Chapter 9- The Secret Ally

Littlefoot hung his head as he followed his grandparents away from the edge of the Great Valley and from the place where he last saw his friends. The three of them passed through the forest that Littlefoot and his friends had helped Chomper go through just a few hours ago, and then they walked through the abandoned Great Valley. Littlefoot tried to get his grandparents' attention, smiling weakly up at them. However, both of his grandparents didn't look back at him, and Littlefoot noticed that they both looked very solemn and serious. The three of them stopped at an empty clearing by a stream. Littlefoot sat down, lifted his head and scanned the area, hoping to catch a glance of Cera, Ducky, Petrie or Spike. But to his disappointment, he couldn't see any of them. Littlefoot realized then that the grownups must have really meant it when they sentenced him and his friends to complete isolation.

"Littlefoot," Grandpa Longneck told him gently. "We need to talk."

Littlefoot sighed as he gave Grandma and Grandpa Longneck a tearful look.

"We know that you meant well," Grandpa Longneck told Littlefoot gently, as Grandma Longneck gently caressed his neck with hers, "And that you only wanted to help a friend… but by helping that sharptooth…"

"He is not that sharptooth! His name is Chomper! He's my friend!" Littlefoot burst out, glaring at his grandparents.

"You've got to understand Littlefoot, that a sharptooth is first and foremost a sharptooth," Grandma Longneck replied firmly. "We're sorry Littlefoot… he might have been all right as a child. But now that he's growing up, he has become every bit as cold and heartless as any other sharptooth."

"He has not!" Littlefoot cried out, tears rolling down his distressed face. "None of you grownups get it, do you? For his whole life, Chomper has been misunderstood by everyone who meets him! He's always dealt with fear and mistrust from others but through all this time he's proven that he's not like other sharpteeth! Just because others of his kind eat us doesn't mean…"

"Littlefoot, we don't want any more incidents like that of your mother, do we?" Grandpa Longneck asked seriously.

"Your mother died saving you from a sharptooth," Grandma Longneck reminded him. "It would be a poor way to repay her sacrifice by helping a murderous sharptooth escape from justice."

"He's not a murderer!" Littlefoot yelled out. "It must have been another sharptooth who attacked Mia! We saw footprints leaving the Great Valley while Chomper was still in the cave!"

"But we do not know that," Grandpa Longneck sighed. "Mia claims that your friend bit her, and since she was the one who was attacked, we have to take her for her word."

Littlefoot sat silently, and tears came running down his cheek. "I…I can't stand this anymore," he cried, and at once, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck bent down, each of them licking one of his cheeks.

"There there Littlefoot, you didn't mean to cause any harm," Grandma Longneck sighed.

"But all of you grownups do," Littlefoot replied angrily. Littlefoot's grandparents looked uneasily at each other, neither of them choosing to respond.

"Psst…" came a voice from nearby. Littlefoot and his grandparents looked up, and they saw that Ali was walking over to them.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Longneck," Ali told them courteously. "I hope I'm not bothering you. It's just…this situation must be really hard for Littlefoot… can I take a walk with him?"

Grandma and Grandpa Longneck looked at each other, each feeling the same conflicting emotions. On one hand, they didn't want Littlefoot to leave their sight, and were afraid that Littlefoot would try to see his friends if Ali gave him the chance. But on the other hand, they hoped that being with Ali would make Littlefoot feel better, and they wanted the two of them to spend some time together. "Oh, all right then. But don't keep him out too long," Grandma Longneck answered gently as Grandpa Longneck nodded in agreement.

Littlefoot got up and walked over to Ali, who happily rubbed her head against his, and she smiled brightly as she shut her eyes. Littlefoot turned, and he noticed that Grandma and Grandpa Longneck were beaming at them.

"Come on Littlefoot, let's have a talk," Ali told him gently, and the two longnecks began to walk off. Littlefoot nodded appreciatively, eager for the chance to talk with a close friend and also for the chance to catch a glimpse of Cera, Ducky, Petrie, or Spike.

"Littlefoot, I'm really sorry about all of this…" Ali told Littlefoot kindly.

Littlefoot nodded sadly. "No one believes us…and everyone believes Mia…even my grandparents," Littlefoot sighed as he looked back at them. To his surprise, Grandma and Grandpa Longneck were still watching him, and to his even greater surprise, they were still smiling broadly at him. Littlefoot felt a bit uncomfortable, for he was not sure if he had ever seen them smiling quite in that way before. "Why are they smiling at me like that?" Littlefoot asked Ali.

