Chapter Fifteen: Enemy at the Great Wall
Waves crashed against the beach; gray clouds hung across the sky. Thunder boomed, and lightning flashed, causing a disturbance in the usually calm Big Water. On the pebbled beach, Chomper stood gazing out with a determined look. With a deep breath, he ran forward and entered the water, the tide pushing him back into the shore. Rolling over and landing on his feet, Chomper huffed and tried again, having the same result.
After a few more times, he went for it and dove in, shoving against the waves, able to sink and swim out farther than before. Above him, water rolled over and spun him, making it hard to figure out whether he was facing the surface or sea bed. Able to get himself together, he kicked his feet and burst through the surface, inhaling and filling his lungs.
A wave flew over and submerged him again, forcing him under and floating in the dark sea. When he felt he was alone, he saw a shape, fearing it was the swimming sharptooth. Yet when it got closer, he saw it was a familiar face.
It was Mo, who assisted Chomper above the water. Mo made his odd sound, looking to an exhausted Chomper. "What mud brother doing in Big Water?"
"Mo, I need to reach the other side, do you know if there is land across the Big Water?" Chomper kicked his legs, keeping his neck and head above the water.
"Yes, but you no can swim that far."
"I have to, it's a matter of life or death."
Mo was quiet, swimming below and out of sight. When Chomper thought Mo left, he returned, pushing what looked to be a truck of a tree, one big enough to hold and keep Chomper afloat. "Here, should help Mud Brother."
"Thanks, Mo, you're a lifesaver." Clinging to it, Chomper was able to move easier.
Mo took the lead, his fin above for Chomper to follow. The storm passed the farther they went, the bright circle seen and pouring light down on them. It was quite a sight, a sharptooth, swimming and the only thing to be seen for miles. The light rippled along the waves, Chomper finding it hard to tell what separated the water from the blue sky, if only Ruby was there, she'd find it lovely. But he had to do this alone, needed to keep her safe within the Valley.
"How much farther Mo?"
"Not too much now," Mo said, jumping out of the water, and soaring over Chomper, who smiled. There was a splash and Mo was under, coming up and moving back on his tail. "Mud Brother, something coming!"
"What kind of thing?" Chomper asked with worry, not thinking about the danger of being out in the middle of the Big Water, where no one knew what lurked below.
"It Mosses, he come to try and hurt you!"
"Mosses? Who's that?"
"He big, very big!"
"Mo, leave, save yourself, I'll distract him for you."
"But can't leave you."
"Yes, you can, now go." Taking a breath, Chomper dove to see who this, Mosses was, watching Mo swim off.
Chomper scanned the great abyss and sank deeper till her saw a massive body, one large, with four fins, a great body, and a massive head. A set of jaws opened, Chomper lunging back to escape a bit to his body. Mosses made a U-turn and headed right for Chomper, who went to duck again, only to feel a jaw nab his tail, yanking him down and farther from the surface. Down, and down he went, knowing he was alone, that no one could save him.
It had been several days since Chomper left across the Big Water, Screech looking to Thud. The waves moved up the beach, hitting their feet. While he got a bad feeling, Thud had them stay a few more days, hoping for the best. Though, there was still see no sign of Chomper.
"Thud, he should've come back by now, right?" Screech got no reply. "Perhaps we should carry out his final wishes, and break the bad news to Mrs. Boss."
"I hate to admit it, but you're right, let's move." Turning from the Big Water, Thud headed back to the Valley.
They traveled by night, resting only for a bit before pressing on. Following the landmarks, they swept passed the rock that looked like a long neck, crossed the Mountains that burned, and found themselves outside the great wall. Heading to the Valley, they managed to enter unnoticed and sought out Ruby and Chomper's friends.
The group was by themselves, talking, of course, the pair could care less since they couldn't even understand them. They left the brush, scaring the gang. The flyer leaped up into the duckbill's arms, the three-horn dropping her head to shield the longneck. The pair of spik tails simply froze, Littlefoot was the only one unfazed.
"Screech, Thud, I wonder where they were this whole time?"
"Why are they here? I thought they'd be with Chomper." Cera asked, seeing the two look for Ruby, who wasn't among them.
"The boss, well, he hasn't come back," Screech spoke, pausing and trying to think of how to put it where the gang might understand him. "Crap, they don't speak sharptooth."
"I-is, he trying to talk to us?" Littlefoot wondered, peering down to watch Screech gesture about while he roared.
"Great, the one time we need Chomper, and he isn't here. I'll have to yell at him next time I see him."
"You yell at him for stating his hunger," Petrie muttered softly, leaning close to Ducky, who nodded.
"What did you say, flyer?"
"Nothing, me say nothing."
"You better not have, else I'll jab my horn right up your tail and-"
"-Guys, please, we have to figure out what they're trying to tell us." Littlefoot said, coming between an angry Cera and a cowering Petrie.
"This ain't getting through to them, Thud, not one bit."
"I hate to admit it, but you're right, Screech." Thud studied the group's faces, knowing none understood them "This is hopeless, they don't understand us."
"What are they saying?" Littlefoot inquired. "What do they want us to know?"
"Me not know, but they seem upset," Petrie added, getting a sense they seem distressed.
"Where is Chomper?" Ducky asked, trying to communicate by gestures and mimicking Chomper's moves. "Chomper, where is he?" She repeated, continuing her odd movement.
"Yeah right, Ducky, like they can understand that, Ducky." Cera said, shaking her head at Ducky's attempts to get through to them.
Screech arched a brow. "What's that bigmouth doing?"
"Wondering about the boss. She's trying to match his moves." Thud caught on, pointing to her, then, making a wave motion with his arm. "Okay, he crossed Big Water." Moving his arms, pretending to swim, he hoped she understood.
