A Promise Broken

Despite feeling afraid of Sharptooth, Selena decided to travel with him and Doc, at least until she found her own herd. They traveled together for a few months until one day when Sharptooth was out on a hunt. Selena and Doc were browsing on a grove of trees at the edge of a forest. They had slowly wandered apart, not on purpose, but just because of mindless eating.

As Selena reached for another branch of tree stars, a low growl came from the trees. She started to back away, but then a Big Biter came charging out. It roared and saliva slide from its fangs. Two small horns rose over its eyes and its scales were a blood red (Carnotaurus). Selena screamed and turned to run. But the Big Biter slammed it's jaws closed over her leg. Blood spurted on its face.

Selena cried out in pain. She tried to hobble, but she couldn't keep her legs under her. The red Big Biter released it's hold on her leg and walked up to her neck. It was about to close it's jaws over her throat when another Big Biter's roar split the air.

The red Big Biter turned and looked. A dark green predator, larger than the red one stood in the distance. It roared again and the red Big Biter retreated back into the forest. The green Big Biter, Sharptooth came over to Selena and helped to push her back up. "Sorry it took so long. I was busy."

"I'm sure you were." She said.

"There is no need for that. I realize you still don't trust me, but I did just save your life." Sharptooth replied. "Again."

"Yes, you did and I am grateful." Selena brushed him off and walked back into the woods. She found Doc a short time later. After he inquired about her injury, she told him, "A Big Biter attacked. It's okay, Sharptooth scared it away. Not that I needed his help."

Doc shook his head. "Don't be so critical. He just wants to be your friend."

"I don't need the friendship of a Big Biter. I'll be much better off once I get back to my own herd."

/

Weeks past. The trio continued to travel, but as time went by, Sharptooth began to grow slower and weaker. He hadn't eaten anything in days. As they walked through a maze of large jagged rocks, his vision began to blur, his senses dulled. His legs started to give out from under him, causing the predator to stumble. He managed to catch himself before collapsing.

"Sharptooth," Doc craned his head back to look at him, "are you alright?"

"Just fine." Sharptooth lied. He tried to take a step forward, but lost his balance and fell. The ground shook upon impact.

"Sharptooth!" Doc charged over to his fallen friend, pulling him back to his feet. Sharptooth panted and gasped for air when Doc finally managed to prop him back up. "When was the last time you ate anything?"

"Oh, I'm not hungry." He lied again.

Doc sighed. He rested Sharptooth back on the ground and turned to Selena. "We need to find food for him."

"WHAT?!" She shouted. "You want us to go hunting for him?! Are you insane?"

"Not hunting. Scavenging. If we can find something dead and bring it back, he won't have to hunt." Doc said.

Selena shook her head. "I can't believe your considering that. He's a Big Biter. A predator. Given the chance, he would kill us both. If he's this weak and tired, just leave him. The world will be better off with one less."

"I can't do that. He's my friend. My gralnuk." Doc said.

"What?"

"Gralnuk, a Big Biter word meaning 'most trusted person.' I trust him with my life, and he trusts me. Can I trust you to stay with him? I can tell scavenging makes you feel uncomfortable, so if you could just watch him while I go searching for food for him."

Selena glanced over at Sharptooth. He lay on the ground, his breathing heavy and labored, both eyes closed. To her, he seemed pitiful. Depressingly pitiful. He was depending on them to save him at this point. She sighed in resignation. "Alright. I'll stay here with him. Just hurry back, okay?"

Doc smiled. He wrapped his neck around hers. "Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can." He left, walking off deeper into the maze of rocks.

Selena simply stood in surprise. She hadn't expected Doc to show that kind of affection. Part of her liked it. Males of her old herd rarely showed any such affections towards her. She smiled at the thought. Doc wasn't a bad longneck, and to go so far for the sake of a friend, even if that friend was a Big Biter.

She glanced back over at Sharptooth, still resting on the ground. Both his eyes closed and his chest raising with every breath. Really, he wasn't bad either. He did save her from other predators twice now. Maybe there was something here between them now.

The Great Circle moved across the sky, growing closer to the ground and stretching the shadows. The sky burned a bright orange. Still Doc had not returned. Selena's tail wiped impatiently from side to side, her legs folded up under her as she rested. Who knew it would take so long to find a dead animal? She would have to give carnivores more credit, for her food just grew out of the ground. For them, they had to search for it, often for days on end. Must get frustrating. She turned to look over at Sharptooth. He lay on the ground much as he did before, but now he didn't move.

No breathing sounds, no movements at all. Selena's breath was caught in her throat. She jumped up as fast as she could and raced over to him. She nudged him with her foot, shaking him back and forth. "Sharptooth! Sharptooth, get up!" She shouted.

