Chapter 10: Planning and Plotting
Ali shook her head with Littlefoot's suggestion, hardly daring to believe his words. After a few seconds, she finally gasped, "Littlefoot, are you crazy? After I convinced everyone to let you stay here…you're just going to throw yourselves out there? This is dangerous!"
"But we have to," Littlefoot told Ali passionately. "We really need to help Chomper out... but we can't do anything without your help. I can't tell my other friends about the plan…and you're the only one who can. So…could you please help us out?"
"I don't know, Littlefoot…" Ali told him sadly, looking unconvincedly at him. "Littlefoot, you and your friends would be putting your lives at stake out there…and all for a sharptooth!"
"Ali, I told you, Chomper is one of our friends too. I'm sure that he's completely innocent, and that he'll always be our friend no matter what! If we don't help him, he might not be able to make it! Please Ali...please help us out!" Littlefoot cried desperately.
Ali stared at Littlefoot seriously for a while, and then, with great hesitation, she nodded. Sighing, she reluctantly said, "Okay Littlefoot…I just hope you're doing the right thing." And silently, she left Littlefoot alone on the hill, and prepared to walk off to search for the others.
"Thanks Ali," Littlefoot told her appreciatively. "Could you tell everyone to meet tonight at the place where we saw Chomper escape as soon as their families fall asleep?" Littlefoot said quietly as Ali nodded.
Ali kept walking down a straight path, but occasionally, she walked off to the side to pause. She felt guilty about going against the will of everyone in her herd, and she still questioned to herself whether she was doing the right thing by helping to save the sharptooth. Rhett's last screams and words kept haunting her with each step she took. On the other hand, she trusted Littlefoot's word that he was a good sharptooth and kept on hearing the sharptooth's desperate, innocent voice in her head, so reluctantly, she plowed on.
Ali walked into the surrounding woods, knowing that she would be less conspicuous there than if she were out in the open. She pretended to be peacefully absorbed in eating treestars, but while she did eat, her real intent was to find Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike. After looking for a while, Ali heard some distressed noises nearby. Sticking her head above the treetops, Ali noticed that she was standing nearby a tall rocky shelter, complete with some branches on it, where she saw a lot of young flyers talking restlessly to each other. "It's Petrie's nest!" Ali gasped. Through the crowd of flyers, she quickly saw Petrie, who was dejectedly sitting on the edge of their rock. His mother was standing by him, trying to comfort him.
"Me miss friends," Petrie told his mother. "Me miss them whole bunches!"
"Look Petrie, I'm sorry this has to happen, but you have to be careful with the company that you keep," Mama Flyer explained, hugging Petrie gently. "That sharptooth is a danger to the valley…"
"Chomper not trouble!" Petrie cried out. "He a good, nice sharptooth. And you should not ground Petrie from friends! Petrie want to be with them!"
And crying in frustration, Petrie flew deep into his stony cave. Mama Flyer sighed sadly and said to herself, "Aww Petrie…I'm sorry…" She then shook her head, shut her eyes, and sighed deeply, not seeming to notice Ali at all.
Ali then circled back through the woods until she got behind the rock shelter. Then she walked toward the rocky shelter's back wall, where she found a hole near the bottom of it. Putting her ear next to the hole, she heard some sobs nearby and realized that Petrie must be close by. "Psst…Petrie, is that you?" she whispered.
"Ali?" Petrie whispered back, hardly daring to believe his ears. "Thank goodness me can talk to you!"
"Listen," Ali whispered. "Littlefoot wants you to meet up with him at the place where you saw the sharptooth escape. Cera, Ducky, and Spike will be coming too. The plan is for you guys to leave the Great Valley tonight to help rescue the sharptooth and for you to escape together."
"Really?" Petrie asked hopefully.
"Yes," Ali whispered. "You should go there as soon as your mother and siblings fall asleep."
"OK, me will! Thanks Ali," Petrie whispered cheerily. "You good friend."
