Disclaimer: I do not own The Land Before Time or any of its characters.
Chapter Four: Horizon's Rim
Far to the southeast, Pterano, Sierra and Rinkus fly far above the land. There's far more devastation the further south they fly. The forests have been flattened and burned. Whatever wasn't burned to ash or buried all points into one direction. It appears to point to the source of the flash. Pterano takes it as a sign they're headed in the right direction.
"This is a good sign," Pterano confidently said. "Behold, a taste of the power we'll accept once we reach our destination."
He points to the tree trunks aimed like arrows in the landscape to the distant southeast horizon. The other two were giddy with excitement.
With all of the devastation fanning out in all directions, Pterano wonders if there's any food on the ground. They land to take a short break in what appears to be a giant field. Upon closer inspection the ash field turns out to be a former lake. They managed to find some fish buried under the debris that fell during the night of the flash. They had to dig deep to find enough for three hungry flyers. Luckily water also starts to pool at the bottom of the deep hole. The debris laid down thicker in the southern regions of the continent which might pose some problems for the three flyers. The fish were cooked to death in the fires and molten rain before their burial. Pterano notices the skin has been blackened and breaks one in half. It's a much different texture than he's used to. Pterano pulls the flesh out. It has a flaky texture. The other two notice as well.
"Hmm," Pterano ponders. "This fish seems to have a much different texture and taste."
"Yes, it's quite good like this!" Rinkus happily speaks up. "I wish I knew why..."
Sierra picks out strange globular particles and flicks them away.
"If it means picking these weird rocks out, I'll pass," Sierra said without enthusiasm.
Their meal is interrupted by a bright white object streaking across the sky. It's followed by smaller fragments. Rinkus and Sierra are worried it might land on their heads and cower. Pterano watches, with a wing up to obscure the glare, as the meteor lands in the distance. A flash is seen as it slams into the ground.
"That's it," Pterano said with new realization.
"That's what?" Sierra mocked.
"The flash," Pterano said. "It's similar to the one we all witnessed that fateful night."
Rinkus and Sierra shrug as they finish their fish in one big bite. Pterano prepares to search for the object. They quickly find the newly formed crater from the sky. It's still pulsing with thermal energy as they land in the vicinity. Rinkus and Sierra brave the heat and walk up to the rock to try and touch it. Pterano pulls them back.
"No, don't touch it!" Pterano cries out.
"And why not!" Rinkus yells in frustration.
"Yeah, Toronto," Sierra angrily said, "we're here, might as well touch the damn thing."
"It's Pterano, and go ahead, touch it. Just don't whine when you burn your wings away," Pterano condescendingly replied. "Besides. There will be another, and hopefully that one will be the one to grant us wondrous powers. The big event that ended our world! The Fallen Star!"
"Oh," the two flyers replied together.
They back away to admire the contents of the crater for a little longer. Pterano cuts their viewing time as they lose daylight under the obscured sky. As they fly into the distance, a couple of rainbowfaces come out of hiding. The entrance to their underground cavern was hidden as a natural rock feature. After checking to make sure nobody else is in the area, they pull strange tools out of the hidden entrance. The rainbowfaces measure and analyze the fresh crater and its contents.
Further to the north, the longneck herd continues their search for a semi-permanent home. The leader wonders if the flyer group was lying or exaggerating about the refuge they so desperately need. There's no sign of it.
"A few days my tail," the longneck leader said angrily. "At this rate we'll all fall before reaching it."
"Excuse me, may I speak?" Bron politely asked.
"You may," she said in irritation.
"If we can't find this refuge the flyers speak of, might we search for The Great Valley instead?" Bron asked.
"Ha. Maybe in our dreams," she replied. "The Great Valley is nothing more than a story."
"But, I know the way, sorta," Bron said in a hushed tone. "The rainbow faces told me."
"Those weirdos?" the longneck leader said while trying not to burst into laughter. "They're all just a bunch of storytellers. Nothing they say should be believed."
"I'd like to know the directions, Bron," Littlefoot's mother said.
"Let's see," Bron replied while recalling the information. "I believe they told me to follow the great circle past the rock that looks like a longneck and past the mountains that burn."
"Even the directions sound like a children's story!" the longneck leader blurts out. "You'd be a fool to follow them. It'll lead to your death."
Bron feels discouraged and embarrassed for even bringing it up. His traveling companions don't think so.
"Between you and me, it's a good story," Littlefoot's grandfather said. "Does this valley exist? I don't know."
"But maybe keep it on the down low," Littlefoot's grandmother replies. "It's upsetting the rest of the herd."
"It's a nice backup plan...just in case," Littlefoot's mother said.
Bron nods and decides to stay quiet. The last thing he needed was to upset the herd leader enough to kick him, and his traveling companions, out to fend for themselves in the wastelands.
