Hello everyone ... Well, this chapter will answer some questions you all might have about how interspecies reproduction works in this fanfic. Needless to say, the rules here are different than real life, so don't quote my fanfic on a biology paper unless you want to fail the class! But the Land Before Time universe itself is so riddled with scientific inaccuracies that I don't feel it's a stretch to establish another one here, especially considering the allegory of different species as different races that was plainly established ever since the first movie, and that interspecies marriages and mixed-species children are the logical next steps to take it as we follow our heroes to adulthood. But I feel it's important to establish some ground rules, and of course, explain why there are so few interspecies couples in the LBT universe.
Apart from that, this chapter takes place contemporaneously with the last two, though the events here all end the day before Ducky and Petrie's Dispo incident from last time.
Please feel free to fav/follow/review, I always appreciate feedback to encourage me to keep writing.
And as always, The Land Before Time and its universe belong to Universal.
Chapter 14 – Love, Life and Fear
Littlefoot made his way back to the nest, his head spinning with the day's events. For the second time in as many herd meetings, Mr. Thicknose had come under fire. And once again, his father and father-in-law engaged in a blistering conflict. Adding in the nasty fight Pterano and Mr. Threehorn had, it was no wonder how the elders' tensions had even seeped into his group of friends.
His thoughts turned to his mate. Knowing what Cera was like when she was mad, Littlefoot knew the first thing Cera needed was someone to vent to. All the while, he focused on keeping himself calm and supportive, mentally preparing himself for the inevitable jabs that would fly.
He returned to their nest to find that Ann wisely had left, and Cera was lying on the knoll with a big scowl on her face. "Hmph! I'm surprised to see you show up!"
And to his surprise, Cera backed up and abruptly pinned him to the ground. "What do you think you're playing at? I told you to keep my Dad's past a secret!"
"What … Oh," Littlefoot said, remembering the promise he made to her when she told his secret to him. "But … I didn't do it! Cera, think! Why would I tell Pterano anything?"
"Hmm … Oh I don't know, maybe you told your wingbrain friend and he goes flying off to his dearest uncle …" Cera began, but Littlefoot cut her off.
"But I didn't!" he protested, but Cera still did not budge.
"What makes you think I want to see you? Why aren't you hanging out with your flatheaded brother and dad, laughing with them at my dad!" Cera raged on.
"Cera, I would never do that!" Littlefoot shouted, not angrily but firmly, causing Cera to pause. "I made a vow to be your mate, remember? That means you're my one and only love. I will never care for anyone, even my dad and brother, the way I care about you! And that also means if you want a share a secret with me, I promise I will always keep it. I will never violate your trust Cera, ever … Because I love you too much …"
Cera's grip slackened, allowing Littlefoot to get up. "I don't know how Pterano figured it out," Littlefoot said. "But I promise you it didn't come from me. With all my heart."
Cera couldn't help but smirk. "You're so mushy, flathead," she said teasingly. "But I like that about you," she added giving Littlefoot a playful lick, before her eyes narrowed again. "Not like that wingbrain. What do you think he was playing at, getting under Dad's skin like that? Not to mention humiliating him in front of the whole Valley! Why the sharptooth dirt would he do that?"
But then Littlefoot heard in his head something his grandfather once said to him:
"Sometimes fear makes grown-ups do strange things."
Littlefoot paused, and suddenly, through this lens, why Pterano was so intent on attacking and humiliating Cera's dad made sense. As he tried piecing this all together, he felt Cera's expectant eyes on him. "You're thinking something, Littlefoot! What is it?"
"Well," Littlefoot said slowly, "I think Pterano's afraid of your dad."
Cera snorted. "Well, he better be! My dad could just beat his sorry wingbrain into a pulp if he wanted! And he only made things worse for himself."
"Well yeah," Littlefoot said. "But I think … You know how Pterano's always thought about who should be in charge of the herd? I think he feels he has to protect the Valley from … Your dad being in charge," Littlefoot said awkwardly.