Ali smiled, walked back into the forest, and continued to look for Cera, Ducky, and Spike. Time passed with no success, but after a while she arrived at a small pond, where a similar scene awaited her eyes. Ducky was sitting on the grassy edge of the pond, sticking her feet into the water and staring down at it gloomily. Mama Swimmer was standing by her, and saying, "Ducky, please… calm down. I know it's hard, but it's for the best. Just stay here and try to relax. We'll get Spike back soon and you'll be able to see your friends again once we take care of that sharptooth."
"But…Chomper is my friend too Mama, he is! You cannot kill him, no no no!" Ducky shouted in anguish.
"There there Ducky, calm down," Mama Swimmer told Ducky, bending down and hugging her gently. Ducky soon began to cry, and Ducky's mother gave Ducky a leaf to cry into. Seeing that there was no way for her to get close to Ducky without her mother noticing, Ali let out a loud, high-pitched call. It worked, as Mama Swimmer instantly looked into the forest in concern.
"Oh dear…your brothers and sisters might be up to real trouble this time! Ducky, stay here, I've just got to make sure that everyone's okay. I'll be back soon, I promise," Mama Swimmer told her kindly.
"Yep yep yep," Ducky replied in a very dispirited way, not even taking her eyes off her reflection.
Hurriedly, Mama Swimmer hurried through the woods, looking for her other children, while Ali watched Mama Swimmer as she went further and further away. Then, when Mama Swimmer disappeared, Ali walked out of the forest and approached Ducky, who continued to sit in the same place, occasionally giving the water a sad, small kick.
"Oh I miss them all, I do… I miss Littlefoot and Cera…and Spike…and oh I miss Petrie too…" Ducky blushed slightly before sighing, "I miss Petrie very much…"
"Ducky," Ali whispered from right behind her.
Ducky turned, gasped, and upon seeing Ali, a big smile grew on her face. She instantly got out of the pond and hugged Ali. She then cried, "Ali! It is great to see you, yep yep yep! I miss my friends, I do."
"Ducky," Ali whispered hurriedly. "I haven't got much time, but…Littlefoot's planning a getaway for you guys tonight. When your mother and siblings fall asleep, go to the cliff where you saw the sharptooth escape. Then you guys will make your getaway together and you'll go rescue him."
"Ooh, I like that idea, yep yep yep!" Ducky exclaimed. "Thanks Ali! You are a great friend, you are!"
"You're welcome Ducky," Ali replied, and she quickly headed back to the woods. Looking back, Ali saw that Ducky was happily humming to herself. Ali smiled, for she could tell that her news put Ducky in a much better mood. Ali ate more tree stars while she watched Mama Swimmer walking back to Ducky, seemingly unaware of Ali's presence.
"Hi Mama!" Ducky exclaimed, her eyes bright with excitement. "I feel better now!"
Ali sighed, for Ducky was not at all careful to hide her happiness. Luckily, Mama Swimmer didn't seem to suspect anything though, and hugged Ducky as she told her, "Thank goodness! I knew that a bath would help you out!"
"Me too," Ducky giggled, and then she looked into the forest and gave Ali an overjoyed grin and a wink.
Ali drew her attention away from Ducky and her mother and proceeded to make her way through the woods, looking out every now and then to look for Cera and Spike. The day drew on as she continued without success, but then, she stopped as she heard a sad sigh. Looking above the trees, Ali saw that Cera was lying down on the ground, looking up into the skies and sighing to herself. Then she hit the ground with her front foot in frustration and looked dispiritedly at the ground.
Ali checked to make sure the coast was clear, before she walked out and approached Cera. "Hi Cera…it's me," Ali told her.
"Ali!" Cera gasped happily. "It's great to see you! I can't believe I finally have someone to talk to! Have you seen Littlefoot? How's he doing?" Cera asked breathlessly.
But before Ali could reply, the rocks nearby them were vibrating forcefully and Ali and Cera felt the ground shake. Ali and Cera looked behind them, and then they looked at each other in horror and gasped. Mr. Threehorn was charging aggressively toward Ali with an enraged leer on his face. He then stopped right in front of Ali, held his horn threateningly close to her leg, and looked furiously into her wide, terrified eyes. Ali shivered and recoiled as Mr. Threehorn yelled, "Don't you dare come near my daughter, longneck! Understand?"
