Hello, everyone! It's been a few days since my last update, and it might have been a lot longer, but I decided I wanted to get this chapter over with. It's another flashback chapter, but it focuses on a character I've never really focused on before. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy reading!

It took a herculean effort for the rainbow face to hook his claws around the upper lip of the cliff and heave himself over. As he climbed up, he unconsciously shook some rocks loose with his foot. Behind him, there was a loud and pained screech.

He looked back, and saw that the rocks had tumbled downwards, ramming right into the fast biter closest to his tail. The beast lost his footing, falling and dragging his comrades along with him.

The rainbow face did not look back again. He climbed onto the flat surface, collapsing into a tired heap under the drifting clouds and the light of the bright circle. He felt that he could not go on any longer. Where was he going, exactly? What was he trying to accomplish by exerting himself and forgoing his own needs?

The small rock fragments at the base of the cliff tumbled slowly downwards as a slender green tail with vertical cerulean stripes suddenly burst through the larger rocks which had fallen during an avalanche not too many days and nights ago. The tail pushed off several other rocks from the mountain's mighty face before the owner of the tail was able to emerge.

"Hello?" His sage green eyes gleamed with anticipation, waiting for a response. Little did he know, right now, he was speaking to a barren wasteland. He climbed out from the wreckage, slowly making his way down to the bottom.

The land that was once home to a diverse and large herd of rainbow faces had now been abandoned in search of a safer place with more to offer. The rainbow face had sacrificed himself for his family, and yet, he still felt dismayed to find that they were no longer here.

"I hope Molly and the boys are alright," he mused aloud as he searched for any signs of life. The lone rainbow face was none other than Michael. He'd survived the avalanche, being more fortunate than the fast biters he was trying to avert from his wife and children. But no matter how long he searched, he found no trace of his previous life. Everyone was gone.

As Michael sampled a sniff of the soil, he heard a low growl that he recognized. It was familiar to him. He felt a soft gasp escape him while looking up and seeing a fast biter sniffing the air. He'd gotten lucky before, but he knew there would not always be another time. He quickly fled the scene, not caring where he went, wanting to simply get as far away as possible.

Michael soon found himself in the open grasslands where the large leaf eaters roamed. These dinosaurs were free of the worry of being eaten by sharpteeth, for at their colossal size, there wasn't a single dinosaur who could pose a threat.

The male rainbow face lingered near a lone spiketail who was taking her sweet time drinking from the nearby stream. In order to look more natural, he decided to sip from the same stream as well.

The female spiketail lifted her head, glaring at Michael rather disdainfully. She let out a grunt, and briskly walked away. Michael watched her leave, and very quickly found out that dinosaurs of the mysterious beyond preferred to keep to themselves, with little regard for others.

He looked across the stream, where he saw a herd of longnecks with long, whiplike tails moving at their own pace, their long and cumbersome bodies slowly moving along with their legs. To the right, another longneck, who had a neck so long, it could reach the leaves that many other longnecks could not.

Michael felt extremely out of place. This place was too exposed for his liking, even more so than his old home. He took a few more sips of water, and then left.

Truth be told, Michael didn't really know where he wanted to go. The Great Valley was a possibility, but he hadn't a clue how to get there or if it was even real. His plan was to keep walking until he hit something. What that something was, he didn't know. He wasn't even sure if he'd make it out of the desert alive.

He wandered for many days and many nights without water or food. The desert was long and winding, seeming as if it had no end and simply continued on forever. But Michael was determined; he wasn't about to give up on his family. They needed him. Molly needed him.

He battled the scorching hot earth, the dust and the wind in his face, and the enormous sand dunes. There were days that he felt he just couldn't go on any longer, that he would just keel over and die. But every time, he would see Molly's betrayed and saddened face, and it would encourage him to endure it another day.

As he trudged on aimlessly, he caught wind of something other than the smell of sand and his own body odor. He allowed his nose to lead the way, and soon found himself before a clutch of eggs hidden in a nest under the sand. Michael's diet usually consisted of green food and buzzers, but there was none of that anywhere near him. Driven by hunger, he used his long claws to dig out a large and round speckled egg. He covered up any trace of his handiwork, and ran off. As soon as he was a good distance away from the nest, Michael made short work of the egg.

