Chapter 11: Parting

Not much was said when everyone awoke the next day. A crisp breeze blowing in from the Big Water reminded them all that the Cold-Time would be coming soon. Fyn shivered; cold climates were not agreeable with him, and the Great Valley could get very chilly during the Cold-Time. He'd put up with it as always, he supposed, but a little warmth from the Bright Circle never hurt anyone.

As he rolled to his feet, he could see that everyone else was already awake, but no one was speaking. He saw Chomper and Ruby standing at the water's edge, looking out to the horizon. Littlefoot was grazing over at the trees, Petrie was soaring, as was his daily routine, and Ducky, Spike, and Cera were simply huddled together farther away. Fyn decided to speak with Chomper. He approached from behind.

"Cold today, isn't it?" he asked, mentally reprimanding himself immediately after. This was not a time for small talk. This was serious.

"Yeah," Ruby responded.

"I guess that's not what I meant to say," Fyn said. "What I really mean is- how are you feeling?"

"I don't know what to feel," said Chomper, "I'll be on my way to find my parents soon, but it just feels so abrupt. I mean, I have to say goodbye to all of you today."

Fyn nodded. Leaving the grove, his old home, had been similar, but all his friends had come with him. Chomper's dilemma was much trickier.

"Well," he said, "goodbye doesn't have to be forever. I'm confident that somewhere inside, some memory of us will remain with you. Maybe if you really work at that memory, bring it up each day, you might remember all of us, and if that day comes, we will be more than happy to have you in the Great Valley again. Of course," he added, "we may have to sneak you in, this time."

Chomper grinned. "Good luck with that. You stand out like the Bright Circle at night!"

"What? No I don't."

"Oh yes you do."

"Alright, fine. I do. But it doesn't mean we couldn't get you in if we wanted to."

"You know what? I'll remember that. That's a promise."

"Great!" Fyn said. He looked over at Ruby, still staring out into the Big Water.

"What about Ruby?" he asked, "what's she going to do when this is all over?"

"She's trying to make up her mind. At this point, she can either go with me or all of you. It's a hard choice."

"I don't doubt it," Fyn said, feeling sorry for the Fastrunner. She shouldn't have been forced to make such decisions now, he thought. Then he caught himself. Ruby was older than he was, almost an adult. She was making choices that she would have to face for the rest of her life on a daily basis now. Maybe she was prepared.

"Well," Chomper said, "I think it's time."

Fyn nodded. He knew his friend would be fine in the Mysterious Beyond, but with Chomper and possibly Ruby gone, there would be a hole in his life that would take time to fill.

"But," he reassured himself, "in the Drylands, every hole fills in time." He thought back to his friends finding their old tracks. "And sometimes, only sometimes, we come back to those holes." Would he ever see Chomper again? He knew he couldn't rule out the possibility. He didn't know if they would even meet as friend or foe if they did find each other again, but he knew he would be prepared to meet his old friend once more if the occasion arose.

Chomper walked back towards the Drylands, stopping at the sand's border. Everyone saw him, and began to gather near him. When everyone was present, he spoke.

"Guys, I don't really know how to start this. I- I'm really terrible at saying stuff like what I'm about to say, but I'll try anyway. You've all given me more than any Sharptooth can ask for. I've been fortunate enough to live in the Great Valley for most of my life; most Sharpteeth can't count themselves as lucky. At my age, the ones that survive have already had their share of trying not to be eaten. I've lived a life of safety and freedom because of how much all of you have been there for me, and I can't thank you enough. Even though our paths may never cross again, I hope you will always remember me for who I am, just as I will try to remember all of you."

He then approached his friends and spoke to each one in turn, starting with Ducky and Spike.

"Ducky and Spike," he began, "where would any of us be without your friendship? You two were the first of us to prove that any dinosaur can get along with another, no matter what kind they are. Your loyalty to each other and to the rest of us is so incredible, I've never seen anything like it in my life. You've shown everyone that, even though we may be different, we can all live together peacefully, and I thank you for that."

"Petrie," he said, moving on, "it's your bold spirit that inspired me to stay strong when I lived in the Mysterious Beyond and faced dangers every day. You came to this group of friends as a Faller, and rose to become a Flyer, as I'm told."

