Wow, this chapter is long,,, but it's important! It focuses on the rainbow faces, but mainly helps to show why Tristan is such an insecure and anxious mess. hope you guys enjoy! And as always, please leave feedback! Thank you!
Mackenzie soaked her hand in the small and shallow pond, her eyes following the shimmering swimmers moved about the water, living their own mysterious lives. Her mind was running rampant with thoughts. Not a day had passed where she wasn't ridden with guilt about the events that originally prompted her and her family to make the journey to the Great Valley.
A light splash of cool water suddenly brought her out of her in-depth musings, followed by the sound of playful giggles. Mackenzie shook the droplets of water off of her face and looked down at what had caused the splash.
It was little baby Sophie. Mackenzie smiled, and lowered her head towards the smaller rainbow face.
"Hello, Sophie. It's nice to see you here."
Sophie giggled, and continued to splash around in the water, her tail waving from side to side. In that moment, Mackenzie was fairly certain that she understood what the fuss over hatchlings was all about. Something so precious and fragile simply had to be protected.
Soon, Andy came and lifted Sophie by her tail. Sophie squealed, her huge eyes gleaming as she looked up curiously at her father.
"That's enough playtime for you, young lady," he said as he grabbed on with his flat teeth.
Mackenzie recognized him. He and his mate hatched Sophie some time back. Amelia had asked Mackenzie to be present, but she, at the time, had refused. Now, she wondered what had become of his mate, and more importantly, how he was holding up.
After she watched him leave, she spotted her mother standing next to her from the corner of her eye.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?"
"Hey, mom." She reverted her gaze back to the pond, continuing to dip her hand in the warm water.
"Is something the matter, dear?"
Mackenzie didn't respond for a moment. She would have to choose her words carefully. "No...I just have a lot on my mind."
"Oh?" Amelia was intrigued, and sat down beside her daughter. "Well, tell me what you've been thinking about."
"And tell me too," added Tristan, who sat down on the opposite side of his daughter. "You can tell us anything. Talk to us, Mackenzie."
Mackenzie groaned silently. There was no getting out of this now. She would have had better luck had she just lied and said everything was fine. Then again, they most likely would have seen right through her.
"Well...okay. You know the fast biter attack back where you guys used to live?"
Tristan and Amelia nodded, looking directly at Mackenzie.
"Um...well, that attack was my fault— I—"
Mackenzie cut herself off to gather her words. She had initially thought that she could manage a clear and solid explanation but soon began to trip over her own words, stuttering and stammering.
"I-I accidentally grabbed the attention of some fast biters, I didn't mean to, I swear. I got scared and ran. I led them to everyone...it's my fault that they came there in the first place, and it's my fault that so many members of your herd have died. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, I just couldn't take the guilt anymore, please don't hate me."
Tears sprang to her eyes as she gazed at her father. "Dad, I'm so sorry..."
Tristan's harsh brown eyes softened. This all came as a huge shock to him, but he couldn't bear to see his little girl cry.
"Don't cry, darling." He pressed his snout to hers. "It's alright. Hush now."
"We don't hate you," said Amelia, craning her neck to rest her head on that of the younger rainbow face's.
"Mackenzie, you are still young, younger than you believe. Seeing those fast biters chase after you, it's only natural for you to run away towards a larger group." She pulled away, locking eyes with her daughter. "What hurts me is that you thought you could never tell us about this. Mackenzie, we are your parents. We will love you, no matter what."
Tristan smiled and gave a concurring nod. "That's a promise. Now...you're a big girl, aren't you?"
"Mhm," Mackenzie said tearfully.
"Good. Please stop crying and let's move past this, okay? You can do that for your dear old dad, can't you?"
He used his snout to wipe away her tears. "We're very glad you told us, and we love you. But please talk to us, don't ever think for a moment that you can't speak to us. We want to know if you're in pain so that we can help. Okay?"
"Okay," repeated Mackenzie, whose relief washed upon her like waves upon the sand. She was always very lively and full of energy, but now, it seemed that a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders, allowing joy to shine through.
