Chapter 4: Forbidden Love
Ruby and Littlefoot looked down and saw that Ruby was standing on top of one of Petrie's wings. "Oh! Sorry Petrie!" Ruby gasped apologetically as she stepped back.
"Petrie OK," Petrie replied, flapping his wing as he continued to lie down. Littlefoot could tell that Petrie still looked very nervous.
"Petrie, what's wrong? Why are you lying on the ground?" Littlefoot asked.
"Nothing wrong," Petrie explained. "Petrie just feel like lying…"
But he was interrupted with the sound of a cheerful gasp that came from nearby. Looking forward, Littlefoot, Ruby, and Petrie saw that Cera, Ducky, and Spike were laughing in a shallow stream a little ways away from them. They were playing a game where Cera and Ducky were volleying a large pinecone to each other as Spike made comical attempts to stop it from crossing.
"Ducky, here's the cone!" Cera laughed, hitting the pinecone over Spike's head.
Ducky turned a little to catch the cone, and then she noticed Littlefoot and Ruby. She waved, "Hi guys! Wanna play spiketail in the middle! It is fun, yep yep yep!"
Petrie instantly cowered on the ground. He began to shiver and frantically shook his head, looking at Littlefoot and Ruby desperately. "Not now, Ducky," Ruby told her gently. "Littlefoot and I are kind of tired and we need to rest."
"Oh, okay then!" Ducky cheerfully told them.
"Come on Ducky, throw the cone!" Cera told her excitedly.
"Just a minute!" Ducky promised. Then Ducky looked back at Littlefoot and Ruby and she smiled, "Come join us if you want! If you see Petrie, say hi for me!" And with that, Ducky giggled as she threw the cone back to Cera.
Littlefoot and Ruby looked down at Petrie, and noticed that while he was still shivering, he was also resting his face on his wing, sighing dreamily as he looked at the stream. When he noticed that Littlefoot and Ruby were watching him, his face instantly turned scarlet.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong, Petrie?" Littlefoot asked Petrie. "You seem to be really jumpy with Ducky…"
Petrie answered at first, "No…nothing's wrong…" But then, Petrie abruptly nodded. "You right…it's Ducky! Me… me…" Then Petrie blushed fiercely, burying his head in his wings.
Littlefoot and Ruby then bent down so Petrie could speak softly to them. "What about Ducky, Petrie?" Ruby asked.
Petrie gulped, and then he spat out very quickly, "Me…me love her! Go on, laugh!"
Littlefoot and Ruby looked at each other uneasily. It was unheard of for members of different species to fall in love with each other. Everyone knew that interspecies relationships were forbidden, as they went against all social norms and expectations and violated traditions that had been followed for generations. "We're not laughing, Petrie," Ruby told him consolingly.
"So is this why you've been so nervous lately?" Littlefoot asked gently.
Petrie nodded sadly. "She…she a good friend. But she more than a friend to me. With Ducky, me feel something different. Every time she look at me, or calls my name, me feel… well, dizzy. Me realize… that me love her… and for long time. Petrie… just want to be happy with her. But…"
Petrie gasped and cried out, grabbing onto Littlefoot's leg desperately, "Me can't look at her without feeling all funny inside!"
"Well Petrie, if you feel that way about Ducky, why don't you just talk to her?" Littlefoot gently suggested.
"Petrie can't!" Petrie shouted into Littlefoot's leg. "Petrie too afraid! Ducky would think me being silly. And… we not same species! Mom would never accept it!"
"Calm down, Petrie," Littlefoot told him gently, and then Littlefoot smiled gently at Petrie. "Well, even if your mom doesn't accept it, I don't mind it and you'll always be my friend no matter what."
Petrie looked at Littlefoot hopefully, and said, "You really don't mind?"
"No, not at all," Littlefoot told him. "I want you to be happy, and I hope everything will work out so you will be."
Petrie smiled weakly, before saying, "Just one thing, guys. Promise to keep this a secret?"
Littlefoot and Ruby nodded. "Of course we will, we will of course, Petrie," Ruby told Petrie gently, petting him on the wing.
"It's your choice to let Ducky know of your feelings or not," Littlefoot nodded. "Don't be too nervous, Petrie. Things will turn out okay."
"Thanks, well, me go fly home," Petrie told Littlefoot and Ruby, and he soared into the sky and flew off.
"I better go check on Chomper," Ruby told Littlefoot, and she ran back to the cave. This left Littlefoot alone. Cera, Spike, and Ducky had since left the stream, so Littlefoot decided to go see his grandparents and see what they'd think of all that was going on.
By the time Littlefoot made it back to the main part of the Great Valley, it was dinnertime. Everyone was eating with their families, and Littlefoot knew that Grandma and Grandpa Longneck must be eating with the other longnecks, so he decided to walk over to them.
Littlefoot walked behind the other longnecks to look for his grandparents. But before he could get very far, Ali noticed him. "Hi Littlefoot!" she told him cheerfully. "The tree stars here are delicious. Come and have some!"
Littlefoot nodded appreciatively, and he decided to wait a little bit to see Grandma and Grandpa Longneck to eat and talk with Ali. The two of them spent some time reminiscing about the times that they spent together as they ate, and they shared stories of many of their separate experiences. As they finished eating, Littlefoot remembered that he wanted to talk to his grandparents. He looked to see where his grandparents were, but through all of the longnecks, he couldn't find them anywhere. He then asked Ali, "Hey Ali, have you seen my grandparents? I've got to ask them about something."
Ali gave Littlefoot a small smile. "Yeah, they're lying down over there by the edge," Ali nodded.
"Thanks," Littlefoot told her appreciatively.
"Let's talk again later tonight," Ali suggested to Littlefoot.