As he stared at the underdeveloped hatchling, covered in slime and other material, he felt a pang of guilt. This was someone's baby, someone's flesh and blood. And he'd raised their nest and stolen their child from them. But he wouldn't lie — he was glad that he was no longer starving. In such a harsh world, he had to do what he had to in order to survive.

The cracked desert earth felt rough and hot underneath Michael's feet. He moved quickly, never keeping still for very long. He had never been more thirsty. His mouth was dry, as were the scales covering his body.

Still, he continued on. He had to get out of the desert. If he dared to get sidetracked in search of nourishment, he would be walking around in circles for days until he eventually died.

Somewhere along the way, he came across a limp body lying on the earth. Initially, Michael resolved to ignore it. However, that plan was quickly scrapped when he began approaching the body, taking in it's scent.

It wasn't dead. This creature, a small dinosaur with a sail on it's back, had just collapsed a little while ago. Michael gave the nod a gentle nudge, when it suddenly shifted.

The creature opened it's eyes, staring directly at Michael. It let out a squeak, revealing it's rows of sharp teeth.

"Woah!" Michael fell back in surprise. "Y-You're a sharptooth..." He backed away further, slowing beginning to walk away, when the creature squeaked again.

"Sharptooth," she repeated.

Michael turned, and came loping back. This wasn't a vicious predator — but a mere child. He paced around nervously, torn between two choices. He could leave, and forget that this encounter had ever happened. Or, he could help the little sharptooth.

Michael, for some unfathomable reason, chose the latter. "...What is your name?"

"Name?"

"Yes, what do your parents call you?"

"Eva," croaked the sharptooth. "What is your name?"

"Michael. Do you need help, Eva?"

Eva shook her head and hopped onto her feet. "I was, uh..."

"Sleeping?"

"Yeah! I was sleeping."

"Well...what are you doing out here then? Are you lost?"

"Lost?"

Clearly, she did not speak leaf eater language very fluently. "Do you not know where you are?"

Realization flashed in Eva's eyes. She was beginning to catch on. "Oh! No, I do not. I am trying to find my mom."

"Are you sure your mom didn't ditch you?"

"She didn't ditch me! Whatever that means...where is your family?"

Michael looked away. "I'm trying to find them."

"Maybe we can find them together!"

"Uh..."

"Let's go!"

Eva leaped forward, and suddenly came to a halt. She lifted her snout, sniffing the dry desert air.

"Get down," she whispered.

"What?"

"Just get down."

Bewildered, Michael crept down behind a crumbling log. Eva walked past him, scanning the horizon. A duo of fast biters came up the hill, baring their teeth.

They growled softly, and Eva ran up in front of them, producing a series of squeaks.

One of the biters gave a questioning growl, to which Eva squeaked and shook her head.

The fast biter turned to her mate, offering a gentle snort. The male biter gave a reaffirming grunt of his own. In agreement, the pair walked off, disappearing into the distance.

Once they were gone and out of sight, Eva hopped down next to Michael.

"They're gone. Come on, let's go."

"Um...maybe, I should just go by myself."

"No! You said you wanted to come with me!"

"Look kid, I need to find my family."

"So do I! And my name is not 'kid'. It's Eva. Say it with me — Aae-vah."

"No wonder your mother ditched you, Aae-vah."

Eva pouted, furrowing her brows as she watched Michael walk away. After a brief second, she ran in front of him, blocking his path.

"I know how to speak sharptooth. I can make sure you don't get eaten! Unless...you don't want to see your family again."

The sharptooth had a brash and threatening air about her, and Michael didn't like it. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Fine," he said begrudgingly, "I'll help you get home. But as soon as I do, it's goodbye. Got it?"

"Got it!"

And so, the pair walked on into the desert, the sun beating down on their backs. Annoyed, Michael dragged his legs along, forcing himself to move forward. Eva trailed close behind him, jumping to avoid the cracks in the rough desert earth.

"Hey, you know—"

"Okay, here's the deal," Michael interrupted, "We are journeying together, but there will be no talking, okay?"

"Okay! Then, I'll sing!"

Michael's eyes widened in abject horror and he shook his head. "No, no, no, no."

Eva began to hum, carrying an upbeat little tune, the humming steadily turning to painfully off-key vocalizing.