"And I know that I might seem intimidating," Tristan said in addition, "That's alright, I understand if you don't want to speak to me about your problems." He looked over at Amelia. "Your mother is the most compassionate and caring creature I know. She's very wise, and if not me, you should speak to her."
Mackenzie could see how much her parents adored each other from the way they peered into each other's eyes at that very moment. She sniffled, and allowed her remaining tears to fall.
"I will," she finally said.
Amelia and Tristan both took a moment to prod her with their snouts at the same time.
"We love you, dear," said Amelia.
"Remember that," added Tristan.
"I love you guys too," replied Mackenzie, gratefully embracing their loving gestures.
They sat together without saying a word until Tristan interrupted the silence.
"Amelia?"
"Hm?"
"We should get going. We promised the little ones a story today."
"Oh, that's right." Amelia stood up, Tristan briefly following suit. "Come, Mackenzie."
"Okay." Mackenzie hooped up, running to catch up with her mother and father.
The sound of chatter filled the air, and Amelia hesitated to raise her voice in order to silence everyone.
"Everyone, quiet!" Tristan's voice boomed, causing silence to fall.
Miriam swallowed the tree star she had in her mouth. "What kind of story are you going to tell us, mom?"
"Well, what kind of story would you like to hear?"
"One about you and dad!"
Amelia tok a moment to clear her throat. "Well...I'm afraid you'll need to be more specific than that, dear."
Mackenzie spoke up when Miriam found herself unable to narrow her choices down. She chose a topic that had been on her mind often as of late.
"Did you and dad ever fight with each other?"
"We fight all the time," said Amelia, "You know that."
"Yeah, but has it ever been really bad?"
Amelia looked towards Tristan, who knew exactly what was runsung through her head. He smiled knowingly, and gave a nod.
And so, Amelia began her tale.
The tree sweets were almost in bloom. Tristan's mouth was curved into a tight frown.
"Molly, where is Michael? He said he was going to be here."
"He's coming," replied Molly, scanning the horizon.
Amelia laughed, throwing her head back and rubbing Tristan's chin. "He'll come. Just have a little patience."
"Ugh." Tristan leaned against an old, moss coated log. "He always makes us wait for him. We're going to be late again. Why don't we just ditch him—"
"Get down!"
Tristan looked up, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "What?"
"Get down!" The voice was louder this time, and recognizable. A bit childlike, deep, and constantly cracking like the voice of a pubescent hatchling — it was Michael.
"Get down, get down, get down!"
Michael came into view, running with pure power. On his tail was a herd of longnecks who seemed to have been startled into a stampede.
The three rainbow faces were wide eyed.
"Michael!" Molly scolded before ducking for cover, Amelia and Tristan doing the same as well.
When the longnecks had passed and it was safe to rise, the rainbow faces did so.
Molly hit Michael on the shoulder. Not too hard — just enough to make him wince.
"What did you do?"
"Try and guess," said Michael, seemingly proud of the fact that he'd very nearly gotten them run over.
Tristan scoffed. "We don't have time for this. Come on."
Michael pouted at his friend. "Aww, are you upset because you won't get as much time with Amelia now?"
Tristan scowled at Michael, lunging for him and pinning him to the ground.
Michael snickered. "You're such a baby."
"Technically speaking, I'm older than you."
"Doesn't matter what anyone else says, you'll always be a baby to me."
Tristan narrowed his eyes, and prepared to spit on Michael's face.
Michael's eyes widened in horror as he tried to wriggle free. "No, no," he begged, "Don't, don't. Come on, don't! No, no, no!"
Amelia finally intervened, locking her arms around both of their heads, frowning as if she were a disappointed mother trying to pacify her combative children. "Hey, will you two knock it off?"
"Michael started it," argued Tristan.
"Sorry that I hurt your feelings, you big baby."
Tristan prepared to throw a punch, but Amelia knocked both his and Michael's head together.
