Part VI: Confrontation:
"And the sharptooth swiped at me with his vicious claws, missing by so little I could hear the air hissing as it passed my face," recounted Glide dramatically, "Undeterred, I hit him again and again until he was spent, and we were both dragged beneath the waves."
"Wwwwowwww," said the children collectively in wonder.
"What happened next… did you escape!?!" pushed Landar eagerly, hanging on Glides every word.
"No I didn't… I died a horrible, gasping death," replied Glide sarcastically.
Xavier stood onto his feet slowly and prodded into the conversation.
"This is a really great story and all… but weren't you supposed to be telling us about when you met Ruby and the others at the bottom of the cave?"
Aura the swimmer, Kala the spiketail, Nincea the flyer, and even Wayne the threehorn all murmured in agreement.
"Hah, but that's so boring!" butted in Landar the fourwing, "I wanna hear about the fights and the chases and… and..."
The rest of the children were fairly divided, since there was no denying that when it came to the really dramatic events in the tale Glide certainly did a good job. Where Sky told his tales much like a creator reveals his best work a single piece at a time, Glide tended to skip the parts he didn't like and went straight to the blood and the fighting. This was all swell at first but as it carried on the older Littlefoot began to get annoyed. So much graphic imagery was being implanted in the children that it wasn't healthy, and as a loving and concerned parent he didn't want to see the story re-enacted outside the Glowing Cracks story time.
"My son is right Glide, perhaps you should continue along as Sky would have intended; all this violence isn't right for such young children," Littlefoot asserted.
"I'm not asking you to stay longnecks," snubbed Glide, "if you don't like what I have to say then you can go swallow dirt for all I care."
Xavier ground his teeth in anger. A slight tap on the side from his father told him that Littlefoot was going to handle this.
"Tell me Glide, all these glorious battles and bloody fights you speak of would you tell them the same to your aunt and uncle, to your sister, or perhaps to your youngest next of kin?" the large longneck questioned calmly.
To his credit, the black wingtail actually thought about it.
"Of course I would," Glide spat, "the world is a cruel and merciless place that devours the unwary like you hatchlings. I await the day when you all finally know what it feels like to lose the ones who cared for you. You'll get to suffer just like me!"
He was ranting now, and it was getting on Littlefoot's nerves. The longneck had thought maybe the wingtail had changed as he grew older, but if Glide had then it was so minute than Littlefoot wouldn't notice it if he stepped on it.
"Alright," replied Littlefoot with a smile, "then I suppose it is time for you to, shall we say… scram."
Glide's eyes widened at the mention of Bron's method of getting rid of him so long ago.
"You wouldn't dare," he challenged.
Littlefoot, who was still smiling, rose to his feet and swung back his tail in preparation to strike. In an instant Glide took to the air and the longneck's tail wacked the bushes just behind where he had just been, missing on purpose. The black wingtail circled above the glowing cracks, and hissed at them.
"Some things never change," laughed Littlefoot as Sky's unkind brother-in-law disappeared over the tops of the trees.
"You show him dad," said Xavier proudly.
"But what about the story?" asked Wayne, "it was just getting good, and we're not tired yet."
"Yeah," emphasized Nincea, who looked up eagerly to Littlefoot.
The Landar just rolled his eyes, pouting about the indignation inflicted upon his new role model.
"Well it is quite late," answered Littlefoot as he noticed the great circle had almost completely disappeared beyond the horizon, "what will your mothers say if I keep you any longer tonight?"
"Please!" they all begged, except for Landar of course.
"Oh alright… I guess I could continue from here," sighed the longneck in submission.
The children let out a cheer of joy, albight a silent one lest their parents would hear it.
"I remember after our first day in Verdant Valley by the large smoking mountain, finding out from Petrie that Sky was abandoning us…"
Littlefoot had wandered through the Verdant Valley for most of the morning, observing and enjoying their newest resting place. It didn't take long however before he was displeasured at how crowded the place was… even the children he might have played with seemed hostile to 'outsiders' so he spend the day on his own. As fate would have it, eventually Littlefoot would meet up with Ali on the banks of the main river, bored and disillusioned as well.
"Hey Ali, this place is great isn't it?" Littlefoot lied, trying to be positive.
"No," lamented Ali as she hung her head slightly, "everyone's so mean around here – even to other longnecks like us."
Seeing that Ali was on the level, he simply decided to concede the truth.
"Yeah, it is kind of stuffy here," replied Littlefoot, "it's like they've never seen any farwalkers before; just like you were when we first met."
The longneck bit his tongue as he realized what he let slip. Recently he had become really close to Ali, but one bad remark and it all could end.