Michael stopped, scowling at the girl. "Will you stop it?" But Eva did not stop, and Michael grew increasingly annoyed. "Shh! Eva, stop singing!"

He picked her up by the flap of her neck, stuffing her tiny body inside a hollow log, where her muffled voice could still be heard. She peeked her head out from an opening in the log, belting out her final note.

Michael scoffed, turning the other way as he walked ahead. Eva ran to catch up with him, and noticed his seemingly permanent scowl. She mimicked the expression, furrowing her brows and clenching her jaw.

Michael raised a brow in indignation when he noticed her plainly mocking him. He shook his head, rolling his eyes. Eva mimicked this as well.

He trotted ahead, only to fall face first in the sand. He lifted his head, spitting the sand out from his mouth. Then, he looked up. Before him lay miles and miles of sandy dunes. The breeze nipped at his skin, causing bits of sand to become wedged between his toes.

"Woah," exclaimed Eva, awestruck. "That's a lot of sand."

When he stood up, Michael had turned stoic and serious. He turned to Eva. "Stay close," he warned. "You don't want to get lost in a dust storm."

He and Eva continued their trek, their footprints and any trace of their presence covered by clouds of dust washing over the dunes. They dragged on through the desert, struggling to maneuver their way through the sand.

By midday, Eva began to trail behind. She was only a child, and not used to walking such long distances. Michael knew he could have continued without her, but for reasons unknown, he did not. He stopped in his tracks, turning his head and waiting for her to catch up.

It was now nightfall. The dust storms were ever-present and strong. Eva slid down one of the dunes, landing in a pile of sand. "I'm so tired," she whimpered.

"I know," crooned Michael, reminded of when his own sons complained about their fatigue. "But we have to stay ahead of the dust clouds. Come on."

Once they had crossed the sandy dunes, they came across more rock. These rock formations were slanted and difficult to walk on. The hot earth singed their feet, putting Eva in a great deal of pain. Alas, Michael was helpless to do anything to aid her. They carefully slid from rock to rock, determined to get through.

While sliding across, Eva lost her footing. She slid down at an alarmingly fast pace, as if she were sliding across the slippery ice which covered the coldlands.

"Eva, be careful!" Michael watched as she flew freely, without control, into the air. He leaped up, caught her by the flap of her neck, and carried her the rest of the way.

By the time the bright circle had already risen and fallen, they'd entered a pathway lined with jagged rocks and the remains of hollow trees, with a sandy floor which consumed much of the earth.

It was then that, with the bright circle beating down on their aching backs, they came to an unspoken consensus that neither of them could bear to go on any longer. Michael fell to the sand with a thud, Eva falling beside him moments after. He remained wordlessly in the sand for a good minute before slowly opening his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Eva," he rasped, "I've failed the both of us."

"It's okay," Eva answered meekly, "It's not your fault..."

"I just," he closed his eyes, "I just wanted to see Molly again..."

"Who is Molly?"

"She's my mate. My partner. I told her I'd never give up on her..."

"Then why are you?"

"I'm too tired...I can't go any further."

"That shouldn't stop you. I know my dad would move the mountains to get to my mom."

"Some things you just can't do."

"But you can try, can't you?"

The little sharptooth spoke the truth — Michael could try. He could try to get to his family. Even if he didn't succeed, he would at least pass on with the knowledge that he truly did try.

"Very well. I won't give up, then. But I'm not leaving you to die here. Do you think you can get up?"

"I think so," Eva managed, slowly mustering the strength to rise again. Michael helped her to her feet, and soon, the two dinosaurs were back on the path towards home.

It seemed impossible, but they were able to make it out of the desert. When Michael felt the cool grass underneath his feet rather than sand, he cried out in joy. "Oh! OH!" He knelt down, kissing the ground he walked on. "I never thought I'd be so happy to see grass again."

"I'm surprised that we're still alive," remarked Eva, smiling in wry amusement.

"Oh, don't talk like that. You're still a kid. Now, come on. Let's go see if we can find some fish."

And with that, they disappeared into the forest filled with trees. Michael's eyes drifted up towards the sunlight seeping in through the tall trees covered in millions and millions of tiny dark green leaves, and then, looked down at Eva.

"My dad would hate this place. He already hates kicking down trees where we live."