"I said knock it off. If you two can't act your age, well, Molly and I will just head home right now without either of you."
Molly, who had hardly been paying attention at all, looked up when she heard her name. "What?"
"Fine," Tristan muttered reluctantly. "Sorry, Michael."
"...Sorry, Tristan."
With that resolved, the quartet headed off towards the nearby falls, which had been their original destination until Michael decided he had to make a pitstop.
The cold times had ended and the snow was melting, giving way for the grass and various other plants. Some areas had not completely thawed out yet, however, leaving behind trails of snow and ice.
The dinosaurs slid across the icy ledges and into the water, racing across to see who could get to the other side first. Shockingly, it was Amelia, who'd gone underwater to surprise them. As they climbed onto the dry land, they all shared a laugh.
Just beyond the hill in front of them were the falls, although the hill was surprisingly steep. But where there was a will, there was a way. Not to mention the arguable fact that the hill wasn't impossible to climb. They eventually made it to the top, and ran down to join the others in the connected bodies of water.
This was Tristan's first time coming here since his last visit with his parents, and he was pleased to find that the place was still as lively as it once was. He still recalled every detail; the roaring waterfalls which led to the smaller waterfalls towards the end of the stream, and even the bright circle shining above, and the hot springs below.
"We're here!" Announced Amelia, laughing. "Come on, Tristan."
Tristan recognized many of the rainbow faces there. He saw Bruno and Aurora, and even Hazel and his mate. Michael and Molly splashed around happily in the water like they were kids again.
Amelia knew Tristan was not the most social, and led him away from all the commotion, to a warm spring in which the both of them could relax and release the tension within them. When Amelia felt the warm water soak her body, it seemed to numb all her pain. She breathed a deep sigh, and rested her head on the soggy grass.
Tristan rubbed his snout against her cheek, wiping away some specks of dirt that had collected on it.
"Are you sure you don't want to join the others? You don't have to stay if you don't want to."
"I'm not about to leave you behind," said Amelia. "If you're going to stay here, then I'm going to stay with you."
Tristan smiled at her reassurance, and rested his head on top of hers. They didn't speak to each other, but they'd never been closer. They closed their eyes and enjoyed the silence.
"Diana! Di, no, don't!"
Amelia and Tristan looked up to see Andy and Diana at the very top of the high waterfall. The most likely scenario would be that Diana was teasing him, as she always did.
"How did they get all the way up there?" Asked Amelia.
"It's Diana," replied Tristan. "The woman is a beast."
"Right," agreed Amelia.
"DIANA!"
Diana had gotten a grip on Andy and jumped off the top of the roaring waterfall, her arms still coiled around him. Andy, absolutely terrified for his life, never stopped screaming.
They landed in the stream with a loud splash, water landing everywhere. They resurfaced a few moments later, Andy spitting out the water he'd inhaled.
"Don't— Don't you think we're getting a bit too old for these games?'
Diana grinned, splashing him with water. The two erupted into laughter, embracing each other as they played together.
Amelia and Tristan remained as they were until the bright circle began to retire for the day and made way for the glowing night circle. They climbed out from the warm water of the spring, the moonlight allowing them to see their way home.
Tristan shook himself dry, giving his tail an extra shake to get all of the water off. Then, he turned to Amelia. "Will I see you tomorrow? Where we planned to meet?"
"Of course," said Amelia. "And next time, we'll be alone. I promise."
Tristan permit himself a smile. He didn't quite mind the others, but just once, he'd like some solitude with the one most important to him.
"Would you like me to walk home with you?" Amelia asked.
"No," responded Tristan. "I'm fine, thank you. You should go sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright. Well, I'll be going now."
"Get home safely."
"I will. Goodnight."
The next day, Tristan laid in a patch of tall grass as he waited for Amelia. Initially, he would make up excuses for her. Perhaps she was running late. However, as the day went on, he came to realize that this wasn't the case.