"I know what it's like to have friends of all types now Littlefoot," responded Ali with dignity, "I wish everyone else would feel the same though."
Ali had grown up quite a bit, and Littlefoot was impressed. So far she had come from her naïve beliefs of longneck supremacy when they first met that the young female longneck was actually just like a resident of the Great Valley. It lingered on the edges of his mind, but Littlefoot knew when they finally came home he wanted her to stay. Remembering the talk he once had with his late father, the longneck was sure that she was the one and that the feeling he felt know was not wrong or a growing pain, but the start of a lifelong relationship that went far beyond the friendship they now shared. It was so strange, and yet it felt so right. Littlefoot was sure he was beginning to understand love, but there was so much after the initial admission that he was also intimidated. Step one was to admit how he truly felt, so he might as well get it over with.
"Ali," choked Littlefoot as she sapped up water from the fast flowing stream.
"What is it?" asked Ali curiously.
"I think I love you."
He couldn't believe he had just said that. Immediately as the words escaped his mouth he regretted saying it and wanted to take it back, but it was too late.
"Wha…what do you mean Littlefoot?" asked Ali, a bit confused.
Littlefoot almost bit his tongue, but it had to come out.
"We have had so much fun together, I mean we've been on so many adventures and done so many things. Before now I wasn't sure, but now I think I am. Ali, I love you and I was wondering if…you know… you want to stay in the valley with us when we finally get home."
Ali thought about it for a long time, so long that Littlefoot had actually begun to sweat a bit and occupied himself by sipping water from the river. After a while she smiled and replied,
"Hmm, I think I will."
"Really?" asked Littlefoot in amazement.
"I've walked a long way Littlefoot," she answered, "but it's always more fun when I do it with you."
And on that note she turned and licked the side of his face. It was so scerene and beautiful Littlefoot felt like he might faint.
"Well I…" he started.
"Littlefoot, LITTLEFOOT!" Hollered Petrie at the top of his lungs as he swooped in and landed on the rocks.
"Petrie…what is it?" inquired Littlefoot with alarm as he momentarily forgot his pleasing exchange with Ali.
It took Petrie a few seconds to catch his breath, but when he did he did not hesitate to yell his news to the world.
"Sky, he abandon us… he fly away!" lamented Petrie as he sat on the brink of crying again, "he talk to other flier and turn all mean!"
"What!?!" peeped Littlefoot and Ali together, more in surprise then in anger.
"What do you mean he's abandoning us, that doesn't sound like Sky to me," stated Ali with a bit of disbelief. Apparently she didn't trust Littlefoot's friends as much as he did.
"Come on Ali, Petrie is telling the truth! We have to find Sky to clear this up," Affirmed Littlefoot.
Bounding along, the young male longneck followed Petrie without hesitation leaving Ali behind. He may be in love, but his first duty was as a leader and he had to make sure that Sky was indeed doing as Petrie proclaimed. It was a quality that later Ali would come to admire, even if it sometimes came at her own expense. In a show if initiative and perhaps loyalty the female longneck went the opposite way, intent on warning Spike and Ducky of what had transpired. As it would turn out, her action would save their lives.
Chomper's peaceful sleep was interrupted by a shrill scream. It was so piercing that the sharptooth was shuttered awake and back into the world of the living by it's volume. Somewhere, in the dark of the caves, Ruby was in trouble.
"Ruby," he shouted almost instinctively, "are you okay?"
He was just awake enough to dodge the vicious swooping of a wing, followed by an aggressive hiss. Either Glide had turned on them, or there was another more villainous wingtail in their midst.
"Out of the way hatchling," sneered Barrau, "this is not your business."
In the half light of the background the two wingtail brothers had restrained Ruby, and with a hand over her mouth were preventing her cries from escaping. Barrau turned briefly to ensure their extraction was going to plan, before smiling with satisfaction and turning back to Chomper.
"Go back to sleep if you know what's good for- Ouff!"
The brown wingtail was so concentrated on Chomper's iron gaze he totally missed Cera, who had silently charged into his side.
"That's for kidnapping me you bird brains!" exclaimed Cera after pushing Barrau off his feet.
The flyer coiled and snapped back with his double pointed tail, slapping Cera in the face before pouncing on her in a display of dexterity.
"I don't think so," added Chomper as he hopped into the air and managed to snap into the wingtail's forearm.
Barrau screeched with indignity and thrashed about vigorously using his size to his advantage against an unknown number of opponents. He was sure that Glide would have finished them all off by now, but sometimes you can't have everything you want.