Ducky watched Thud, doing her best to translate his gestures to the rest. When it sank in, she lit up. "That's it! Chomper crossed the Big Water, he has, he has. They haven't seen him and fear for the worst!" Ducky exclaimed, taking everyone by surprise.
Out of the silence, Cera spoke. "How can that be, there's nothing beyond the Big Water, it just goes on and on, till, I don't know. It just drops off or something."
"Who can say, but if Chomper is gone, we must prepare for the worst." Littlefoot spoke bravely, pushing his grief aside.
While all of them we talking, Tippy glanced around with a curious expression. "Hate to interrupt, but has anyone seen Ruby lately?" Tippy piped up, noticing she'd been gone for the past few days before.
"I think she was spending time with her parents," Ducky answered.
"Still, it odd, we no see her," Petrie added. "She usually pop over to say hi."
"Yeah, where is Mrs. Boss? We need to break the news to her." Screech said, not even picking up on her scent.
Ducky shook her head when Thud gestured the whereabouts of Ruby. "Great, now she's not here."
Rolling her eyes and sighing, Cera spoke gruffly. "Oh, calm down everyone. I bet she's off sulking, missing her precious Chomper."
Ducky: "Yes, but she should know he might not come back, no, no, no."
Petrie: "Ducky right, if Ruby learns Chomper is gone for good, she, well…Might not take it well."
Littlefoot: "Right, Ducky, you and Petrie along with Screech, go look for Ruby."
"What should we do?" Tippy asked Littlefoot, wanting to help.
"You guys search the Valley, Cera and I will go with Thud, he might be able to track her scent and lead us to her."
"Okay." All agreed to the order.
Littlefoot went to walk when something shot down from the sky, landing on his face. With a gasp of surprise, he realized it was none other than Guido, their green-feathered glider friend. "Guido, how nice of you to drop in."
"Literally." Cera quipped.
"Yeah, well, I wish it were under better circumstances." Guido fluttered down, standing amid the gang. "I was flying, well, gliding, of course, I was gliding."
Cera: "Does this have a point?"
Littlefoot: "Cera, let Guido finish."
Guido: "Anyway, and then, well, I saw it, saw it with my own eyes."
Cera: "Well, who else eyes would you see with it."
"Cera, please let him speak," Ducky spoke, patting for Cera to quiet down.
"Right, well, I saw her, the fastrunner, captured, by a group of meat-eaters, different kinds working together."
"That's where Ruby went," Tippy added, Spike, nodding to the statement. "She must've gone to find Chomper and got caught by that killer pack."
"That's bad, for now they have leverage and can make demands of Chomper, er uh, us." Littlefoot held a concerned look. "If Ruby is in danger, we must go out and save her."
"What, leave Great Valley?" Petrie panicked trembling slightly.
"Show some backbone, we can do it. Let's not forget how many times we left before. And we were just kids back then."
"Right, the search mission is now a rescue mission, so let's go."
Littlefoot took the lead, Cera by his side. She wasn't one to let other know she was worried, but she spoke softly. "Littlefoot, we're going up against fierce sharpteeth, how do you think we'll do?"
"Then we give it all we've got." Littlefoot encouraged, nuzzling her head frill.
While the pair were in front, Spike and Tippy took up the rear, Petrie, and Guido taking to the sky, Ducky looking up to Petrie while she went. Out of a narrow passage, they went, moving the rocks aside to exit. When they reached the other side, they were shocked by what they saw, the group Guido described, waiting for them, Ruby held back by the finned sharptooth.
"Ruby!" Littlefoot called, seeing the group approach them. "Are you okay?"
"Littlefoot, I'm unharmed!" Ruby called back.
Stephany glared at them, tightening her grip on Ruby. "Tell them to stop hiding that wimp and hand him over."
"Littlefoot, has Chomper returned?" Ruby asked, to which Littlefoot shook his head. Switching to sharptooth, she spoke. "H-he's not there."
"What? He has to be there, where else would he be? Ask them, ask those fools where he is?"
"If he's not in the Great Valley, where is he?"
Littlefoot took a deep breath, knowing it was time to tell the truth. "He went to try and cross the Big Water. Screech and Thud haven't seen him for a while. I'm sorry, Ruby, I should've told you sooner."
Ruby tried not to break, knowing there was a real possibility that Chomper was gone for good. Though she couldn't let Stephany know that, and deep down, she didn't want to believe it either. Changing to sharptooth, she spoke. "Well, he's not in the Great Valley. He went to the Big Water to eat, and might not be back for a few more days."
"If he's not there Stephany, then the plan is ruined." Added Frank franticly.
"Perhaps not. I say, we go forth and kill those fools. That way, when he does return, he'll see what happens when one flees a fight from the true Alpha. He'll learn a good lesson when he come upon their mutilated bodies." Stephany raised her free hand and snapped her fingers, signaling for them to attack.
Darting by her, they went for the gang. Unguarded, Ruby tried to escape. Stephany saw this and moved quickly, grabbing Ruby's arm, and held her there. "Don't harm them!" Ruby shouted, helpless to stop the larger predator. "Please, call them off!"
"Your friends are not prepared for the likes of us."
"My friends are stronger than you think."
"My pack is greater than you're weakling friends. They will break and there's nothing you can do about it. You, nor that wimpy sharptooth." Stephany said, laughing a little. "This is the end, now, I just want you watch."
Ruby glanced from Stephany then to the pack, who surround her friends, preparing to attack them. Eyes welling with tears, Ruby wished there was a way for here to be evenly matched, to be able to defend them. Then she thought about Chomper, if there was ever a reason for him to show up, it'd be that moment.