"OK," Littlefoot nodded happily.
But just as Littlefoot was about to walk on, he heard two voices call out, "Oh! Hi, cutie neck!" Littlefoot looked up, and saw that Cam and Mia were running towards him. They both were carrying treestars in their mouths, and were smiling flirtatiously at him, trying to get his attention.
"Here comes trouble," Ali whispered as Cam and Mia moved forward, and Littlefoot chuckled nervously.
"You can share this tree star with me!" Cam shouted excitedly as she walked up to Littlefoot and revealed a part of a treestar that she was chewing the other half of. "It would be so…romantic!"
"Cam, you're embarrassing him!" Mia told Littlefoot, but then she showed him an unchewed half of a treestar dangling from her own mouth. "Here, share my tree star!"
Ali replied, "Girls, give Littlefoot a break! He wants to talk to his grandparents right now..."
"But surely he wants dinner with us!" Cam interrupted.
"Uh…thanks for the offer, it's really nice of you, but I've already had dinner. And Ali's right, I've got to talk to my grandparents now," Littlefoot told Mia and Cam politely, avoiding their persistent, excited stares. He then got his chance to turn away from Mia and Cam and walked toward his grandparents. His grandparents were eating relaxedly, lying down and savoring the fresh taste of the evening treestars while taking an occasional drink from the stream. Littlefoot then bent down to his grandparents and asked, "Grandma, Grandpa, can we have a talk?"
"Sure, once we're done eating," Grandpa Longneck answered calmly.
"Why don't you talk to Ali while we finish eating? She'll be delighted to talk," Grandma Longneck suggested.
"No, let me talk with him!" Cam, who was nosing in on the conversation, said excitedly. "I'll tell you all about me! My full name is Camara, but everyone calls me Cam for short. I've been alone for…"
"Now, now, Cam, you're talking too much," Mia told Cam, who instantly waddled back. "It's my turn to talk."
"Mia, Cam, can't you see Littlefoot doesn't feel like talking right now?" Ali asked.
"He always wants to talk with me!" Cam passionately insisted.
"It's nice to talk to you," Littlefoot told them politely, concealing his exasperation. "Maybe we can talk later sometime. But I really would like to talk to my grandparents right now."
He then whispered to Grandma Longneck and Grandpa Longneck, "Can we please talk? Cam and Mia are getting to be… well, a bit on my nerves."
Grandpa Longneck chuckled. "Sure thing, Littlefoot."
And with that, Grandma Longneck, Grandpa Longneck, and Littlefoot stood up and left the watering hole to take a stroll through the Great Valley. Littlefoot sighed happily. He liked the way the evening breeze felt on his neck, the breathtaking views of the Great Valley, and the beautiful setting of the bright circle, but he especially liked to finally have the chance to talk to his grandma and grandpa alone. "Well Littlefoot, what do you want to talk about?" Grandma Longneck asked.
Littlefoot thought about his day's experiences, and he decided to start with Chomper's situation first. "Well...how long can someone go without eating?" Littlefoot asked nervously.
"That's a very curious question," Grandpa Longneck told Littlefoot.
"You aren't thinking about that yourself, are you Littlefoot?" Grandma Longneck asked him concernedly. "Because you're still young, and it's very important for someone of your age to eat. You need to eat to be healthy."
"I know, and don't worry Grandma, I'm eating just fine," Littlefoot told her. "I'm just…curious."
"That's good," Grandma Longneck told Littlefoot. "I can't stress how important it is for you to eat well. Eating is very important for your health."
"Yes," Littlefoot said patiently. "But…how long can one go without eating?" he asked persistently.
"Not that long," Grandma Longneck answered slowly. "I think it might depend on species. We longnecks need a lot of food to survive, but we also have high fat storage, so…maybe we would last a month or two without food...it would all depend on how much we ate beforehand. Why are you asking?"
"Oh, nothing, just curious," Littlefoot fibbed. Then he cleared his throat, and thought of his encounter with Petrie earlier. Then he asked, "What would you think of someone falling in love with…someone who's not in their own species?"
Grandma Longneck began, "Well…if you're talking about different lines of longnecks…I suppose that would be okay."
"Remember Sue? She did that herself," Grandpa Longneck added.
"No I mean, more different than that," Littlefoot explained. "Like say…a longneck with a flyer or something."
Grandma and Grandpa Longneck looked at each other, completely taken aback. "Why are you asking?" Grandpa Longneck asked. "I hope you're not talking about yourself…because Mr. Threehorn and Ms. Swimmer would never approve, and surely they'd want their daughters to marry someone within their own kind."
"No, it's not me," Littlefoot told Grandpa Longneck. "I've just…heard a funny story," Littlefoot explained quickly, avoiding their eyes. "So? What would you think?"
"Well," Grandma Longneck pondered, "Such an act… well, wouldn't be natural… it wouldn't be the right thing to do. It goes against our way of living, that everyone should find love within their own kind. Friendships between species are fine, but to be lovers…that crosses the line."
Littlefoot nodded slowly, and his heart sank. If even his grandparents were opposed to the idea, he knew that the possibility that Petrie could happily be with Ducky looked very grim.
Then Grandpa Longneck and Grandma Longneck looked at each other and chuckled. Perplexedly, Littlefoot asked, "Grandma, Grandpa… why are you laughing?"
"Oh Littlefoot, this is part of why we love having you as our grandson. You always ask such interesting questions," Grandpa Longneck answered as Grandma Longneck nodded. Then he yawned loudly. "I'm getting tired... I need to get a good night's rest. Good night, Littlefoot."
And with that, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck instantly lay down and snored loudly. Littlefoot, getting the message, walked away, but he felt disappointed, for the answers he got were not the ones that he had hoped for.