Suddenly, Sharptooth's eyes snapped open and for a brief moment, Selena was relieved. That is until Sharptooth's jaws swung around and clamped down around her front foot. Two rows of serrated teeth dug into Selena's leg, tearing her flesh and slipping blood. She screamed and tried to pull away, but Sharptooth held firm. The taste of blood had awaken his predatory instints, and with his stomach as empty as it was there was no way he would let his prey escape.

He yanked on her leg with all his strength and Selena collapsed to the ground next to him. She cried out in pain from the impact as well as the continued pain in her leg. Sharptooth finally released his grip, only to press her against the ground with his clawed talons. The sharp tips of those also drew blood.

Selena stared up in terror at the blood soaked muzzle of the predator. "Please," she weeped. "Don't do this. We're friends, remember? Sharptooth, listen to me."

He couldn't hear her. His vision and hearing still blurred and dulled by his hunger. All he saw was prey. In an instant, he locked his jaws around her neck and crushed her windpipe. Blood sprayed across his face, as well as painting the ground red. Selena tried to scream, but no sound escaped her mouth. Only the quivering of her eyes and mouth signaled her demise as the life blood flowed from her body. Her body fell limp, her neck dangling pathetically from Sharptooth jaws.

With no hesitation, Sharptooth released his grip on her neck and greedily dug into her carcass, tearing away huge chunks of flesh and swallowing just in time to reach for more.

/

Doc held an Egg Stealer in his mouth by it's tail. Carrion was hard to find out here, but he'd finally managed to stumble across something. It might not be much, but it would be enough to get Sharptooth back on his feet for a while anyways. As he neared the place he left Selena and Sharptooth, a strong odor filled his nostrils. It was a scent Doc recognized, the scent of blood. Maybe Sharptooth had managed to catch something after all, which was good news to Doc. It would mean they wouldn't have to stop again for a while. It was with that thought in his head that Doc rounded the corner and came upon their camping spot.

The Egg Stealer dropped from Doc's mouth and crumpled against the ground in a heap. Doc paid it no attention. Before him rested the partially eaten body of Selena. Her blood soaked into the ground surrounding her. Ribs protruded grotesquely from her carcass. And asleep not far from that, was Sharptooth. His muzzle and clawed feet drenched in blood and stomach stuffed.

Doc stared, caught in the revolting terror before him. Unable to contain himself anymore, he stampeded over to Sharptooth. Each footstep a thunder fall. Sharptooth gradually awoke as the booming grew louder. He turned in the direction of the sound only to find Doc barreling down on him. He bolted to his feet and out of the way just as Doc's powerful feet crashed into the earth where he'd just been resting.

Sharptooth backed away as Doc glared with intense rage. "How? How could you do this?!" Doc's teeth clenched. His voice cracked.

Sharptooth looked at Doc, then to Selena's lifeless body, and then back to Doc. Only now, after his hunger had been satiated did he realize what he'd done. "Doc, I swear to you, this was an accident. I didn't mean-"

Doc swung his massive tail and struck Sharptooth across the head, sending the carnivore cascading to the ground. "An accident!? How is killing and eating someone an accident!? You promised me, I trusted you! She trusted you! And you betrayed us."

Sharptooth crawled back to his feet, faceing Doc eye to eye. "It was a moment of weakness. I never wanted to hurt her."

Doc reared up on his hind legs, bringing his full weight crashing back to the earth, shaking the ground. "I don't want to hear it! You swore to never harm a longneck! You were my friend! I left my family for you, and you go and do this!?" Doc's voice grew strained and ragged. "Go away! I never want to see you ever again!"

Sharptooth felt as if a spike and dug its way through his chest. With reluctance, he turned away and left his friend. The friendship he had given everything for, and now had lost.

Once Sharptooth was out of view, Doc turned back to Selena's body. Her eyes and mouth still gaping open. Gingerly, choking back pain and tears, Doc placed the tip of his tail over her eyes and closed them. He then left. Unable to do anything else for her, leaving her body to the scavengers.

120 years later…

Doc finished his story. The western horizon burned red as the Bright Circle slowly dipped out of sight. The sky was almost completely dark with the Night Circle casting a silver shine over the earth and tiny stars like diamonds sparkling. Had he really been talking for so long? The memories had left him exhausted, to say the least.

"Doc," the leader of the herd said, "are you alright friend? You suddenly fell silent."

Doc nodded slowly. "Yes. Just, memories can pain me at times." He glanced back over at Littlefoot and Ali, still nestled against each other by the canyon's edge. Young friendships and romance, Doc thought. How it was to be young.

A loud roar split the evening air. "RrrrrRRRRRAAAAWWWWWRRRRrrr!" All the longnecks, even those just about to sleep, jolted up. Doc twisted his head around in the direction the roar had come. On a nearby rock outcrop, silhouetted against the Night Circle stood two figures. Doc recognized them all to well.

Littlefoot walked up and stood beside him. "Is it?"

"Yes," Doc confirmed. "Sharptooth."