Yay! Ali's here! Oh and Petrie too! And OH MY GOSH I WROTE THIS ON DOCS AND THERE WAS SO MANY GRAMMAR MISTAKES I HAD TO IGNORE IN HIS DIOLOGUE. Anyway, sorry for the long wait, here's the next Chapter! Replies to the reviews are at the end!

"After so long, she finally decides to show her tail around here."

Littlefoot looked beside him to see Cera shouldering her way between him and Ducky. The threehorn had teasing eyes, but her face showed excitement. Littlefoot was glad she had gotten over her hostility from the day before. Glad that was one least thing he needed to worry about, Littlefoot thought.

The three rushed over to the advancing herd, and The old one had stopped in front of the entrance to greet Grandpa and Grandma longneck. As the herd dispersed, Ali became visible behind the jumble of longnecks.

"Ali!" Littlefoot cried.

The purple longneck turned her head slightly, exhaustion in her eyes, but they lit up when she spotted her childhood friends. Ali leapt towards them, and they were all racing so fast that Littlefoot thought they might collide with each other.

Littlefoot skidded to a halt when they were just one tail-length away. "It's been so long! I'm so glad to see you again, Ali." He said warmly.

"Yeah, I'm glad that we get to stop by the valley." Ali leaned forward to give Littlefoot a friendly nuzzle, which he accepted.

"You mean to say you are not staying?" It was Ducky's voice that rang beside Littlefoot.

"Yep, in case you all didn't know, the cold times are coming back." Ali said softly, but Littlefoot could see the distant look in her eyes.

"Yeah, as if we didn't know while our tails are freezing off." Cera growled, her words were half-hearted, but Littlefoot and even Ali could hear the usual playfulness in her tone.

"Wow, you all grew some last time I visited! Ducky, you used to be so small…" Waiting for Ducky's embarrassed chuckle to fade, Ali continued, with a far away look. "I wish I was here so we could watch each other grow up." She said, almost with a whisper. And seeing her solemn face made Littlefoot want to assure her.

Ali stared at her three friends and looked around, as if she was searching for something. "So where are the others? Spike, Petrie, and the…the two other ones?"

Littlefoot heard Cera from beside him, snickering. Surely she would know Chomper? After the foolish tactics that were brought upon Rhett to prove to Ali that he had been lying to her. Yes, it worked—Littlefoot noted—but maybe a bit too well…

"Ah, Petrie and Spike are probably still in their nesting areas." Ducky stated cheerfully. "Gah- we've been standing here for too long–and I'm sure all that traveling has gotten you hungry. You wanna join us for a meal?" Cera started to turn tail at those words, and at the mention of food Littlefoot noticed his hallowed belly.

With a grateful nod from Ali, they trekked towards the thick undergrowth, exchanging friendly small talk as they went. When the group was a couple Longneck–necks away, a flash of pink, and then purple crashed out of the bushes.

Littefoot saw Ruby's eyes stretched out with surprise. She skidded to a halt before them. Pounding close behind was Chomper, his eyes gleamed with playfulness, but he too stopped when he noticed the group of dinosaurs in front of him. Ruby shyly dropped his prey as she examined the slightly familiar form of Ali. "Ah– nice to see you again, Ali." The fastrunner said with friendliness.

"Hey…Uh… You." Ali bowed her head with embarrassment. Littlefoot had guessed that she couldn't remember Ruby at all, they only interacted when Chomper attempted to act like a blood–thirsty sharptooth in front of Ali and Rhett.

That's when Littlefoot caught sight of Chomper. His looming figure blocked the sun, sending streams of light from the corner of his head so that his teeth glistend. Ali stared at him up and down, and for a moment Littlefoot thought that Ali didn't recognize Chomper either. From a first glance she instinctively braced herself, ready to run.

"Hey- wow, it's ok! Look, it's just Chomper." Littlefoot assured her. And for a moment, he could see Ali's posture relax, and she narrowed her eyes at Chomper.