A few meteors streak overhead in the dingy sky as night approaches. So far there are no signs of The Sharptooth. The longneck herd hoped they lost him while sheltering from the sandstorm. Nights out in the open have been colder than usual. With the sun mostly blocked out and the surrounding areas suffering from desertification, even the daylight hours are cooler than what everyone experienced in the past. The longneck herd huddles closer together for warmth and safety each night. Ozzy and Strut are still trailing behind, forced to stay on the outside for fear of being chased off or trampled. They're the only two of their kind known in all their travels. They fear they're the only two left from the disaster. The brothers do their best to cope with that unfortunate fact. During frigid nights they survive in the open by digging small ditches or huddling up next to the sparse rock features.
Much further north, the threehorn herd deals with flash floods from sudden deluges. Many are wiped out and buried under mud flows in old riverbeds. White-out blizzards take over for the monsoon-like rains when the temperature drops enough. Such conditions wipe out most of the herd. Thin ice forms over pools of flood water. The heavy threehorns fall through. They can't climb out from the thin ice cracking as they thrash in the water. Cera's father barely manages to make it out of the cold snap. There were days he thought was going to die in the white hell his herd led everyone into.
Groups of small sharpteeth band together to stay safe from the larger, scarier version wandering around, picking off the weakest and slowest in the herds. The Sharptooth has gained quite a reputation, even among his own kind. As a cold blooded killer who will stop at nothing to take what he wants from the weak. He chases the smallest away from their meals to claim the remains all to himself. Some are even slaughtered and consumed for defending their hard-earned food sources. Many learn to leave or hide when the huge Sharptooth makes his presence known.
Eventually the dwindling longneck herd finds the place the flyer described weeks ago. Their numbers dropped significantly from a few hundred strong down to less than fifty individuals. Starvation, dehydration, hostile environments and consistently being preyed on took its toll. The canyon entrance is barely big enough to allow such large creatures through. They manage it in a single file, and by taking it slow. Not all make it, though. The Sharptooth seemingly appears out of nowhere. He pulls the last longneck escaping into the canyon out by its tail. Those closest to the looming danger panic. Screams echo back and forth like a reverberating nightmare on the rock walls. Those in the front can't move any faster, let alone turn around in the narrow path to help. The Sharptooth ignores the young adult longneck he pulled out of the narrow canyon. He left it to struggle in the sand. In his greed, The Sharptooth attempted to grab another in the narrow passageway. Luckily, he can't fit into the canyon due to being too wide from gorging himself on other dinosaurs. It doesn't stop him from snapping at the air for another tail.
A loud screech is heard in the background which grabs The Sharptooth's attention. As he backs out, he almost gets his chest stuck in the crevasse. The Giant Flyer has landed to steal the struggling longneck away. With her spear-like beak, she stabs at the victim, missing every time the longneck flails its limbs in defense. Her beak stabs into the ground, becoming trapped in the hard dirt, a handful of times. The Sharptooth won't put up with thieves despite being one himself. The Giant Flyer notices a large, dark green creature charging in her general direction. At the last second, she leaps into the sky before the jaws of death clamp down to shred a wing or two. Triumphant, The Sharptooth turns his attention to the struggling victim on the ground before moving on.
At the end of the narrow passageway, the longnecks find a surprisingly large rock chamber. There's plenty of space for a couple hundred large visitors and more than enough food. Not enough to be a permanent dwelling, but enough to take a well-needed break from the harsh outside world. There's a variety of plants growing all along the walls and around natural water features flowing through the cavern. Trees grow where the sunlight shines the most consistently. The raining fire didn't ruin this place due to a rock roof overhanging most of it. There are enough cracks to let rain and light in. Thankfully not much else. Rainbowfaces wander around in the background. One approaches the herd.
"You're welcome to stay," the approaching rainbowface said. "This is our home, so please treat it with respect."
"And please don't eat everything…," a rainbowface in the background murmured.
"Thank you, rainbowface," the longneck herd leader replied in exhaustion.
The terms are agreed to and the herd stays for a well-needed break from the hard journey. Bron notices that this cavern is quite similar to the one he fell into by accident. It even had the blue glow along the walls and ceiling in the darkest corners. He wonders how many more hidden green places exist out there. With rainbowfaces in each one, no less. Bron drifts into sleep with these thoughts in his head next to his mate.
A few flyers find the sheltered area as a means to wait out The Giant Flyer circling. The screeching can be heard above their shelter. She even attempts to stab her beak into the small cracks in the ceiling. It unnerves the inhabitants. The Giant Flyer eventually gives up. The flyers hang out for a couple of weeks to make sure she leaves the area. Having a decent source of water didn't hurt, either. Talk of The Great Valley ramps up as many are desperate for a permanent home, sheltered from the outside dangers. Even those who thought it was just a story started to make plans to head west in search of it.
There's nothing left to lose for many. Petrie's mother is part of the flyer group. She is now partnered up with a male flyer. Pterano hasn't been seen for ages. She assumes her brother foolishly perished by chasing the flash on the southeastern horizon. Everyone is surprised when Pterano does show his face. They're preparing to leave within the day and don't want Pterano, or his crazy ideas, around. Pterano, worse for wear and without his companions, begs to join them.
