foot found a sharptooth hatchling, and actually took care of him until his parents came to get him. The sharptooths even spared his life because of this, and those of his friends, as well!"

He then turned his attention to the sharptooth."You say you know Little Foot? Are you that same young sharptooth hatchling he took care of all those seasons ago?"

The sharptooth smiled and nodded. "Yes! Yes! It be me. I be Chomper! I need to speak to him... Please! It be urgent!"

Veek was older than the other two threehorns, and he knew the stories of how the brave young Little Foot and his friends singlehandedly forged an unusual friendship with some sharptooth.

"All right! We can't let you into our valley, but we'll get Little Foot for you!"

The sharptooth looked relieved. "OH, Thank you! Thank you! That make me so happy!" The three horns thought they saw tears running down his eyes. I guess sharptooth really DO have feelings. Veek thought to himself. He recognized the expression on the sharptooth as being that of great joy and relief.

He turned his attention to the smaller three horn. "Okay. Celik! Go get Lesik and bring him here while we keep an eye on our sharptooth 'guest'."

"Yes, sir." And with that, the small three horn immediately trotted off to carry out his orders.

The two remaining three horn guards watched as Teek snatched up a couple of small furry rodent mammals that scooted by his feet. He tossed them in the air into his mouth and swallowed them whole. They both eyed at each other and swallowed the lumps in their throats, visibly nervous.

A short time later, Celik came back with Lesik following behind. Meanwhile, the other threehorn guard who was supposed to relieve the first two showed up for duty. He, too, was amazed at the story his compatriots told him when he arrived; and also at how the sharptooth standing in front of them could understand and speak their language.

Teek had sat down to rest his feet, after his long journey, while he waited for his old friend to show up. When he saw him coming, he immediately stood up. The first thing that struck him was at how big his old friend had gotten. When he last saw him, he was barely a season old himself. Back then, Little Foot was more than half his size. But now, Little Foot looked to be a hundred times his size! Even though he was now full grown, and a few seasons old, he looked like he just hatched out of his egg next to the now imposing Little Foot.

He smiled and thought to himself. Wow! Little Foot had grown to be a fully remarkable long neck! Really big and strong! He also noticed that his hide colour didn't change much since he remembered seeing him, and that he had developed the distinctive adult long neck features

Lesik immediately stepped forward to get closer look at Teek. When he saw the red eyes of the sharptooth, his own eyes went wide in surprise.

"Chomper? Is that you!"

Teek nodded. "Yup! It's me!"

"CHOMPER!" Lesik exclaimed as he trotted up to his old friend.

"LITTLE FOOT!" Teek exclaimed as he ran up to the big long neck.

Both fell in a warm heartfelt embrace. Both began giggling as they did so often when they were younglings.

"It's good to see you again, Chomper!"

"'Tis good to see YOU, too, old friend!"

Teek had grown up to be a pretty imposing sharptooth. When he was barely five seasons old, he was already almost as big as his mother; and when he reached his full height, he was almost a foot taller than his father; and he was probably one quarter bigger, too. He was big enough to wrap his head around the base of Little Foot's neck, despite the long neck`s imposing size. Little Foot felt Chomper's tears of joy run down his shoulders. His eyes were also moist from the overwhelming joy he felt at seeing his long lost friend again. He was also glad to know that Chomper also felt the same joy at seeing his long lost friend, brother; and in a sense, his saviour. He did kinda save him, when he was just an egg. But he didn't take all the credit. His younghood friends also helped, in their own way.

After what seemed like an eternity to the watchful threehorns, the two finally separated. Both had big grins on their faces as they rubbed muzzles together to further consumate their lasting friendship.

"So tell me," Lesik finally began. "what brings you all the way here, so far from your home?"

"Well..." Teek seemed uneasy as he put his hands behind his back, looked down and scraped his footclaws across the rocky ravine ground. "I'd rather tell the story in front on all of our old friends. Petrie, Ducky... and even Spike and Cera... if it's okay with you."