Ali nodded fearfully, and without a second thought, tore off back into the forest. She knew though, that if she waited long enough, there would be another chance for her to talk to Cera.
As Ali disappeared, Mr. Threehorn's glare shifted from her to Cera, who scowled defiantly at him. "Well? What do you think you're doing talking to that longneck?" he roared, stomping with fury.
"Dad, she's not Littlefoot, she's…" Cera began.
Mr. Threehorn interrupted, "She's still a flathead, just like he is!"
"Don't call them that!" Cera yelled furiously, glaring at her father with intensity. "Littlefoot and Ali are my friends! And so is Chomper! You grownups have to leave him alone, he did nothing wrong!"
Mr. Threehorn ignored her, and sternly continued, "That Littlefoot is up to no good, I can feel it in my bones. Cera, I order you to stop thinking of him! I heard he was talking about interspecies relationships!"
"No!" Cera shouted, and as Ali looked at Cera, she saw that Cera's eyes were filled with a strong, determined passion that she had never seen in anyone before. "I'll never stop thinking about him! And all he did was ask a question!"
"Before you get any ideas, no daughter of mine will ever be involved in a…in a...vulgar relationship!" Mr. Threehorn yelled loudly, giving Cera a threatening glare as he stood defiantly.
"Dad, I'm not interested in that, and neither is Littlefoot! He was just asking a question, that's all," Cera told him exasperatedly.
"Well I don't want you to ever think about that longneck again. Understand?" Mr. Threehorn demanded.
"No! Littlefoot is my friend! And he always will be!" Cera shouted, her eyes still burning with that same passion that Ali saw before, and she rammed into Mr. Threehorn, causing him to fall a few steps backward.
"How dare you attack me like that!" Mr. Threehorn glared. "I am your father, so you must treat me with respect. Let's see how much you like it!" Mr. Threehorn shouted, and in fury, he charged into Cera, causing her to gasp and fall bellyfirst onto the ground. Mr. Threehorn leered at Cera determinedly, but as she got up, she still managed to give her father a defiant look.
Mr. Threehorn growled, "This interspecies arrangement we have in the Great Valley is getting to be a real problem, Cera. You haven't even met a threehorn your own age that you can settle down with!"
"What if I don't want to marry anyone yet?" Cera shouted angrily.
"Cera, I am your father, and I know what's best for you!" Mr. Threehorn roared, his voice carrying loudly. "And I order you this…don't you ever think of flatheads, duckbeaks, beakbrains, or spiketails again! I see my mistake in staying here for far too long. Tomorrow, we leave at the crack of dawn!"
"No!" Cera shouted, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm not going!"
"Yes!" Mr. Threehorn shouted, stomping his foot. "We leave… or else! Now, don't move an inch while I let Tria and Tricia know about our plans. And believe me… I will know if you move."
And with that, Mr. Threehorn stormed off, while Cera cried into her front foot in frustration. When Mr. Threehorn was out of sight, Ali walked out of the forest and bent down next to Cera, feeling amazed at how passionate and determined Cera was to stick up for Littlefoot despite her father's intensive pressure.
Cera looked up and her expression softened. "Oh Ali, you're still here?" Cera asked gently. "Well, you must have heard my dad. I'm really mad at him! He blames everything on Littlefoot!"
"Yeah," Ali told Cera quietly, still amazed with how loyally Cera defended Littlefoot. Then Ali bent down so her head was right next to Cera's ear as she whispered, "Cera, I don't have much time before your father gets back, so listen. Littlefoot asked me to tell you that you guys are going to escape the Great Valley tonight to rescue your sharptooth friend."
Cera lifted her head up eagerly and smiled brightly at Ali. "Really?" she asked, hardly daring to believe it.