Cera stared and paused before smirking. "Who's he to worry about my dad being in charge? Look at his bad record!"
"I know, but …" Littlefoot paused, knowing he had to tread lightly here but bravely continuing. "Well, you'd have to admit things would be a lot worse if your dad had his way, right? You probably wouldn't get to know me or any of the others in the first place. And even if you did, you wouldn't be here if my Grandpa wasn't there to save you from following him into the fire! And if the herds split up after the swarming gobblers invaded like he wanted, you yourself said you'd be stuck with a bunch of bossy threehorns in the Mysterious Beyond!"
"Oh please, Littlefoot! That was a long, long time ago! Yes, Daddy made some big mistakes, but he's learned from them! It's not like he's gonna do something that stupid again." Cera retorted.
"You don't think trying to stop us from getting married was stupid?" Littlefoot asked.
"Yeah it was, but it's not like he was the only one who tried to stop us!" Cera replied. "Even your grandparents tried betrothing you to Ali, and it had to take her and Tria's convincing to get them to stop!"
Littlefoot felt a moment of shock, incredulous as to the possibility his grandparents would think about taking away his free will like that. But remembering his grandparents' less than encouraging tone to the time he first floated the concept of interspecies marriage, and trusting Cera to know fully well she wouldn't be making this up, he asked, "Tria told you this? But why?"
Cera nodded. "Because they wanted to see you were married before they passed and that you weren't stuck in a courtship duel. I know they meant for the best Littlefoot, but they made a big mistake. But they learned from it, just like my dad did. And ultimately, what made them good herd leaders is that they kept on learning. And I'm sure my dad, even though he'd never admit it, would be just the same way."
Littlefoot was taken aback with Cera's wise comeback, impressed with her argument. "Wow Cera, that's … Real good thinking."
"I know," Cera smirked. "And that's why I'm sure Pterano's fears are just nonsense. My dad learns from his mistakes, and no way he'd be stupid enough to do all that stuff again."
"I hope you're right," Littlefoot smiled, feeling relieved, yet all the same he was not fully convinced. Even though Mr. Threehorn may have learned from many of his mistakes, his penchant for coming to quick conclusions, reckless decisions, and hotheaded reactions did not seem to change. Could he really be sure that Mr. Threehorn would never act foolishly again, only this time, without his grandparents to stop him?
He stopped, pondering whether he should say anything else to Cera. However, he realized it was best to let that thought slide for now. Arguing with Cera would only make her more stubborn, and she never responded to being proven wrong well, so he knew full well that the best way to convince Cera of something was to let her see it for herself. For now, it was best to wait and see how things played out.
He then turned his attention to Ann's eggs, lovingly cradled in their nest. "You saw how Ann's doing?"
Cera shrugged. "Eh, she's fine I guess. She was babying those eggs like crazy when I arrived. Then she saw I was mad and ran off."
"Yeah," Littlefoot said. "You reckon she's gonna keep the eggs then?"
"Yeah," Cera said simply.
Both paused awkwardly. Just yesterday, they had begun watching Ann's eggs in their nest, and over that time, they couldn't help but to be enchanted by the life energy they carried. And if they felt that way, they could hardly imagine how Ann felt with them. Just seeing how the formerly gruff, cranky, bullying member of Hyp's gang's heart melted in the presence of her eggs made them very intrigued. And no matter how hard they tried to put it aside, the inevitable question kept peppering them as their eyes kept getting drawn to the eggs. What would it be like if those were not Ann's eggs, but theirs?
Of course, neither one said anything to the other. Both knew they were daydreaming about something that most likely couldn't happen. They made their vows fully knowing this, knowing that if they were to ever have kids, it would most likely have to be through adoption or some kind of an extramarital arrangement. But what if? What if somehow, the two could have eggs of their own?
"You have deep questions, I see," came a voice. "And deep questions deserve answers."