"Please let me join. I beg you from the bottom of my heart," Pterano shamelessly begged. "I'm all alone."
"Why should we, Pterano?" his sister replied. "You left with two other flyers only to return without them."
"I can explain. Please," Pterano continued to plead.
"Make it quick," she sighed. "We're about ready to take off."
Pterano takes a deep breath before recounting his journey.
"A terrible storm separated us. I've never experienced anything like it. It came so suddenly it almost knocked me out of the sky while searching for shelter," Pterano said, recounting his travels. "Once the storm passed, Sierra and Rinkus were nowhere to be found. The storm must have pushed them far off course."
"Is that it?" Petrie's mother asked.
"No," Pterano said. "I actually found what I was looking for."
Pterano opens a closed hand to reveal a clear crystal.
"Oh no. Do not start with me, Pterano!" his sister screeched. "I've had enough of your lies."
The male she started traveling with called out for her.
"Sweetie, it's time to go," he said.
"If you haven't given up on this newfound nonsense by the next time we run into each other," Petrie's mother quickly said in anger. "...I never want to see you again."
She flies off, leaving Pterano alone with his thoughts. He stares at the crystal in his claws. The rainbowfaces have been eavesdropping and are quite interesting in hearing the rest of this strange journey. They wanted confirmation that this flyer had somehow flown to the impact crater and lived to tell about it.
"If you don't mind, we'd like to hear about the rest of your journey," a rainbowface said, startling Pterano out of deep thought.
"In return, we'd let you stay an extra couple of weeks," another rainbowface chimed in.
"I'll tell you the rest," Pterano said. "Only because you're so willing to listen to my grand story."
After giving up on finding his two companions, Pterano decided to continue the journey. Maybe Sierra and Rinkus made it first, but there was no such luck. What he did find was spectacular. It was a newly formed ring structure in the shallow sea. It sprawled out as far as the eye could see, well past the horizon. The center was full of steaming sea water. Even while trying to fly higher into the sky, Pterano couldn't view the entire ring. He crash-landed into the rocks that formed the ring structure. Pterano was too exhausted to stay aloft after flying for thousands of miles without a break. He wouldn't dare fly past the ring for fear of falling into the ocean. A sparkle on the ground catches his eye. It's a piece of clear crystal. As Pterano picks it up to take a closer look, it catches the light just right to have a slight glow. The sun peeked out behind the clouds long enough to shine on the crystal. Pterano took it as another sign. A sign that The Fallen Star wanted him to have this object as proof of his journey. He also believed it would be the object to grant enough power to make the return journey.
"The Fallen Star was gracious enough to lend me enough power to fly back to tell the tale," Pterano said. "I couldn't make it to the true center for the full effect. I...I don't know if anyone should."
The rainbowfaces listening were amused with his little tale. A couple had to walk away before bursting out into laughter. One was interested in the crystal Pterano brought back.
"Can I take a closer look at that shiny rock?" a curious rainbowface asked.
Pterano shrugs and hands it over. The rainbowfaces gathered around to check it out. They're impressed with it and outline certain features with their claws. Pterano noticed they were looking at it quite close. Maybe a little too close. Afraid they might steal this precious gift, he asked for it back.
"Can I have it back now?" Pterano quickly asked. "It means a lot to me."
As the rainbowfaces hand back the crystal, they notice how dirty, scratched up and emaciated Pterano became from the long flight.
"Thanks for telling us about the rest of your journey," a rainbowface gratefully said. "Now go get something to eat."
Once Pterano was out of earshot, the rainbow faces talked among themselves about the discovery. They agreed many research teams will need to be dispatched due to the sheer size of the impact crater. They also wanted confirmation from above, way above the clouds, once the sky was clear enough for a full visual. It would be impressive to not only view at ground level but also far above the atmosphere. The rainbowfaces quickly drop the subject and disperse when a longneck strolls by.
Far to the east, Rinkus and Sierra have been searching for their way home. They're hopelessly lost. At least the storm deposited them on the shoreline instead of being blown out into the ocean to drown. With almost no energy to keep flying, they settle down on a beach. Dead sea creatures were washed ashore from the storm. They dot the beach. Rinkus picks up a starfish to gnaw on.
"That was the worst storm ever," Rinkus said while coughing up sand. "Do you think Pterano survived it too?"
"If he didn't crash into the ocean, sure. We managed," Sierra said. "He may have even accepted that great power he babbled about."
"Should we go find him?" Rinkus asked.
Sierra gazes down at the beach. There are no signs of life anywhere. Just the dead sea creatures along the shore. Even the trees were gone. Large ripples etched into the sand where the water forcefully flowed.
"I say we let him find us," Sierra finally said.
He digs out a nearby fish from the sand. Sierra quietly complains about the strange globular stones in the fish as he picks them out. It'll take years before Rinkus and Sierra find their way back west. They have their own misadventures on an island archipelago along the eastern continent.
Author Notes: Pterano was certainly busy while he was away. Too bad only the rainbowfaces might believe his story.