The young sharptooth tried to smile innocently, but he instantly frowned when he noticed that doing so would show his sharp teeth.

Cera smiled with amusement while Ali pricked up again. "Ah! Chomper! Sorry I was mistaken."

"No worries." Chomper smiled again with nervousness. Even though he had gotten used to other dinosaurs for assuming he was just a regular sharptooth, it still pained him to see them run off or shriek with terror. Ruby noticed his upset look so the fastrunner leaned on him and muttered a few comforting words.

"So where's Rhett? I'm looking forward to jabbing him in the ass." Cera jeered, looking around for the cowardly longneck.

Ali ignored Cera's threatening comment. "He might have wandered off somewhere in the valley by now. He's probably getting a drink after our long journey, maybe we'll find him on our way over there."

Littlefoot nodded and they all headed for the watering place. Littlefoot was so excited, he wanted to spend the whole day with Ali, but the look on her face showed exhaustion. Energy pulsed through him, but he knew she needed the rest. They made it to the edge of the water, the grass feeling slippery and cool beneath them. Littlefoot watched as Ali gratefully lapped at it.

Then he noticed his Grandparents leading the rest of the herd into the valley. They looked as if they wanted to talk to him, but they only nodded their heads to him before continuing on.

I'll see them in a little while.

"So what do ya wanna do first, Ali?" Cera's voice made him withdraw his gaze.

"Actually, I want to rest for a bit." Ali said while she settled down in a clump of ferns.

Littlefoot rested beside her, as did Cera and Ducky. Only Chomper and Ruby stood awkwardly to the side, and Littlefoot was so caught up in his reunion with Ali that he hardly noticed Ruby's uneasy posture. Without a word, she trotted away, as if in a hurry.

Chomper watched her go, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "I'll see you guys later, gotta finish breakfast, ya know?"

When the young sharptooth had left, Littlefoot saw Ali shift around. "So, when he says breakfast, he means crawlers right?"

Before Littlefoot could answer, Cera cut him off with a cheeky grin. "Oh no, ever since he got bigger, Chomper usually goes searching for any dinosaur that gets lost in the woods."

Ali shivered, and for a moment her eyes stretched with fear.

Littlefoot glared at the snickering threehorn. "No, Cera. That's NOT what he does." He softened his brows and turned to Ali. "Crawlers and buzzers don't really fill him up anymore, so he eats swimmer scallies and sometimes ground fuzzies." When she didn't relax he added, "He wouldn't hurt any of us. He's still the same friendly sharptooth you met seasons ago."

Littlefoot heard her muffle a sigh of relief. "Well, I'm glad."

After some time of chatting, the four of them showed Ali around the valley. For the few times where she had visited, Ali hadn't gotten a good view of the place. Littlefoot enjoyed each moment with her. And for a long while he had forgotten about Ruby. Good… However much he loved her, she only drowned him with pain. But not for today. Today he would give him his all to Ali.

For a little while they played a quick game of toss the seed. Cera was reluctant to join however. Littlefoot noticed that every time Ducky spoke, Cera would look away, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Littlefoot figured she was still sour towards her and Petrie.

As he aimed a hit towards their goal, he wondered where the young flyer was.

"Oh come on Ducky! You could have stopped him from making the score!" Cera yowled from across the field.

"S-sorry!" The swimmer said apologetically.

"It was a clear shot for me anyway." Littlefoot tried to support his timid friend.

"Yeah, good game though! I haven't played that since we were kids!" Ali panted as she approached him from the side.

"Hey, whoa, we're not THAT old!" Cera said as she lumbered towards them.

CAW!

Suddenly a welcoming call pierced the air. A shadow cast on the ground as a lean-shaped flyer landed gently on the ground.

"Petrie!" Ali squeaked.

"Ali! Me see you and herd enter Great Valley. Me wanted to say hi but me had to take care of siblings first." Petrie was about shoulder height of Littlefoot now.

"Hey Petrie, it's been a while huh?" Littlefoot nudged the flyer playfully with his snout.