Immediately, Littlefoot and Cera spun around, and to their surprise, they saw Neo the male rainbow face, nonchalantly standing in their nest as if he'd been watching them the entire time.
"What are you doing here?" Cera asked brusquely. "Have you been spying on us?"
"Well, it is obvious to me you two have burning questions inside," he said calmly. "And as you long don't tell my partner I am here, I can provide you with some answers."
"It is obvious to me that the two of you have been thinking the same thing," the rainbow face said matter-of-factly.
Littlefoot and Cera looked away from each other, feeling their faces grow hot. "You mean you can read minds now?" Cera barked.
"How do you know?" Littlefoot asked.
"That would be telling, wouldn't it?" he said simply. "But let me give you a full explanation of … The situation you are in. Now you each have two longnecks or two threehorns as parents, and obviously, the reproduction between them worked out, otherwise, you wouldn't be here. Same-species parents are overwhelmingly the most common in our world to preserve genetic consistency and the passing on of traits to future generations. And obviously, there are many limitations to reproduction, which exist for good reason. Obviously no one can create hatchlings from mating with green life or shiny stones for instance, for those are not forms of metazoic life. And at a later point in the evolutionary scheme of things, the ancestors of all saurian life separated from ancestors of those life forms such as buzzing stingers, tickly fuzzies, hoppers, and even later, belly draggers and shellbacks. While the biology behind this is a little more murky and there have been successes in the far distant past, it is evident that these life forms are now incompatible with saurians for producing further life."
He paused again, saying, "So we have established that on one hand, same-species relationships have the highest odds of reproductive compatibility due to their similar genetic codes, though the danger of inbreeding may always occur if the closest of relatives mate. And likewise, non-saurian life forms have no chance at success at reproduction with saurian ones because their genetic codes are so different. But in between those extremes is the gray area of the saurian, interspecies pair. A saurian of course is anyone of dinosaurian or pterosaurian …"
"What's a pterosaur?" Littlefoot interrupted curiously.
"Whoops," the rainbow face said. "Got carried away there. Let me rephrase that. A saurian is someone of a dinosaurian kind. Now over the millions of cold times, only a relative few interspecies saurian relationships have been consummated, though we are seeing signs that more are happening since word of you and your friends' exploits had begun to spread. However, the number of the children from these relationships making it to adulthood was low. These children were nearly always accidental, and had high rates of dying in the egg, physical deformities, or mental conditions. In addition, considering that herds were nearly always segregated before the five of you changed the world, adults often abandoned these children upon hatching for being a "bad egg", giving very few of them even the chance to make it to adulthood."
He paused before continuing, "Most successful was the mating of two kinds of similar dinosaurs, like domeheads and boneheads for instance, whose children are not common but are hardly unheard of, while sharptooth-flattooth relationships do not have a known case of success, except among flyers and flying sharpteeth. The few babies that made it to adulthood usually had a phenotype that overwhelmingly resembled one parent, wherein they integrated with that parent's kind, their parentage was kept secret, and if any hatchlings were born that remotely resembled the other kind, they were usually abandoned or worse. So historically, the instances of success happening are few. But who knows for certain in this big world of ours? The instances of interspecies friendships before you were also very few, let alone a group of five, later seven, different species, even including a sharptooth and notooth ... And there may even be certain factors that can ... Alter the success rate."
Littlefoot and Cera looked at each other in surprise. They expected a far clearer answer than this, even from the mysterious Rainbow Face, and the fact he was so cryptic about it caught their attention. "Needless to say I'm sure you would be concerned as to the child's ultimate welfare, and while I have hinted on it, I will now elaborate a bit more. The single most likely outcome for a given egg is that it would fail to develop due to genetic instability. And others, while they may hatch, may not be able to grow into healthy, full-fledged adults. But many dinosaurs lay eggs in clutches, and with more opportunities, the odds for a healthy egg rise significantly. It is also worth noting that most of these instances in the past were accidental pregnancies, as opposed to actual couples like yourselves, and thus, didn't take good care of their nests or involve more than a single episode of consummation."
