Chapter 32: A Friendship of Outcasts
Filled with relief, the Great Valley residents gathered at the front edge of the valley, where everyone smiled at each other, with the realization of their victory dawning upon them.
Grandpa and Grandma Longneck affectionately rubbed Littlefoot with their necks, before Grandpa Longneck said, "Thank you Littlefoot, for protecting us so bravely. You are such a wonderful grandson…" Then Grandma Longneck turned to Cera and smiled, "And you too Cera, you never cease to amaze us."
Littlefoot and Cera smiled at Grandma and Grandpa Longneck, before Grandma and Grandpa Longneck looked into the crowd, searching for someone. They frowned, before Grandpa Longneck said, "And thank Chomper for us when you find him. We're so sorry for mistrusting him…he truly is one of a kind."
Bron then said, "Thank you, Shorty, and you too, uh…"
"Ali," Ali introduced herself.
"I'm Bron, Littlefoot's and Shorty's father," Bron explained to Ali. "Anyway, Shorty, Ali, you two were great at blocking the border!"
Ali and Shorty nodded happily, before Tria walked over and added, "Thanks, Littlefoot, Cera…you two were truly amazing in battle! And thanks Tricia! You were very brave to find us all the flowers through the fight! I'm sure Topsy wants to thank you too, he just went out for a walk right now. He says he wants some time to himself."
"Thanks, Ducky, Spike, Petrie," Mama Swimmer told them, gently smiling at each one of them. "Without your help, we wouldn't have been able to protect all of those eggs!"
"And someone be sure to give Ruby our thanks too," Mama Flyer added. "She did a great job with setting those traps, stopping those sharptooth flyers, and helping Chomper get down!"
Smiling, Grandpa Longneck, Grandma Longneck, Tria, Mama Swimmer, and Mama Flyer all looked at all of the kids. "You children have really shown us the error of our ways," Grandma Longneck told them softly. "We are very sorry that we didn't believe you when we should have. You were all standing up for what was right, even though you had to stand up against everyone else. And we…we were blind and didn't trust you like we should have. It was a big mistake on our part, so would you please forgive us?" Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike looked at each other, and nodded weakly.
The parents smiled feebly, before Grandpa Longneck said, "We all cannot express our thanks for helping us out so much," and they smiled as the kids smiled back at them. Littlefoot's, Cera's, Ducky's, Petrie's and Spike's smiles, however, were very weak and halfhearted, knowing that in a matter of moments, they would have to leave their parents and the Great Valley once again.
Just then, everyone looked over at the forest, and noticed all the trees that had been knocked over from the fight. "Come on," Grandma Longneck suggested. "We should clear the damage from the fight and make the Great Valley look nice and peaceful again. I'll knock down the trees that are about to fall over."
"I'll clear all the fallen trees away," Tria volunteered.
"And I'll collect all the treestars from the fallen trees and prepare dinner for everyone!" Mama Flyer exclaimed.
The grownups, Ali, Shorty, and Tricia cheered, and hurriedly scattered away, preparing to clean up the Great Valley. Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike walked in a seemingly aimless way, pretending to look for something they could help with, but in reality keeping their eyes on each other and trying to find an opportunity when they could meet up without anyone watching them. After a while, everyone else had already moved out of the clearing, and Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike ran to each other and huddled closely together.
"I guess we should go now," Littlefoot sighed, looking at the place he had called home for so many years. "But it was so nice to be back…I can't believe that we'll never be here again."
"Yeah," Cera sighed wistfully. "But if they won't tolerate our feelings, we don't have any other choice."
"Me fly and keep watch to make sure no one coming," Petrie added, and the five of them, checking every direction, slowly began to walk to the exit of the Great Valley. But just as they passed, they saw something that made them stop in their tracks. Surrounded by body upon body of eggstealers and fast biters, Chomper was sitting still on the ground, staring at it depressively, while Ruby was standing by his side, petting him gently.
"Poor Chomper!" Ducky gasped. "He doesn't look happy, oh no no no!"
Ruby meanwhile, saw the others coming, and she hurriedly rushed up to them. "Chomper's not feeling well again…" she sighed sadly.
Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike nodded understandingly, and together, the six of them walked over and sat down next to Chomper. "What's wrong, Chomper?" Littlefoot asked gently.
Chomper sighed, before saying, "The eggstealers…they're all gone."
"Yeah," Cera told him brightly. "You did a great job with them! Of course, I got more of them than you did, but…"
Cera's voice trailed off as everyone else began to laugh, and even Chomper smiled a little. But then Chomper sighed again and glumly looked back down at the ground. "Yeah," he sighed. "And so is my food…so I've gone back to where I started. Back to being a threat to all of you guys."
"But Chomper," Littlefoot told him consolingly, "You're not a threat to us! You were completely innocent!"
"How much longer would it be though?" Chomper asked sadly. "Someday I won't be able to control my sniffer anymore and I'll end up acting just like every other sharptooth."
"Chomper," Littlefoot sighed gently. "We'll work together to make sure that day will never come."
"Promise?" Chomper asked nervously, his eyes watering pleadingly.
