Category: Land before Time
Rating: T
Couples: none
Warnings: Blood, Character Death (Same level as first Movie)
Chapter: 5
Copyright: © characters and places by United Pictures; © Plot and OC by me
Author's note: I couldn't find a LBT-'term' for thunder, but because it seemed unlikely to me that if they don't have lightning, they do have thunder I named it 'Sky Rumbling'. The Lyrics came from the Wikia.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The young sharptooth was deeply asleep, unlike her parents. Her mother was looking out into the falling Sky Water, keeping watch to ensure Red Claw could not come upon them unawares. Her father had finally come round and now was tending the wounded female laying deeper in the cave. Sky Fire illuminated the world for a brief moment, immediately followed by the loud clap of Sky Rumbling.
The female started at what she had seen for a brief moment. A lone tree had thrown a long shadow, but it had not fit the form of the thing itself. Somehow, it had looked like a longneck, looking directly at the cave.
The next Sky Fire did the same. She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better visual. Yes, definitely a Longneck-shadow. But there were no Longnecks around to throw it and the tree simply did not match the form at all. She hissed in surprise when Sky Fire struck the tree, setting it ablaze despite the downpour. Thankfully that tree was the only one, so there was no danger.
Blood-red eyes widened when the flames threw long shadows… in the form of a longneck. Something was seriously off here. She backed away from the cave-opening, never once taking her eyes of the dark form on the opposite mountain-wall.
As the fire finally was quenched by the falling Sky Water the shadow faded and when the next bolt of Sky Fire crossed the sky, the tree threw a normal shadow again.
"Tyra." The voice of her husband came from deeper in the cave. "I did all I could."
She looked one last time at the tree, before joining him. He was an accomplished healer, and the wounded dinosaur looked somewhat better now that he had tended to her.
Tyra looked her over. "Then we wait, until she either lives or dies."
"There is not much else we can do anyway, is there?" Her mate said. "How about you get some rest and I'll keep watch?"
"Good idea." She made herself comfortable next to their sleeping daughter. "Rek?"
"Yes?" He turned back to her.
"Healer's opinion. Will she make it?" She gestured to the massive body next to her.
"She is old. The blood-loss was severe." Rek answered slowly. "Were she younger she might, but if the signs are any indication she is too old to recover from the wounds those Fast Biters dealt her."
His mate sighed sadly at the notion. "Poor little one."
"He already believes her dead. There was a flyer over the spot, remember? She probably saw us carry her off." Rek lovingly nuzzled her. "Try to sleep, my dear."
"I will." Tyra whispered, watching as he took up watch at the cave-entrance.
She did not sleep much. Instead she watched the slow rise and fall on the massive chest next to her. She had no idea why she had even insisted they should try to save the older female. After all, by all accounts they should have feasted that day. She shifted her head, studying the unmoving face. She recalled her first meeting with the other female. She had been searching for her son in the very valley they were now only a short journey away from, together with her husband. But before finding their son – who had been hatched by some little ones, which ironically were the very same young ones she and Rek tried to eat – they had had a run-in with several grown-ups, including two old longnecks. Chomper had later told them those longnecks were the grandparents of the longneck who had hatched him. Perhaps that was why she had insisted they try to save the old longneck: she could relate to her. They both would go to great lengths to save their little ones. Sadly, it seemed that the lengths the flattooth had gone to were greater than she could survive.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The 'poor little one' had been found not long after the talk between his grandfather and Mr. Threehorn. Now Grandpa Longneck and Littlefoot were curled up at their resting-grounds, the older longneck using his body to shield the young one from the worst brunt of the elements. They had been talking the entire time now, mostly about their feelings.
The tirade of the threehorn had finally woken up Littlefoot's grandfather and he had silently sworn that he would use his energy to support Littlefoot, who was far too young to have to deal with this, rather than allow himself to succumb to his grief.
"I never heard you sing…" The whisper barely reached his ears over the sounds of the storm above them.
"What do you mean?" Grandpa brought his face closer to the small one of his grandson.
"You never sang." Littlefoot looked up. "Can you sing that lullaby to me?"
The older male blinked a few times in surprise, before slowly nodding. "You might find I don't have a good singing voice though."
The circle of life
Is simple yet profound
A quite straight forward line
That goes around and round and round
It starts at the beginning
And it will never end
And that to me
Must surely be
Life's secret, my friend
For the circle of life
Continues every day
None of us can stop it
From going on its' way
With each new generation
One more circle is complete
On and on and on
It goes repeating
Repeating
Repeating
Repeating
It nurtures the young
Until they're fully grown
And soon life's magic circle
Brings them children of their own
The family of nature
Each husband and wife
Enhances the circle
The ever-widening circle
The wonderful circle of life
Littlefoot smiled weakly. His grandfather's voice was much deeper than his grandmother's had been, but the song still sounded wonderful with it.