"Do you live in a forest?"

"Yes—" she stopped to sniff the air, "But it's not this one. Doesn't smell like it."

Michael opened his mouth, and then closed it when he seemed to pick up an unfamiliar sound. "Wait— you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

The two dinosaurs listened. Apart from the sounds of tiny forest creatures crying out and running across the forest floor scattered with leaves, they could hear something else — the sound of another creature, breathing.

"Oh," Eva exclaimed, "I hear it now."

"It sounds like it's coming from the tall grass over there. Come on, let's go have a look."

They walked forward, and peeked their heads through the long and slender blades of grass.

Aurora laid in a bed of feathers and leaves made in a hole in the fertile soil, not even a foot deep. On her thigh were three gashes. Red and fresh, she seemed to have sustained them only recently. She lifted her head, and began to lick her wounds. Suddenly, her eyes met Michael's, and she startled.

There were more collective footsteps, and Bruno came into view. He sat on his toes, crouching down before licking the scales on Aurora's cheek. He was still as muscular as ever, numerous scars covering his body.

"How's your leg?" He inquired, speaking in a soft voice.

"It still hurts," Aurora replied somewhat timidly, dipping her head. "Especially when I move it."

"Don't fret. The others will be back with some food and water soon."

Aurora smiled sweetly at Bruno, shifting her gaze back towards the tall grass. Michael was no longer there.

A small group of rainbow faces came loping over. Within them, were four hatchlings holding bundles of leaves in their hands. Behind them, Harri and another rainbow face were carrying a leaf full of water.

Michael went behind the shelter of a tree trunk, motioning for Eva to follow him. He peeked over the corner, eyeing the rainbow face whom he did not recognize.

She was small, with much of the strength in her powerful legs, but her figure was a bit plump. Her almond shaped eyes, the same hue as the sky when the bright circle was barely rising into the sky, were kind and motherly, as if she understood everyone she came across. She had the same scars as Aurora did, but all over her light green body.

"Good work, Calla," Harri said to her, setting the leaf down beside Aurora. "Not a drop spilled. I must say, I sure am glad you came along." He then licked her cheek, and gently pressed his snout to hers.

"Well," began Calla, purring softly before sitting down, "It was your idea. You needn't give me all of the credit."

Bruno grabbed a fistful of leaves, dropping them into the water. "Here you are," he said to Aurora, "These should help with the pain."

Aurora looked at the leaves, scrunching up her nose. "I'm not sure if I want to eat these..."

"Don't talk rot. You have to eat them. Unless, you'd like to be in pain."

"That's fine with me."

Bruno scoffed. "As if you had a choice. Come now, eat up. Don't make me baby you. I can, you know."

There was a loud thud, and the ground trembled briefly. Bruno looked up, sniffing around for a potential threat. He looked back at his group, and then back towards the copse of trees. "Stay here," he warned before disappearing through the tall grass.

Michael had taken a step back, and tripped over the sail on Eva's back, causing the noise. He took a moment to scowl at the sharptooth, until he looked up to find Bruno's shadow looming over him.

Bruno prepared to attack, and then did a double take. "Michael?" He took a step back, falling backwards into the grass.

Calla lowered her head to examine him, making sure he was alright. "What is it, Bruno? What's out there?"

"I-It's Michael!

Aurora gasped suddenly. "I knew it! I knew I saw him!" She raised her neck, projecting her voice, "Michael! Come on in!"

Michael stood up, and looked back at Eva, then at the tall grass. He walked through the grass, coming out on the other side, along with his companion.

"If you knew," muttered Bruno, "Why didn't you say something?"

"I wanted to make sure I wasn't going mad," explained Aurora. "Anyway...how did you get all the way over here, Michael? We all took you for dead!"

"I caused a rock slide so that my family could get away...I wasn't under there for too long, but when I got out, Molly was already gone. I've been trying to find her, though. I told her to go to the Great Valley."

"Andy said he was going there, too," added Harri.

"But, Michael," said Aurora, "Even if you do find the Great Valley, how are you going to approach Molly? I mean...I'm sure she's in a very bad way. You can't exactly walk up to her and say hello after being gone for so long."

"I'm sure she'd understand," replied Michael.