"Since when you get tall!" Petrie gasped dramatically.

With a slight chuckle, Ali said, "And you still haven't fixed that habit of yours."

Petrie shrugged. "It still bother my mom a lot, but me no care."

Everyone broke out with light laughter, but with half closed eyes, Littlefoot noticed Cera's uncertain stare. Her gaze traveled from Ducky to Petrie. An old spiketail could guess what she was thinking. He bit his lip nervously. "Uhm- Alright, well I've been meaning to talk to my grandparents, so I'll see you guys later. Ducky, Petrie? Do you want to walk with me?"

With Petrie's reluctant nod and Ducky's faint "Sure.", they headed away from Ali and Cera. Littlefoot didn't want to leave Ali alone so soon, but he didn't want anything to escalate between Cera and his two other friends. Soon they were out of sight, and Littlefoot saw Ducky relax.

"Boy am I glad that tension is over!" She said cheerfully.

Petrie growled from beside him. "Me can't believe she cast us out like that. She supposed to be friend!"

Littlefoot sighed. "In a couple of ways she's just like her father." It was true, if Mr. Threehorn ever found out about Ducky and Petrie, he'd go on a verbal rampage. Thankfully though, Cera's keeping quiet.

"Yeah, but enough about that, you got your own problem, remember?" Ducky amused with a smile on her face. "And I did not tell Petrie yet, nope nope nope."

"Tell Petrie what?"

"That Littlefoot is in the same spot as we are."

Stop! Littlefoot was going to admit to Petrie, but they made him more embarrassed then he needed to be. He forced out a sigh. "Yeah, but it's a bit worse."

"So Littlefoot like someone?"

With Littlefoot's stiff nodd, Petrie continued. "It not Cera right?"

"Why does everyone think it's Cera?!" After his offended outburst, Ducky and Petrie shared a fit of laughter.

"It's Ruby, but I don't think she knows yet." Littlefoot said when the two of them settled down.

Petrie rested a finger under his beak. "So you need help, right? Well me think you in good hands now. Me know all about getting the girl." He held a smug smile.

"I still cannot believe it was you who confessed first." Ducky said, nudging him on the shoulder. "You were spitting and sputtering so much! Oh Littlefoot, you should have seen his red face!"

"Hey, now that enough! You making me look like a fool!" Petrie shoved a laughing Ducking in the grass, careful not to push her too hard.

She sat up and grabbed Petrie's wing, pulling him to the ground with her. In an instant they were a tangle of tails and flailing limbs. Ducky squirmed from the bundle and raced in the tall grass. With Petrie close behind her, he nipped at her tail, making the swimmer "Yip!" with alarm.

Littlefoot looked on, he felt happy for them. But watching his two friends jump around made him want to share a moment like that too. He longed to have someone to cuddle, someone to share problems with, someone he could depend on for trust, someone to love.

He let out a long sigh.

Petrie and Ducky must have noticed his dejected look, because they ceased their playful antics and stood in front of him.

"Ya know it will not help you if you just mope around." Ducky said gently.

"Yeah, go find her, maybe talk to her. Littlefoot has to move forward." Petrie added with a faint smile. Littlefoot was glad he had friends like them.

He sucked in a breath, and squared his shoulders confidently. "Ok! I'll do it. Thanks guys. I'll tell you how it went when I come back!" As he headed off, the three of them exchanged their goodbyes, and with that, Littlefoot started towards Ruby's and Chomper's cave. But from behind him, he could still hear their faint voices in the distance.

"Now where were we?" Ducky's menacing tone made him want to look back, but thankfully he didn't need to. He heard the wild rustling of grass and Petrie's surprised yelp followed.

"You probably shouldn't eat so much meat. It'll make you crave more." Chomper's voice was shaky with uncertainty as Ruby tore into the flesh of a ground fuzzy.

"It's just a nibble." She protested as she licked the blood off her jaws.

"JUST a nibble? You practically ate it all!"

"There's enough to spare."

"But you can survive on green food!"

"I caught it, didn't I?"

