It was about as solemn as they had all felt since the asteroid first hit. They were all now leaving the Great Valley; the one slice of heaven in the great swath of hell that was the land of the dinosaurs, which according to the Didelphodon, had now fallen in favor of their own mammalian kind. They had, of course, ventured out into the land that they called Mysterious Beyond many times in the past, and they and their folks all once had to leave in search of food when the valley fell victim to a locust plague. Now, however, it seemed all but certain that this would be the last that they would ever see of their old home.

Underneath the skies, blackened by dust, ash and glass, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Snips and Tana all crossed through the pass and out of the valley. What with the total destruction that the land within the Great Valley had suffered, the land outside of the valley was now totally indistinguishable from the land inside of it. Even so, they continued on their way out into the barren wilderness, with the hopes of making it to another place in which green food and water had still survived.

As they went on their way, Snips and Tana, reflecting on the peaceful, happy times that even insignificant creatures as themselves had spent in the Great Valley, once again broke into a song to commemorate their old home;

There is a land out there somewhere

They call the Great Valley

And it's been the savior of many a poor boy

And Lord I know that's me

These words had a particularly moving effect on Littlefoot; indeed, that land had been his savior as well, and of his friends, too. So much so that he, too, was led to sing along;

My mom I lost to Sharptooth

While she was nurturing me

My father roamed while I went alone

To that Great Valley

Now the only things a farwalker needs

Are a vision and a place

And the only time we'll be satisfied

Is when we've found that place

They all allowed themselves to be absorbed by those words - how ever so true they were. Then Cera even managed to break in and sing a bit;

O Mother, tell your children

To go on the path that led me

They'd be led to a life of prosperity

In the land called the Great Valley

Ducky and Petrie even took a verse together;

But now it's just a wasteland

Our paradise is lost

We're going from that Great Valley

To survive no matter the cost

Then finally, they all sang;

O there is a land out there somewhere

They call the Great Valley

And it's been the savior of many a poor boy

And Lord I know that's me

"And they say that's a song fit only for the animals!" chortled Snips as he earned a little nuzzle from Tana while the kids all laughed with him.

"But seriously," chipped in Littlefoot. "I'm gonna miss that place."

"Aren't we all," agreed Cera as they all nodded.

...

Much later, they found themselves meandering through the rock formations that had dotted the area around the Great Valley - a surefire sign that they had left it far behind by now. Aside from that, there was nothing different - the Bright Circle did not shine, and there were no signs of life to be found anywhere.

"Oh, I hope we find food someday," Ducky moaned. "I do, I do."

"Well, the Great Valley wasn't the only place with food and water," assured Littlefoot before he heaved a sad sigh. "Then again, who knows if any of those places have survived."

"At least we managed to fill up, first," noted Cera. "Then again, Spike is a bottomless pit; his stomach can't be satisfied."

"Spike-tails are known to be greedy eaters," agreed Tana as Spike blushed red.

"Me be darned if that not be the truth!" Petrie affirmed.

"Well there sure as hell isn't anything out here," said Snips. "It's no wonder we all busted our asses to get to that valley in the first place. But we musn't lose hope; that, I know, it what will keep us from tearing each other apart. After all, the old saying does go, 'If we hold on together, I know our dream will never die.'"

"Hmm, well said, sweetie," commended Tana as the kids all cracked smiles over his words.

But then, just as the moment was sealed, a menacing shriek rang out from the distance behind them. Startled out of their wits, especially since they thought no other living thing was anywhere near them, they turned and saw a ferocious creature approaching them rapidly; a creature unlike any they'd ever seen before.

It was a Sharpbeak - something the kids had all seen before. However, this was nothing like the Ichthyornis that they had fought against that one time. This Sharpbeak was incapable of flight, yet it stood a grand 2.5 meters tall, sporting long legs and running at them at speeds approached only by the fast biters, or raptors. It would eventually come to be known as a terror bird, and it was chasing the gang down with the goal of making a kill.

"RUN FOR IT!" bellowed Snips as they all broke into a run. They went as absolutely fast as their legs would carry them, yet the terror bird ran them down as if they were all standing still. This would, however, not be of a hindrance to any of our prehistoric pals... that is, except Spike; he was the last in line, so the terror bird homed in on him...

"SPIKE! NO!" Ducky cried out. But it was too late. The terror bird's beak struck Spike like a lightning bolt, stopping him dead in his tracks as a ghastly wail escaped from his lungs. Again and again, the lancer that was the bird's beak hit Spike, breaking his bones like white bread and ripping his flesh like scraps of paper and spilling his blood on the ground all around him, his screams becoming louder, and then becoming more and more faint until they faded out entirely and he breathed his last - he was now just a lifeless husk, and a quick and easy meal for the terror bird as it dug in, quickly ripping off large chunks of the succulent green flesh and the plump fat underneath.

Meanwhile, the kids and the Didelphodon hid behind a nearby pile of rocks, watching everything. This, now, had officially taken the cake for the most awful, catastrophic thing any of them had ever seen; none of them, however, felt it harder than Ducky did. To her, Spike was her brother; her family had adopted him as one of their own, and despite the vast differences between their respective species, they'd all lived together harmoniously. Now, after eluding and defeating carnivorous creatures of all sorts many, many times over, things had finally caught up with them, and Spike, the most big-hearted friend they could possibly ask for, was now just scraps on a terror bird's dinner plate.

As the monstrous avian fiend lopped up the last few scraps of what was left of Spike, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky and Petrie began to cry, the sobs tearing through their bodies, crushing like the 3,000 pounds per square inch inflicted by the bite of a T. Rex. As for Snips and Tana, they had never felt as helpless as they did this time; their hearts were tugged at so greatly that they cuddled up to each other, trying to find comfort in each other's closeness. But that proved to be a failure, as they too were brought to tears over the devastating loss that had just occurred...