"You fool," griped Bruno, "She probably thinks you're dead. She's probably grieving the loss of you right now, and you expect everything to be alright?"

"Listen, I risked my life for my family. I stayed behind so they could get away. I would think that would be worthy of praise instead of criticism."

Calla stood up to scratch her side before sitting back down. "So, did you do it for praise or for your family? Because if you did it for your family, the opinions of others shouldn't matter to you, so long as your family is safe."

"This argument is pointless," growled Bruno, "Leave it be. Let Michael sort this out on his own." His eyes traveled downwards, where he saw Eva hiding behind Michael's leg. He narrowed his eyes, pulling her by the tail. "Who's this?"

"Hey!" Eva squealed, struggling and fighting, "Let me go!"

"Bruno, leave her," Aurora demanded.

Bruno paid little heed to his wife. He continued to examine the tiny dinosaur, and could feel his blood boil when he took notice of the hundreds of sharp teeth lining the inside of her mouth. "A sharptooth?" He questioned, "You befriended a sharptooth?"

"Bruno!" Aurora rose to her feet, only to gasp in pain and fall back onto the ground.

Bruno momentarily forgot about the sharptooth, helping Aurora gently back down to the nest. "Be careful, will you?"

"She's only a child," Aurora argued defensively, "And besides, we go by the will of the creators. We need to have respect for all life. Even for those who can kill us."

"That doesn't matter. Sharpteeth are savage brutes! Anything new is a danger to us."

"I believe, Bruno," began Harri, "You said something along those lines when Calla dropped in on us."

"And I'm a rainbow face," Calla added smugly.

Bruno scowled at the others, averting his gaze. "Humph."

By nightfall, they were all lying around in a circle, concealed by the shelter of the trees. Bruno sat beside Aurora, licking the gashes on her thigh before rubbing powder made from some mashed up plant onto a leaf, gently placing several of them on each gash. Aurora grazed on the leaves dipped in water, their bitter taste numbing the pain of her wounds.

Meanwhile, her litter of hatchlings ran across the forest floor, fighting playfully with each other.

"Be careful, children," she warned, "You don't want to go too far if a sharptooth decides it wants to eat you."

Michael raised a brow, resting his chin on his knuckles. "You sure have a knack for being brutally honest, don't you, Aurora?"

"It gets them to listen to us," reasoned Bruno, "Which makes our lives much easier."

"Right, right. How did Aurora get those nasty marks on her thigh?"

Aurora looked towards the site of her injury. "Oh, I was looking for food. I eventually found this really nice place with lots of green food and a winding stream filled with fish. Only problem was that it had already been claimed by a group of flyers who don't quite like to share."

"Mm." Michael didn't require any further explanation. "I see."

"She was very quick and agile," Bruno said in addition, "Had she been any slower, she would have been a goner."

"She's very lucky," commented Michael before looking over towards Calla, "What about you, Calla? How'd you find your way here?"

"My story isn't too different from Aurora's, actually," Calla stated, sitting upright, "That place where the flyers live now, it used to be home to a herd of rainbow faces — the one that my family is from. However, the flyers settled there and drove us out, causing us to disperse. Anyway, some time back, I decided I would pop in for a decent meal, and sneak out before I was caught." She closed her eyes and breathed a sigh, the pain of the gashes ravaging her body suddenly seeming so much more fresh, "They chased me out, leaving me for dead. Harri found me, and he saved me."

"How do you all sleep at night, knowing that there's sharpteeth around? And much less, in a forest, where it's hard to see?"

"We use our fear to make ourselves stronger. We're more alert, and we take much less for granted — least of all each other."

"That's right," Aurora agreed, "And another rainbow face, who lives nearby— I think her name was Val— she's the leader of a large herd, and offers us protection whenever we need it, but allows us to lead our own separate lives."

"So...you wouldn't come to the Great Valley with me?"

"I'm afraid not, Michael. We are quite content here, but thank you for thinking of us."

Michael nodded his head. "Well...Eva and I will just be staying here until we're both strong enough to resume our journey."

Bruno raised an amused brow. "Are you planning on taking a sharptooth to the Great Valley?"

"No. I'm just taking her back home to her parents, and then I'll be on my way."

"You're an odd bunch. I'll give you that."

"I think it's sweet," remarked Aurora.