"That's not the point!"

Littlefoot scrambled up the slope and reached the entrance of the gapping cave. He could hear a series of protests and frustrated growls. Just then he stopped dead. What would he say anyway? Especially if they were arguing.

Just then he heard a fit of intense sniffling. "Someone's here." Chomper stated.

There was no point backing out now. "Yes, it's me." He entered the cave. "Sorry for intruding."

"Hey, no worries." Chomper said cheerfully. He was laying on the cool rocky floor, with a fair pile of ground fuzzies and small lizards resting beside him. And just below him was Ruby. When Littlefoot came into view she slid something behind her.

Littlefoot stood uncomfortably, he felt so awkward all of a sudden.

Finally, Ruby broke the thick silence. "What do you want."

He flinched at her fierce tone. "... If this is a bad time… I could- uh…"

Without another word, she stood up and started to walk away, revealing the half eaten creature on the ground. Littlefoot winced at the sight. It's chest had been ripped open, showing off the contents inside. A sickened gasp escaped him.

Ruby sharply turned her head around, not realizing she gave her meat-eating tendencies away.

Chomper noticed this and fumbled for a bit, trying to think of a way to back up his caretaker. "I-it was mine, I was just about to finish it when you walked in."

Littlefoot didn't get fooled by Chomper's nervous expression, but he didn't want to accuse Ruby like this, he knew their diet was hard for the both of them. He decided to let it go. "Ok. Well…" He stared back at Ruby. She stood in a firm stance. "Maybe a walk would make yo-"

"No!" She snapped, but then she softened her gaze. "Not now… Sorry." She walked swiftly to the back of the cave and disappeared in another direction.

The two of them stood there as the sound of her rapid footsteps faded away.. Littlefoot watched the ground, his head hurt from confusion and desperation. Was she angry at him?

"Listen." Chomper's gentle voice made him look up again. "Don't worry about her, she's probably a little grumpy since she didn't get much sleep." With Chomper's sincere gaze, Littlefoot had to believe him. But Ruby wouldn't be upset just because she was tired.

There was no point lingering around when his Grandparents had something they wanted to tell him. He nodded his head to Chomper as he went through the entrance and into the midday light. Well that didn't go so well… Maybe Chomper was right, and she probably was tired. Littlefoot shook his head in disbelief.

He could see Ducky and Petrie up ahead. He raced towards them, but when he got near he could see his Grandfather approaching them.

"Ah, Littlefoot, I was about to look for you. Me and your father need to discuss something with you."

"Dad?! He's here?" Littlefoot couldn't help but leap up in the air with excitement.

Ducky and Petrie moved aside as Bron made his way in front of his son. Littlefoot was as big as a threehorn compared to his father. "Glad to see you've grown!" Bron bent his head to nuzzle him.

"What, you thought I'd stay a kid forever?" He joked, which earned a light-hearted chuckle from his father.

"Well, it been like, 15 seasons, and back then we still kids." Petrie stated flatly.

(no one's gonna recognize that fourth wall break? Alright…)

"Well, it's very important that Bron be here today." His Grandfather stated, he gazed proudly at his grandson. "And sometime during the days of great growing, we hold a celebration."

"And it's only for longnecks." Bron added.

"What's the celebration for?" Littlefoot's eyes shown with curiosity.

"We're going to change your name, Littlefoot."

RedMageKnight- I know, these ships will never really work out since, like you said, they are different kinds. I will be sure to put that in the story. And yes, Ducky and Petrie are a common pair in the community! If you love them i am sure you loved reading this chapter!

Meli- LOL

AllegroGiocoso- Got a kick at reading your review for this one. This might be my favorite chapter so far! And yes, I was so eager to introduce Ducky, she's so sweet! I was also really excited to write Ruby's POV, not just because it's entertaining, but also because of that POV, we get a greater view at what's really happening. Oh, I also read a bit of your story titled something like, the time of great growing I tinks. It was a great opening, I'm eager to read all 36 chapters! (or more if I miss counted)