"Promise," Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Ruby all replied at once while Spike nodded, and together, they walked up to Chomper and rubbed affectionately against him, making him smile weakly in happiness.
"We will always be your best friends, yep yep yep," Ducky promised.
"We'll stick by your side through thick and thin," Cera added.
"Petrie agree! You part of our family, we love you whole bunches!" Petrie continued.
"That's right," Ruby added. "We've been together for so long, and we're not going to leave you!"
"Chomper," Littlefoot told him gently. "Remember that first song we sang to you? About how we're your family and that you're one of us? We still mean it with all of our hearts. Though you may not look like us and you may not eat like us, you're still one of us. And no matter what might happen Chomper, we'll still be friends forever."
"Thanks guys," Chomper smiled. But then he frowned and said, "But I don't think I can stay in the Great Valley anymore…there's nothing for me to eat. I feel like an outcast here…"
"Don't worry about it Chomper," Cera told him consolingly. "Besides, we have to leave the Great Valley too. Don't forget, Littlefoot and I are in love, and so are Ducky and Petrie."
"That is right," Ducky told Chomper. "And the grownups would not allow us to be together, oh no no no."
"And Chomper, I don't have any family in the Great Valley," Ruby reminded him. "Without all of you guys, I wouldn't really know anyone here."
"So in a way Chomper, we're all outcasts," Littlefoot told him gently.
"Even Spike is," Ducky pointed out. "For Spike does not talk like the rest of us…and you want to come along too, right Spike?" Ducky asked, to which Spike happily licked her face in response.
Littlefoot nodded, and then asked Chomper, "So Chomper…would you like to come along with us and live together as a family?"
"Well," Chomper explained nervously. "But what if I grow hungry…"
But at once, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike and Ruby began to pick up all of the eggstealer and fast biter bodies and put them on their backs. "We'll carry all of these for starters," Littlefoot told him gently. "They'll fill you up for a while, and once they're gone, we'll look for food for you, and between the six of us, we'll make sure that you'll have enough to eat."
Chomper nodded and smiled, and then said, "Okay, Littlefoot."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Cera exclaimed. "Let's get going!"
Everyone took a quick glance around them to make sure that none of the grownups were nearby, and hurriedly, the seven of them slunk off, walking closer and closer to the corner of the Great Valley until at last, they arrived at the path where Littlefoot had once walked with his grandparents when they went on the Great Longneck Migration. As they reached the beginning of that rocky, hilly path that led to the Mysterious Beyond, they looked back and set their eyes upon the Great Valley for one last time.
"I will miss everybody here," Ducky sighed. "Mama and all my brothers and sisters… yep, yep yep…"
"Petrie miss everyone too," Petrie cried, and the two of them hugged each other as tears rolled down both of their faces.
Littlefoot sighed, wanting to comfort Ducky and Petrie, but he couldn't, for he felt exactly the way they felt. Gulping, Littlefoot looked down at his old home and sighed, "Goodbye Grandma…Grandpa…"
"Goodbye Dad…Tria…Tricia," Cera sighed.
"Goodbye Mama, brothers, sisters," Ducky cried as Spike waved his front foot.
"Me say bye to Mom and brothers and sisters too," Petrie sighed.
Having said their goodbyes, everyone knew that there was nothing to do at their old home anymore, and they sadly but determinedly began to trudge up the rocky path. Nobody said a word, and down below, they could hear the parents excitedly preparing for the party that they had been planning, unaware of what their children were up to. The path winded along the edge of the Great Valley, until it led to a desert-like cliff outside, laying high above the Great Valley.
Just before they began to make their final turn, everyone stopped, realizing that they were about to take their last steps within the Great Valley's borders. Littlefoot and Cera cuddled up to each other, while Ducky and Petrie hugged each other, and everyone began to feel tears falling down from their eyes, knowing that they would never return again.
Sighing, everyone turned and began to take their first steps into the Mysterious Beyond. But just as Chomper took his first step, he abruptly stopped. His nose began to sniff fiercely, and then his heart began to race and his eyes widened in horror. "Oh no!" he shouted.
Everyone looked at Chomper concernedly. "What's wrong, Chomper?" Littlefoot asked him.
"My sniffer," Chomper explained breathlessly. "It's telling me that…there's a sharptooth nearby!" Chomper screamed.
"Don't worry Chomper, there's seven of us and one of him." Cera confidently told him.
"But guys, it's not any old sharptooth…it's Redclaw!" Chomper exclaimed. "And he's heading this way! He must be going…to attack the Great Valley!"
Everyone gasped, their eyes wide with horror. "Are you sure, Chomper?" Littlefoot asked.
"Yeah," Chomper nodded. "But by the time we warn everyone down there, it might be too late!" he exclaimed.
"You're right," Littlefoot told Chomper. "But we have to stop him somehow. He can't go to the Great Valley and hurt our parents even more! They've been through enough as it is!"
"Well, you know what this means," Cera replied firmly, rubbing her foot against the ground in anticipation. "If Redclaw wants to attack the Great Valley, he's got to deal with us first!"