Petrie blushed, recalling how he'd met Littlefoot by falling out of a tree.

"You overcame your fears on every adventure we've ever been on, and I don't think a braver Flyer exists anywhere in the world. You've helped us out of a lot of tough spots, and we owe it all to your unfailing courage."

He moved on to Cera. "Cera, it's you I have to thank for every bit of determination I've ever had. No matter what may happen, you've always pushed through the challenges to accomplish whatever task you may face. You don't give up, and even when everything seems bleak, you're still there, pushing us through, sometimes all by yourself. It takes a really tough dinosaur to do that. It takes a real Threehorn, in fact, to do that. Thank you. From all of us."

Cera pawed the ground bashfully. "Thank you, Chomper. No one's ever said anything quite like that about me before."

Chomper continued to Fyn. "You were the last of us to join this group. Before you arrived in the Great Valley, everyone thought that no one else could possibly join this circle of friends. They were wrong. When you arrived, everyone was impressed with your accomplishments. Not every dinosaur can lead a herd through the Mysterious Beyond to the Great Valley, let alone as a kid."

Fyn, ever humble, opened his mouth to counter, but Chomper silenced him.

"Don't even try to pretend you didn't. Sure, it wasn't the whole Mysterious Beyond, but the fact remains, you did do it. But that's not what drew everyone to you. I think what really impressed everyone was your kindness, your ability to listen to someone's problems and know exactly what to say, and your fierce devotion to your friends. It took a lot of trust to befriend Ruby and me when we showed up, but you were able to do it, even after seeing firsthand what Sharpteeth could do outside of the Great Valley. I'm happy to call myself your friend."

Fyn dipped his head, and Chomper finally arrived at Littlefoot.

"Littlefoot, where do I begin? I've known you for as long as I can remember. You've been almost like a dad to me. In fact, when I first hatched, you were my dad until I found my parents. You and your grandparents have always been like my second family. I've looked up to you for so long, and you've never let me down. Ever. You drive us all to be better, to just keep going, because the Great Valley could be right over those rocks. You have heart, something that's not always easy to find outside the Great Valley. I call you a friend and a brother, because you've always treated me like an equal, even though I'm so much different from you. You are the face I remember the most. You are my strongest memory, and I will hold onto that memory forever, if I can. Thank you for always being there for me."

When he reached Ruby, whose back was turned, there was a tear in Chomper's eye. The others had often used the term "Sharptooth Tears" before to describe a fake display of grief. Now, they were seeing them for real, and the true meaning was obviously different, and much deeper.

"Ruby," Chomper sniffed, "you're my caretaker. You were given the position and bound to it until I became an adult. Now, that time has come. Your responsibilities are no longer the same. You are free to become who you really want to be."

Ruby turned her head, slowly. "I already am who I want to be... because of you. I thought I knew everything there was to know about life, then I met you. Turns out, I barely knew anything. You showed me what life is really all about: friendship, adventure, happiness... you showed me everything. She turned completely, addressing everyone.

"I've made my decision. All of you," she gestured, "have been great friends to me; the best I've ever had, in fact. This might look like an end, but it's actually a beginning for all of us. Like Chomper said, I can't thank you enough. I love being with all of you, but-" she sighed, "I can't leave Chomper. We've shared so much of our lives together, and I'm his best chance of remembering everything he ever was." She strode up to Littlefoot, small compared to the Longneck. How things had changed.

"Today, I leave, but I believe, in my heart, that we'll see each other again someday. Maybe not soon, but someday." She backed away, to Chomper's side. "We'll be safe in the Mysterious Beyond, and we'll both settle down once Chomper's found his family. Until then," she said, looking up at her childhood friend, "I'll just keep doing what I've always done: keeping you out of trouble."

Chomper smiled, and his shimmering eyes seemed to brighten. He'd been completely in shock over what Ruby had said. He'd expected her to go with the others. Now, however, he felt more comfortable knowing that she'd be beside him for better or worse.

"Well," he said, "I guess this is it. I'll miss you all."

"Goodbye everyone," Ruby said.

"Goodbye," Petrie responded.

"Yes, goodbye," Ducky followed.

"Maybe I'll see you around sometime," Cera said.