Ali nodded. "When your parents and Tricia fall asleep, meet up by the edge of the Great Valley where you helped the sharptooth escape. When you all get there, you'll get away…"
Cera smiled gratefully at Ali and was about to thank her, but then she heard a familiar rumbling sound. Cera gasped, "That's my dad! Scram!"
Ali nodded understandingly, and she hurried off into the forest. A few moments later, Mr. Threehorn returned, and he was accompanied by Tria and Tricia. Luckily, Mr. Threehorn didn't seem to notice Ali at all, as he and Tria were in a heated argument.
"Topsy, this is outrageous!" Tria told him fiercely as Tricia nodded fervently alongside her. "The Great Valley is our home!"
"And it's also a home for flatheads, beakfaces, duckbeaks, and spiketails. It's not a home for us to be at," Mr. Threehorn replied. By then, Ali was well within the woods, and there was no sign that she had talked to Cera again, other than that Cera was unusually silent in her family's argument. Now all Ali had to do was to find Spike. This was the easiest part, since she and Spike were staying in the same area of the Great Valley, and the only others who were staying near them were Cam and Mia. She knew that she just needed to catch Spike while Cam and Mia were away. Ali walked quickly back to her area of the Great Valley, where she quickly found Spike, who to her relief, was all alone.
Just then, Spike caught sight of Ali. Instantly, he ran up to her and gave her a nervous look. "What is it Spike?" Ali asked.
Spike gave Ali an urgent look, and then he crouched down.
"You want me to crouch down?" Ali asked Spike, who nodded.
The two of them lied still and silently for a few seconds, before Ali told him, "Spike, Littlefoot wants to let you know that when nobody's watching you, go to the spot where the sharptooth escaped tonight. You guys will all meet together there and escape." Spike quickly nodded, but then his eyes widened and he gasped urgently. "What is it, Spike?" Ali asked. But this time she heard some voices from the nearby woods.
"It's Mia and Cam…" Ali muttered slowly. She saw their necks were sticking out of the trees, and she knew that the two of them were probably making sure that no one was listening to them. Then Ali turned to look back at Spike, and noticed that he was looking at her oddly.
"What, Spike?" Ali asked. Spike then stretched out his neck as far as it would go. Ali quickly figured out that since Mia had a really long neck that he was referring to her.
"Is it about Mia?" Ali asked to make sure. Spike nodded. Then, he stretched his legs out and began to move them.
"Oh gosh Spike, you're right! Mia shouldn't be able to walk yet if she was this injured!" Ali gasped. She then tucked her legs and neck in, trying her hardest to avoid being detected as she listened intently. Luckily, Mia and Cam didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, so they began to talk.
"We're going to leave now," Mia told Cam. "They're probably waiting for us already. The plan has worked like a charm."
"Right," Cam answered. "So where should we go?"
"Into the woods, this way. We're going right now. Now be covert," Mia replied as they began to walk.
"What about Ali?" Cam asked. "Shouldn't we say goodbye to her?"
"I swear Cam, you're being stupid," Mia told her disdainfully. "Didn't I just say covert? Let's get going!"
And with that, Mia and Cam's voices faded off into the distance.
"They're up to something," Ali muttered, and Spike nodded. Then Ali asked Spike a question that was nagging at her beforehand.
"Spike, did the sharptooth bite Mia or not?" Ali asked him. Spike looked at her firmly and shook his head.
Ali gasped in surprise, and then she asked puzzledly, "Then why did you tell the grownups that the sharptooth bit Mia on the neck if he didn't?" Spike shook his head again.
"You mean you didn't say that?" Ali asked. Spike nodded.
"Could you show me what happened?" Ali asked Spike gently. Spike nodded. Once again, Spike stretched out his neck, then he growled, showing off his teeth and pounded the ground.
"I don't understand…" Ali told Spike puzzledly. But then she sighed, "Well, now that Mia and Cam are gone, I guess I'll be here with you for the rest of the day. Good luck tonight Spike," she told him, and Spike nodded affectionately, and the two of them sat and ate treestars while nervously looking at the setting bright circle, knowing that the time for action was almost upon them.