Thylo watched as Chomper and Cera relentlessly attacked the foreign wingtail, while two more in the background picked up a struggling Ruby from the ground. She had seen it happen before of course, and since the one taken was always returned there was no reason to be alarmed. Instead, she watched the fight with childish delight revelling in every strike and slash and charge, taking it all in with wonder. Gentry, on the other paw, had seen this before too and pretended to be asleep as to not notice. He had been taken up once or twice, and it wasn't that big of a deal.
"Had enough, sharptooth?" taunted Barrau as he tossed Chomper aside just in time to block another one of Cera's charges. With a strenuous effort he threw her to the ground, overpowering her relatively small body into submission. Exhausted, she could only sit and watch as Barrau stood alone and triumphant. The only one who could oppose him now was Glide, who was standing watching the proceedings with a completely neutral look on his face. His treestar tail flicked from side to side and his arms were crossed, but other then that he did not seem to be making any moves to join the battle. Barrau smirked at him.
"What's the matter Glide, too afraid to stand up for your friends? Oh I'm sorry… I forgot you don't have any," he taunted, "I'm sure my master is enjoying himself with your sister right now… shall I send him your best wishes?"
Nothing, not even a growl escaped the black wingtail. He simply stood, motionless, and looked through Barrau as if he wasn't even there.
"Have you nothing to say son of Allisan, or have you simply given up to the inevitable?" Barrau added with venom.
Again, nothing.
"Very well, if that's all you've got than we will be going now… Happy ventures hatchlings."
Spitefully, Barrau followed the twins as they carried Ruby out through the gap in the rocks, passing over the deathly waves as they crashed on the jagged shore. Chomper and Cera brooded over the futility of their attempts to enact vengeance on their kidnappers.
"Oooo, I wish I was just a bit bigger so I could have crushed that fish breath to a pulp," fumed Cera as she kicked the dirt.
Chomper took the defeated disheartedly.
"I can't believe she's gone…again, and I am too little to do anything," the sharptooth lamented.
"Don't get too wrapped up in this mate," insisted Gentry carefully as he rose from his false slumber, "she'll be back. They always bring 'em back when they're done."
Having nothing else to draw hope from, Cera and Chomper calmed down and accepted the reality of their situation.
"Oh well… we'll get those wing-heads or whatever their called when they bring Ruby back!" proclaimed Cera.
"Yeah I guess," replied Chomper without enthusiasm.
…
Before long everyone was back to bed, and the whole incident had passed. The young dinosaurs were fast asleep, and some were even dreaming (Gentry was taking nonsense in his sleep about eggs). All that is except for Chomper, who couldn't get over Ruby's sudden removal. Something about it tweaked his senses, and he knew something was wrong that he needed to fix. His friend needed him, and he had to be there for her like she was for him.
"What are you doing?" asked Glide insensitively as Chomper stood on the edge of the rocks, glancing down at the waves crashing on the shore below.
"I'm going to rescue Ruby," stated Chomper with absolute certainty, "And I don't care what I have to do to find her."
"So your plan is to drown in the depths?" added Glide as he crossed his arms.
"Better that then have her get taken away by evil flyers who will hurt her for their own selves," replied Chomper.
"Hmm," snubbed Glide, "why would a young sharptooth like you be so loyal to a treacherous backslashing runner like her?"
Chomper growled in defiance.
"Because she is my friend!"
"Tell me the truth," insisted Glide coldly, "even children don't risk their lives to help others like this… why are you really doing this?"
"Because… because…," stuttered Chomper, "Because she is like my sister and my only family!"
Glide leaned back a bit, signifying his surprise.
"Your…sister?"
"Yeah… we may not come from the same nest but since my parents left Ruby is the only family I have left. She takes care of me when I'm cold and afraid, and she understands when I do sharptooth things while nobody else does. To me, she is family…"
The revelation was a shock to Glide. This little sharptooth was just like him… no parents, and only a sister to call family. The black wingtail was actually beginning to admire the little hatchling.
"So I'm going to find her, whether you or Cera or anyone wants me to or not," insisted Chomper, and he prepared to jump into the abyss.
"Of course you are," continued Glide, "but you won't be going that way I'm afraid."
"What?" responded Chomper in bewilderment.
"You will be riding on my back," answered the black wingtail, and he bent over to make space for the little sharptooth, "and we will get back what these villains have stolen from us."
It was unexpected, and sincerely appreciated.
"Thanks," said Chomper as he climbed up the black feathers to the crest of Glide's neck.
"Don't thank me yet landwalker… we still have a job to do and you're going to help me do it."
And so the unlikely team took off from the cliffside, diving into the air pursuing the justice and vengeance they had been denied by fate.