"May the Bright Circle always guide your path," Fyn spoke.

"Wander far," Littlefoot said, "and always return safely." He paused, "my mother used to say that to others who ventured out on their own from our herd."

No one had heard him use the phrase before, and they reasoned he must have been saving it for an occasion like this. It surprised everyone, but not nearly as much as what came next.

"Chomper," Spike said. It was the second time in his life that he'd ever uttered a word. Everyone was astounded.

"Thank you," Chomper responded, turning towards the Big Water.

"Time to go," he said, stepping away, "remember us."

"We will, Chomper," Littlefoot said, watching his friend walk away, tears clouding his vision, "we all will." They watched Ruby and Chomper until they were out of sight. When they were, the parting cut like a Fast Biter's claw. No one could speak; the experience was too surreal. They simply stood, listening to the sound of the nearby waves lapping at the sand. Finally, Fyn spoke.

"We'd better get moving. We have a lot of ground to cover."

Nobody else spoke. Instead, they all simply nodded, turning back towards the Great Valley and beginning their journey home.

…

Chomper and Ruby walked in silence, each deep in thought. Chomper was trying to pick up the scent of his parent's trail. Every so often, he thought he could smell it, only to have the scent disappear. It frustrated him. He tried harder, taking in more air with each sniff. Suddenly, a familiar and pungent odor met his nose. He recoiled, taken aback by its sudden strength.

"Hold on, Ruby," he said, "I smell something." He began to follow the scent, with Ruby right behind. It became stronger until it was almost unbearable. When Chomper found the source, he suddenly became frozen with dread; footprints, somewhat smaller than his, and definitely not his kind. Something else had made these, and with the smell, there was no mistaking... his friends were in danger.

His head snapped back, and Chomper roared into the sky. His moment of change was finally coming, and he embraced it. Ruby stepped back, out of eyesight. Chomper could feel his heart beating faster, as rage boiled in his veins. He no longer held any thought of his friends, but knew that the source of the tracks in front of him was a threat in some way. It had to be dealt with. While Chomper roared and pawed at the ground on the outside, his former self, meanwhile, was fighting a battle within his own mind. In his mind, Chomper was trying to hold onto something: a memory of an old, familiar face. It appeared in his mind's eye as a ball of blue light, like a flying rock. His old self was reaching out, trying to grab it with his jaws as he struggled to keep from falling back into a black abyss, which pulled and tugged at him like Sinking Sand. As he watched, flashes of his former life disappeared into nothing before him, but they were of no consequence. All he had to do was ride out this change and grab onto the memory. It was so close now, just a little farther away. In his mind, he stretched out to grab it, the one action that might save it from destruction. He opened his jaws wide; the memory came closer still. With all of his remaining mental energy, Chomper bit down, and all was dark.

…

The Bright Circle had just begun its journey down to the horizon when Littlefoot and his friends arrived at a small, rocky plain, close to where they had met Bron's herd. All of them felt tired, with the day's events hanging over them with their own exhausting weight. As they moved, Littlefoot could see something positioned in the middle of their path, straight ahead. He was unsure what it was, initially, but it looked like a dark green rock from a distance. Then the "rock" stood up, and Littlefoot thought his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Fyn," he said, "did that rock just move?"

"Yeah, I thought I was seeing things, but I guess not."

"So I'm not the only one who saw it," Littlefoot thought to himself, "but if it wasn't a rock, then what was it?"

He thought hard, trying to find an answer, when the answer suddenly hit him. Before he could say "Fast Claw," however, several had already moved out from behind nearby cover and surrounded them, their physical presence made even more terrifying by their sheer size- Ducky's height. Littlefoot could see the leader approaching, the one with the golden-yellow stripe. It hissed, menacingly, and Littlefoot could see its powerful legs tense. He knew what would come next. He could see everyone getting ready for the attack that rhey felt sure was imminent. Before he could fully prepare himself, though, the leader sprang, claws gleaming in the Bright Circle's light.

And here we go, into the jaws of death with Littlefoot and the gang, hurtling towards an uncertain finale and outcome. In honor of my near-completion of this story, I've changed my profile picture. Brownie points to whoever can guess who it is. Prepare for the finale, and, as always, read on and write on!