He and Amelia had been together for a little over a year, and he had the utmost faith in her. She didn't seem to him like the type to leave someone hanging. It just wasn't like her. A voice inside of him told him that something might have been wrong, that something was causing her to flake out on him, but Tristan didn't bother to listen to his conscience.
When he spotted her drinking from the lake later that sand day, Tristan was unable to control his anger. He approached her quickly, his strides heavy. His insecurity fueled the fire inside of him, making things even worse.
Amelia turned to face him, her eyes moist. "Tristan, I—"
"Where were you? Do you know how long I was waiting for you?"
"I...I'm sorry."
Something seemed off with her, and Tristan noticed. Still, his anger overrode his conscience again.
"I was really looking forward to spending time with you," he growled. "If you don't want to spend time me, just say so."
"Tristan, I did—"
"Then why didn't you show up?"
"Something came up."
"What came up?"
Amelia seemed utterly shattered, broken. Her eyes barely traced his movement, and she could hardly speak.
"Amelia, what came up?"
Amelia's mouth quivered, tears brimming her eyes. Whatever happened, the mere thought of it was bothering her.
"Amelia, what's the matter?"
Amelia looked away, a tear rolling off of her lashes as she closed her eyes, dampening her cheek. "It's...personal."
For some reason, this exacerbated his anger.
"Fine," he snapped. "If you don't want to tell me, don't. Clearly, we don't have the emotional connection I thought we had."
His words stung. But she was in such a bad way that she couldn't bring herself to do anything about it.
"Amelia!" Her father's voice called. "Come inside."
Amelia looked to her father, then at Tristan, who stood there, fuming.
"Just go," he spat, storming off.
Amelia watched him get further away, her eyes dejected and sad. Once he was gone, she walked towards her father.
"How is she? Is...Is she getting any better?"
Her father sighed sadly. "I'm afraid she's still the same, but we'll see how she is in the morning, Come on, it's time to sleep."
Diana and Andy had put off going home to spend more time with each other. At the current moment, they were at their spot — a shady tree on top of a grass covered rock which protruded from the edge of a cliff.
"Andy," she giggled, her teal eyes glowing as she smiled. "I need to go home."
"Why?" Andy pulled her closer to him, taking in the sweet scent of the trees and plants around them. "You live alone."
His words caused the smile to flee from her face. Even if she'd made the most wondrous friends and had a caring mate, she still felt deeply saddened by the fact that she had no living family.
Andy noticed the sudden change in her demeanor. It seemed that he only ever opened his mouth when it wasn't appropriate. He gently nudged her with his snout, closing his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Don't apologize," she said, standing up and gazing at the green land below them. "It is the truth." She mulled quietly for a minute before turning to him. "At least I have you, and our friends. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Andy offered her a kind smile and allowed her to lean against him. As his eyes wandered, they landed on Tristan, walking sullenly across the field.
"Di, look. It's Tristan."
Diana pulled away, peering over the edge. "He looks upset. I'm going to talk to him."
"I'm coming with you."
The two rainbow faces ran downhill towards their friend.
"Tristan!" Diana caught up to him easily, while Andy had to wait until they stopped to catch up.
"Tristan," he gasped. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he murmured, directing his gaze towards the night circle. "Except that I think my relationship with Amelia might be over."
"What?" Diana asked incredulously. "Why would it be over?"
"She flaked out on me earlier today. She stood me up. And when I talked to her about it, she just...I don't know. She seemed off."
Diana stared at him silence, waiting for the right moment. Then, she smacked him upside the head.
"Ow!" Tristan's hands flew to his head. "What was that for?"
"Idiot," she snarled. "Amelia never meant to stand you up."
"Then why did she?"
"Her mother is sick! Alice might be dying! She couldn't explain herself because she was in no condition to do so."
Tristan was stunned, his body seemingly frozen. "What?"
"Tell me, when you talked to her, what was your tone?"
"I was— oh no..."
"What?"
"I yelled at her..."
Diana was shocked at first, but her surprise quickly turned to annoyance. "See? You snapping at her made it worse. She's going through a tough time, you need to be there for her, not yell at her."