Lesik thought a moment, then said. "Sure! Okay!"

Teek happily smiled.

"But that would mean letting you into our valley."

Teek's smile began to dissapear.

"Veek!", Lesik said, turing his attention to the senior threehorn behind him.

"Yes, Councilor Lesik?" Veek replied as he came forward.

"I'd like you to assign some of your guards to escort this sharptooth while I bring him into the valley."

"Wise precaution, Councilor! We do need to protect our herds while he's here."

"No! I mean to protect him from those who would wish to attack him."

Veek was surprised. "Protect HIM? But, Councilor, with all due respect, he doesn't look like he needs any of our protection! If anything, we should be protecting our young ones from him!"

"I understand your concern, Veek; but you know how some of the threehorn residents we have here are overprotective of their young ones, and are eager to jump to conclusions. Just look at Councilor Topsy!"

Veek thought about this a moment, then nodded. "Besides, as long as Chomper promises not to attack any of us while he's here as our guest, we won't have anything to fear from him. Right, Chomp?"

Chomper nodded his head. "Uh huh! I won't attack or eat anybody! I promise! Cross my heart and hope to die!"

"That can be arranged..." Wendyk mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Celik asked him.

"Nothin'!" Wendyk said with a shake of his head.

"Then it's all settled!" Lesik spoke. "Okay, Chomper! Follow me. Celik, Wendyk, come with us! Veek, Cyrusk, you two stay here and keep guarding the mouth of the valley."

"Yes, Councilor." both threehorns replied in time.

With that, the party left the mouth of the valley and entered into the valley itself where Little Foot's friends would be anxious to get reacquainted with their old younghood friend.

As soon as they heard the news, they all rushed to Lesik's home to see if it was really true. Once they all realized that Teek was not going to hurt, harm or eat them, they greeted Teek with open arms; and the usual muzzle rubs and licks. They had all grown up to be fine adults! Petrie McFly- still being nicknamed "The Flyer" by everybody- had become the best of his kind with that ability. Teek noticed he hadn't lost any of his younghood colour. Alaina Ducksworth had dropped her old nickname "Ducky" long ago; though Little Foot still called her that on occasion, which still made her giggle. She still had the light green hue he remembered her having when he last saw her. Teek was saddened at the news that Spike had died in a tragic accident a few seasons ago. It seems he fell off a cliff to his death while chasing a wayward tree star blowing in the wind. Although he was a simpleton, everybody loved the big spiketail! And he was lucky. He was an orphan who had been adopted by Ducky's family. I guess if Teek was an orphan, too, he'd've probably been adopted by grandma and grandpa, Little Foot thought to himself. The only problem would've been feeding little Chomper. Even though he was a sharptooth, he'd've probably gotten used to the green diet like us. 'Less he starve to death. But the entire valley mourned at the news of Spike's tragic death.

Cera Horn was the last to arrive at Little Foot's den that afternoon. At first, she thought the news she heard was a joke. But when she saw that the little sharptooth she had known so long ago was here now, and all grown up, she knew it was not a joke. She was shocked, even! She was tentative at first; but after Lesik was able to convince her that it was safe, she shared a shaky embrace with the big sharptooth.

"Don't worry, Cera! Chomper promised he wouldn't hurt any of us!" Lesik said.

"He did! He did! Yup! Yup! Yup!" Alaina Ducksworth chimed in.

"Well... I still think it was a bad idea letting him in to the Great Valley. Promises can easily be broken, you know!"

"Aww, Cera!" Lesik and Petrie both said.

Chomper just laughed. "Dear ol' Cera! You have not changed, even after all these seasons!"

With that, everybody had a good laugh. All except for Cera, who just "humpf"ed.

It struck Teek how much she had grown into a fine and elegant looking female threehorn. She even retained the orangish hue of her youth! Her eyes were the same colour as he remembered them. If she were a sharptooth, I'd've probably taken her as a mate, he thought.