Chapter One: All Is Found
Many years ago, on the Mysterious Island, a small Chomper walked along the beach, his mother, Charity was close by. She watched him with a bright smile across her muzzle. To her, Chomper was their pride and joy, a gift to make their family whole. He ran along the sand, the waves flowing in gently, Chomper walking out, only to run back, making a game out of the turning of the tide. When he stopped and plucked something from the sand, he walked back to Charity.
"Look mommy, I found something," Chomper stated with glee, holding the shell out for her to see.
"Why, it's lovely." She leaned down and admired the shell.
"I think I'll add this one to my collection of neat things."
They walked on and went back to their nest when it was close to sunset. Chomper's father, Chance returned, bringing a body with him. When he arrived, Charity nuzzled his nose to his muzzle. "Welcome back, dear."
"Good to be back." He turned to the body. "I think this will do us for a few days."
"Yes, next time I'll go out to hunt."
Chomper scurried to welcome his father and sniffed over the carcass. Blood covered the pink flesh, flies buzzing around it, and several cuts and bite marks were all over the body. The parents dug in and their maws were messy with the red crimson, the bits of meat hanging from their mouths. Chance saw Chomper didn't touch it, only staring at it with wide eyes.
"Son, what are you waiting for, dig in." Ripping some flesh off, he chewed and swallowed. "You don't have to worry about it running away, I took care of that." Chance joked though Chomper didn't even smile at the crude statement, only swallowing hard.
Taking a few breaths, he spoke up. "I umm, it's just… it is a long neck."
"So?"
"So, it reminds me of my longneck friend, Littlefoot," Chomper answered, tapping his claws together. "He hatched me, feels like a brother to me."
"Look, son, the leaf eaters are food."
"Yeah, but the plants they eat aren't living, unlike our food. Least, not that I know of."
"Chomper, how many times must we go through this? If you don't eat, you'll starve, and die."
"Yeah, but there must be another way-"
"There is no other way. We kill off the weakest, oldest, that way the strong may survive." Chance spoke, becoming agitated, for they went through the same conversation several times after his hunt.
"Yeah, but it still feels wrong."
"You'll eat this meat or find your own food."
Chomper huffed and clenched his hands into small fists. "Fine, I'll go find some creepy crawls, at least I won't have to feel bad about eating them."
"You can't live on them forever! You'll grow, need more than bugs to survive." Chance called after his son, who stomped off into the jungle. With him gone, he turned to Charity. "What are we going to do with that boy, Charity? I swear if he doesn't eat properly, he'll never grow to become big and strong like us."
"Chance, let me talk to him." She nudged him playfully.
"Yeah, you're better at dealing with him than I am. I know he thinks I'm being harsh. I only want what's best for him. You know as well as I do one must be big and strong to survive in the Mysterious Beyond. Especially with that Red Claw fella, ever since he took over as Alpha, none are safe from his wrath. And for some odd reason, he has it out for our son." Chance said, taking a deep steady breath. "I hate to think Chomper will be ill-prepared."
"I know, I worry too."
Charity went after Chomper and found him sitting on the beach, gazing across the horizon of the Big Water. He sniffed and was crying, shoulders shaking. It pained her to see him cry, feeling bad for not being like them, or any sharptooth for that matter. The sad truth was, he'd never be like them, ever.
When he heard her thunderous footsteps, he glanced back at her. "Dad's ashamed of me, for not being like him. I tried, but I can't seem to kill a flat tooth. Dad will never be happy with me until I hunt, kill, and act like him. I don't know what's wrong with me. Why I'm unable to do what we were made to do."
"Well, you have to look at it differently. Think of it like this, life is a circle, an endless shape, going round and round. It's starts at your birth, goes through your life and even after your death. Everything is connected, always changing and shifting. The plant eaters are who they are, just as we are, who we are, we can't change that, but we can still find balance and beauty in it." Sitting by him, she picked him up and held him close. "Chomper, you can't help who you are, or change it. There are some things out of your control, such as how the waves flow. How the bright circle rises and falls. There are so many wonders that we don't understand."
"I wish I knew why I'm like this, learned the answer so I can figure out how to change. Cause if I don't, dad will be mad at me forever. I'll bring shame to both of you."
Nuzzling him, she smiled. "No matter whom you turn out to be, I'll always be proud of you."
"You're my mother, you have to love me," Chomper said in a joking manner.
"True, but only the Unknown knows." Her eyes looked to the horizon.
"The Unknown, what's that?"
She held a small grin, eyes sparkling. "Beyond the Mysterious Beyond, across the Big Water, lies the Unknown."
"The Unknown, can you tell me about it?"
Rocking Chomper, she thought of a lullaby she'd sing to him when he was inside his egg. Chomper's eyes were wide with curiosity, burrowing close to her beating heart.
Charity:
"Where the north wind meets the sea,
There's a river full of memories,
Sleep my darling safe and sound,
For in this river, all is found,
In her waters deep and true,
Lie the answers and a path for you,
Dive down deeply to her sound,
But not too far or you'll be drowned,
Yes, she will sing to those who hear,
And in her song, all magic flows,
But can you brave what you most fear?
Can you face what the river knows,
Where the north wind meets the sea,
There's a mother full of memory,
Come my Chomper homeward bound,
When all is lost, all is found."
Her voice was tender and soothing, Chomper feeling better, never truly understanding what the song meant. It always put him to sleep, burrowing into his mother, knowing so long as she was there, he'd be safe, loved, and understood. Between the pair of them, he was closer to her, going to her whenever he needed a good talk. He loved his father, but they didn't always see eye to eye, that was till his dad helped defend his friends from the sharptooth who got trapped on their island home. After that, Chomper held a new appreciation for his old male, who like his mother wanted what was best for him.
They left the Mysterious Island and headed across the Mysterious Beyond, Chomper not knowing why. On the trip he was distracted when a set of fluttering flies passing him by, giving chase and falling into a pound, sinking in the pool. He'd been lost if not for a fastrunner girl, Ruby, who saved him and became his friend. The pair were urged by their parents to head to the Great Valley, a place where they'd be safe from Red Claw. Red Claw along with his fast-biter friends, Screech and Thud, kept everyone on guard, attacking whenever and wherever they felt the need to do so. The trio despised Chomper, for Chomper would tell the plant-eaters before the three could strike, which irritated them to no end.
Separated from their parents, Ruby and Chomper left for the Valley and lived there for several years, till Chomper grew and found it difficult to quench his hunger. To make matters worse, Hyp, who had feelings for Ruby, made it his mission to get Chomper kicked out, which unfortunately worked and Chomper was villainized by the many leaf-eaters and eventually driven away. It was a short time after he'd been run out of the Great Valley, uncertain what to do and quite frankly, was lost as it were when he reunited with his parents. He felt a weight lifted from his shoulders, knowing they'd be there for him, and help him survive.