"I think…it's because you're with me," Ali told Littlefoot gently. "You see, they want us to be a couple. I overheard my mother and your grandparents talking about it. Your grandparents seem to really like the idea, but my mother doesn't feel fully comfortable with me marrying you." Then she paused, looked deep into his eyes and asked, "What would you think? Of being my husband?"

"Oh, uh…I don't know…" Littlefoot replied, taken aback. "I haven't really thought about it much. I mean, I really like you Ali, but... I'm not entirely sure yet..."

Ali nodded. "I'm not really sure either, Littlefoot…you're really special to me, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to marry anyone yet. Regardless of how I feel, you should take your time before making a decision. I don't want you to rush into a decision that would affect you for the rest of your life. And don't worry yourself about it too much. No matter if you love me or you don't, you'll always be a great friend."

"Thanks Ali," Littlefoot told Ali. "You'll always be a great friend of mine too. And I also feel that way about Chomper."

Ali sighed and shook her head. "You really like that sharptooth, don't you?" she asked Littlefoot concernedly.

"Yes, I do… and please call him Chomper," Littlefoot told Ali.

Ali rolled her eyes, sighed softly with exasperation and asked, "Littlefoot, do you know what he is?"

"I know…but he's still my friend, and I miss him and my other friends badly," Littlefoot told Ali sadly.

"Littlefoot, I want to believe you on this…but I can't!" Ali exclaimed, her eyes wide. "I mean, he's a sharptooth! Do you know why Rhett is not with us anymore?"

"Why?" Littlefoot asked, though he thought he already knew the answer.

"He was killed by a ravaging giant sharptooth…a sharptooth that looked very much like your so-called friend," Ali told Littlefoot passionately.

Littlefoot frowned sadly, "But Ali, Chomper is different!"

"Sharpteeth are sharpteeth!" Ali said indignantly. Then she sighed and exasperately asked, "Littlefoot, don't you understand? His kind naturally eats leaf eaters like us! And Mia claims he bit her. I can't imagine that she would lie, she's been in our herd for a while now and she's always been trustworthy. And besides, why would she say he bit her if he didn't?"

"I don't know why Mia made this up," Littlefoot answered. "But I trust my friends completely, and I trust Chomper just as much as I trust my other friends. And Ali… you were hesitant about being friends with Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike when you first met them, remember?"

"Well, that's true, but… they're all leaf-eaters… and he's still a sharptooth!" Ali told Littlefoot nervously. "A sharptooth, Littlefoot! Sharpteeth have attacked and killed members of our herd all the time, and we've never seen a sharptooth that wasn't a bloodthirsty, ravenous monster! And I can't see why your supposed friend would be any different!"

"Maybe he is a sharptooth," Littlefoot admitted. "But don't you remember him from when you met him before? He may look different now, but he still has that same gentle heart inside. He's not like any other sharptooth I met. He's so worried about accidentally attacking us that he's been starving himself in order to make sure that wouldn't happen. He's willing to give his whole life up for us to be able to survive. Ali, I've known Chomper for his whole life, and I've seen him being suspected over and over again but through all this time, he's always remained on our side. So, please Ali, trust me on this!"

Ali looked at the ground, deep in thought. She sat and remained silent for a long time, thinking deeply about all of her experiences with sharpteeth…remembering the cries of terror from her herd every time a sharptooth attack happened, the moments of mourning that regularly accompanied them, and the grief she felt when she saw Rhett lying lifelessly on the ground. But she also saw how passionately Littlefoot trusted Chomper, and then she remembered the time when she met Chomper herself, and how surprisingly friendly he was for a sharptooth. But just when she was putting all of her thoughts together, she remembered Chomper's voice from long, long ago, crying, 'Please…don't hurt me.' At last, she looked up at Littlefoot and whispered, "I…I'm not completely sure about this, but… I trust you Littlefoot."

"Thanks Ali," Littlefoot told her gratefully, his heart rising a little. He then asked Ali, "Ali, I'm sorry to ask, but... could you please help me out with something?"

Ali smiled and replied, "Sure Littlefoot…what is it?"

Littlefoot sighed and asked, "Well… can you tell Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike that… we need to leave the Great Valley?"