"Aurora," sighed Bruno, "You think everything is sweet."

"Not everything."

"Mhmm...right then. We should all be going to sleep. Hop to it."

"You haven't changed a bit, Bruno," Michael teased.

"Shut your trap."

Michael and Eva remained with Aurora and the others, eating their fill. When the time came that their bones were stronger and they were no longer starving, they continued forward.

"Take the left path," Aurora warned as they left, "The right path will lead you to the forest of shadows. Unless you have a death wish, take the left path!"

The duo paid careful heed to Aurora's words, and took the left path. A little while of walking, and they were led directly to another forest. Eva stopped, and sniffed the air once again.

"It's this one! This is the one! I can smell it!"

"Well, we'd best go in then."

"Just be careful. You might run into my parents."

They disappeared into the trees, covered by most of their tall shadows, for a good number of them had toppled over. Drops of moisture fell from their leaves, and onto the ground below. Michael looked towards Eva. "What do your parents look like again?"

Eva didn't need to answer, for a gigantic plum colored sharptooth placed her foot forward. Her dirt covered claws dug into the soil, leaving a footprint large enough to lay eggs in. With the sail on her back, she was colossal. Her pupils barely visible as narrow slits, her blazing green eyes bore into Michael's, and she did not bother to conceal the hundreds upon hundreds of sharp, serrated teeth lining her gums.

"Oh," Michael said flatly, "I see."

The sharptooth lowered her head, her large nostrils picking up Michael's scent. She sniffed him all over, desperate to find the source of the scent that she recognized so well. When she couldn't find it, she raised her foot, preparing to bring it down upon the rainbow face's tiny form.

Eva came out running in the nick of time, squeaking at the larger dinosaur. "That's my mama," she told Michael.

The larger sharptooth's pupils widened as she recognized her daughter's excited squeals. There was a gleam in her eyes, and for an instant, she no longer seemed like a mindless predator, but a parent who had worried themselves sick. Her tail pointed upwards the instant that she and her daughter touched snouts.

Eva climbed onto her mother's head. Her mother lifted her head upwards and produced a piercing roar which shook some of the leaves from the trees. Another sharptooth, a darker purple one, came into view, kicking down several trees as he made his way over.

His blue eyes were menacing, with an intent to kill. However, he too, seemed to simmer down at the sight of the baby sharptooth. He nuzzled her with his snout, and then nuzzled the other sharptooth, purring softly. His lips even seemed to curve into a crooked smile.

It was then that Michael put all the pieces together. They were a family. These were Eva's parents, and they likely had not seen their daughter for some time. It made Michael feel more confident about approaching his own family.

Just as he turned to leave, Eva ran down her mother's lowered tail to catch up with Michael. She hugged his leg, since she could not reach anything above that. "Thank you, Michael. I finally found my family again. I hope you find yours."

"Thank you, Eva. I'm glad I could help you." He touched his snout to hers and smiled, albeit briefly.

"Oh, and my parents said that if you ever want to come back, they'll refrain from eating you."

"That's very kind of them. Who knows, maybe one day, we'll meet again."

"You really think so?"

"The world's a large place. It's bound to happen." He touched her snout one more time, "Goodbye, Eva." He then turned tail and departed from the forest, continuing his journey to the Great Valley as a solitary dinosaur, once again.

Michael was in a very bad way. Tired, hungry, and defeated, he felt he would never see his family again. Molly would be forced to raise the boys without him. Gabriel and Adam would have to grow up without their father.

He didn't know where he was, nor did he have the strength to find out. Perhaps, he thought, it was his time. The creators were calling him to come home. But then, if that were the case, he would have seen the dark rainbow face, with a body made of black mist, coming to take him.

As if the creators above were listening to his plight, the bright circle's light broke through the clouds. It's radiant light shone on a land, just behind a wall of rock. Michael stood up to get a better look. Illuminated by the bright circle, like a beacon of hope, was a land of green and plenty. Trees grew everywhere, and more then enough rivers and streams flowed across the grassy floor. It was indeed a paradise, a paradise that Michael believed only existed in his wildest dreams, and it wasn't too far.

Adrenaline coursed through his body, and Michael suddenly regained his strength. He made his way down the cliff, and resumed his journey, the journey he knew now would not be in vain.