"Well, how would I know? She never told me! She couldn't even form a proper sentence!"
"I understand, and you need to tell her that. But you also need to tell her that you're sorry and that you love her."
Tristan looked at Diana strangely, as if she were out of her mind.
"What? You love her, don't you?"
"Well, yes—"
"Then, tell her. Tell her how you feel about her, don't wait for her to say it." Diana inhaled, and then exhaled. "She reassures you all the time...now, it's your turn."
Tristan paused, and then nodded. "She does...and I turned my back on her."
He regretted everything. If he'd only known, it would have saved him a whole lot of trouble. The worst case scenarios came to mind. He didn't want to lose her. Ever since the death of his parents, Amelia had been like a rock for him to lean on. She helped him feel more at ease, she never saw him as a burden. With her, all his fears seemed to dissipate. She was the best thing that ever happened to him, and that was in no way a romantic notion — it was solid fact.
Tristan briefly walked around in a circle a few times before returning to Diana. He looked lost, as if he'd suddenly forgotten which way was left or right. "I have to go..."
"Well, don't go now," spat Diana.
"Seriously," agreed Andy. "They're sleeping. Amelia's had a rough day, and you didn't help things one bit. Chances are she won't want to talk to you right now. Let her rest and talk to her when you see her tomorrow."
They had a point. If he went now, Tristan would most likely make matters worse and create more problems.
"You're right. I think I'll just talk to her when I see her tomorrow."
"Good," said Andy.
"Well...goodnight."
"Night, Tristan."
Tristan continuously watched the bright circle in the sky, waiting for the appropriate moment. He didn't want to go as soon as it rose, for he would seem far too desperate, even if he was.
At midday, he rushed to Amelia's home. He stood at the entrance, calling out to her.
"Amelia, it's me! I need to see you."
Arthur was inside, tending to his wife. He peered towards the entrance of the cave, and stepped out.
"Good morning, Tristan. Amelia's not here."
"Good morning, sir. Do you know where she is?"
"She couldn't be too far. Why? Do you want to talk to her?"
"Yes. I need to fix my mistake."
Arthur breathed a sigh, visibly one of relief. "I'm glad."
"You're not mad?"
"Of course not. Just disappointed in the both of you. But I'm glad that you still love my daughter."
"Of course I do."
Arthur kept a rather brief silence. "When Amelia told me what happened, I wasn't angry. I was just disappointed in how poorly you both handled it. Tristan...there's no one better for her than you. I've never seen her as happy as she is when she's with you."
"Really...?"
Arthur nodded. "Yes. You two are good for each other, I can see it. But you have to promise me one thing."
"Anything."
"...You won't let a petty argument ruin what you two have. Anger will get you nowhere, believe me. I just...I want to know that you'll take care of her, and she'll take care of you. All I want is for you two to be happy. So, you can't let anger cloud your judgement. Can you promise me that?"
Asking Tristan to not get angry was akin to asking a sharptooth to stay away from meat. But he understood that Arthur was not asking him to cease his anger, for even the calmest dinosaurs lost their temper eventually, and anger was a natural emotional reaction. Amelia's father was asking him to not let his anger blind him so much that he lost sight of what was important.
"I can try," he finally said.
"Thank you, son."
"Of course," Tristan said with a nod of his head. "Uh...how's Alice?"
Arthur looked back at his wife, a ghost of a smile lingering. "She's doing alright now, thankfully. We weren't sure if she'd make it, but she's stronger than we all thought."
A smile creeped onto Tristan's face. "Reminds me of someone I know."
Arthur knew who he was referring to, and offered a chuckle of his own.
"Well," Tristan said resignedly, "I'm going to go look for her."
"Good luck."
Tristan set off, and found her much quicker than he anticipated. She was sitting near some tall grass, casually munching on some leaves.
"Amelia?" Tristan maneuvered his way over the tall grass, approaching her.
Amelia startled, rising to her feet. "Tristan, I—"
Tristan stared at her a moment before breaking down completely. He didn't even let her finish her sentence. "I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry about what?"
"You know what. Amelia...why didn't you tell me?"
A flash of recognition appeared in her eyes. "I don't know. I wanted to, but I was so upset that I couldn't. And you seemed so angry, it made me afraid to even try to explain myself."
"Well, I'm sorry for getting so angry. I didn't mean to. I could see that something was bothering you, but...I panicked. I'm sorry."
Amelia sighed. "I just...I wish you would have had a little more faith in me before jumping to conclusions. You know I would never do that to you."
"I know," Tristan whispered. "Amelia, I...I love you. I'm in love with you."
"No, you're not," she said, her voice cracking. "You wouldn't have gotten so angry if you were. You're lying."
Tristan tilted his head. "You know I'm not," he said firmly. He brought his snout to hers, letting her tears fall onto his scales.
"...Listen to me. I jumped to conclusions, I made assumptions. I was wrong. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. Please, come back to me. Please."
Amelia could see the sincerity in his eyes, and hear the desperation in his voice. Still, she had a clear idea in her mind of what she wanted from him. She turned away from him, crystalline sea blue eyes gazing out towards the distant mountains.
"My confidence is just so much lower than it was," Amelia finally admitted.
"I really do love you, Amelia. I'm so sorry for being so insensitive. I...I was scared of losing you, and I reacted wrongly. I'm sorry."
Amelia smiled softly, closing her eyes and giving a contented sigh. "It's alright, Tristan. You are forgiven. And…I know you love me. I never doubted it, because I love you too. It's just...you need to think before you speak."
Tristan melted in her embrace, sighing softly. "I know. I'm sorry."
The two dinosaurs were completely oblivious of their surroundings, lost in each other.
Not having an inkling of what commenced between them, Michael nonchalantly approached the pair. "Hey Tristan, we're going back to the falls. You want to come?"
Tristan heard some of what he said, but for the most part, tuned him out and ignored him. To him, no one else existed other than Amelia.
Molly wrapped an arm around Michael's. "Let them be," she said calmly. "Let's go."
She and Michael left, leaving Amelia and Tristan to remain in their own blissful world.
"And the rest is history," Amelia finished off.
The juvenile rainbow faces were wide eyed, struck with astonishment. After a few seconds of quiet murmurs amongst each other, Molly appeared at the entrance of the cave.
She looked as if age hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days. She stood hunched over, dark circles under her eyes.
"Gabriel, Adam," she murmured quietly, "Time to come home."
The two male rainbow faces seemed uncertain at first, but Amelia urged them to go home.
"Boys, listen to what your mother says," she implored.
"Come on, Adam." Gabriel said, uncrossing his legs and walking towards his mother. He gave her cheek a gentle nuzzle, smiling sweetly before heading on towards home.
Molly waited patiently for Adam. Once she saw that he was scrambling quickly towards her, she turned tail, accompanying her son as the two strolled home, together.
Tristan came up beside Amelia, who watched her friend depart. She'd never seen Molly fall so low. Tristan glanced at his wife, a saddened frown on his face. Seeing how miserable Molly was without Michael only cemented his love for Amelia. He already knew that if Amelia were to pass on before him, he wouldn't make it. The grief and pain would be too much for his poor heart to bear.
Mackenzie felt a sharp pang in her chest. Ultimately, Molly was in the state that she was in now because of what Mackenzie did. Suddenly diminished by an onset of low self-worth, the rainbow face disappeared into another section of the cave.
Both Amelia and Tristan knew very well what prompted Mackenzie's sudden retreat. They decided not to push the issue, and simply allowed their daughter to sort out her feelings herself.
Miriam began to follow her sister, but Amelia put a hand out in front of her. Miriam looked up at her mother, who silently shook her head.
"Leave your sister alone," she commanded gently. "She needs some time by herself."
"But what's going on?"
"...She will tell you when the time is right."