Taking a breath, Neo continued, "While some babies do not make it, others are able to live healthy lives and may even carry their genes on to the next generation. Most commonly, the hatchlings who are able to pass their genes on strongly resemble one parent's kind, but could have slight traits of the other, for instance, a threehorn with a slightly elongated neck or a longneck with small bumps on the head. In this example, the mostly-threehorn and mostly-longneck can reproduce with threehorns and longnecks without issue, although there is a slight chance of an unusual egg in the future. For instance, a hatchling with a longneck phenotype could be born to two threehorn parents if there is a longneck in its bloodline somewhere, thus making the unusual example of a longneck with threehorn parents. And considering the few times this has been attempted, with the five of you being the first combined herd, who knows where the possibilities may end? That would be telling, wouldn't it?"
He paused before saying, "Well, I better be off. I may have let you in on far too much, but how else would you have a basic understanding of the possibilities and limits of saurian reproduction? Obviously no one with limited thinking would hope to understand. Farewell for now," he said cryptically before disappearing.
Littlefoot and Cera sat there, still stunned with their unexpected visit, their minds burning with questions. Though the odds of them potentially having hatchlings still seemed remote, the rainbow face consistently avoided shutting down the possibility of it happening. The fact that they had not been the only ones in time to have even thought about this, and the confirmation that successes have existed was more than they ever expected. And with this came a flood of possibilities. Could it really be possible that they could be the biological parents of happy, healthy hatchlings some cold times down the line?
Before they could give the idea much thought though, the news of the Old One's death had spread, and so Littlefoot and Cera spent the rest of the day and into the next attending the funeral, going to see Ali to make sure she was all right, and just feeling sad, especially knowing how Ali was feeling. Their thoughts were interrupted when they heard a rustling of leaves, before a large light blue threehorn strolled in.
"There you are," Monty said to Cera as Littlefoot shifted to block the eggs from view.
"What are you doing here?" Cera asked suspiciously. "How'd you know where we live?"
"Your dad," he said simply to Cera. "He needs help. Babysitting Tricia and her friends."
"Ugh, fine," Cera groaned and followed Monty out of the nest, leaving Littlefoot alone inside. But it wasn't long before Ann returned and asked to watch over the eggs, so Littlefoot was free to go find his other friends. Lifting his head above the trees, he saw Chomper and Ruby sprawled on the grass, watching the setting Bright Circle contentedly.
"Hi, you two," Littlefoot greeted them.
"Hey Littlefoot!" Chomper smiled. "How's it going?"
"Good, I think. Cera's doing a bit better. She's off to babysit Tricia and friends, so I'm free to see you guys."
"That's good," Chomper said. "Ruby and I are doing okay, right Ruby?"
"Yeah," Ruby said. "Today was a sad day, but it's a lot less of a sad day now that we get to see you."
"I'm just glad Ali's doing all right. Especially since I saw can smell that she and Shorty are still hanging out," Chomper cheekily smiled as the three of them couldn't help but gently laugh.
"Hey Chomper, can you smell the others?" Littlefoot asked.
Chomper sniffed the air. "Petrie and Guido are at Petrie's mom's place, along with the other flyers. But and Ducky and Spike are alone at Ducky and Petrie's nest!"
"Great. Why don't we go over there?" Littlefoot said brightly.
Chomper and Ruby agreed, and so they made the trek over there. They found Ducky and Spike talking together as they approached.
"So you spent last night with Sophie?" Ducky asked him excitedly as Spike gently nodded. "Spike, I am so happy for you, I am! Yep yep yep!" she exclaimed, giving him a big hug as Spike nodded happily. "Sophie is really nice, she is! And I know you will be happy, yep yep yep!"
Spike gave Ducky a lick, before his eyes fell on Littlefoot, Chomper, and Ruby, and he made a grunt of welcome. "Oh hi Littlefoot, Chomper, Ruby!" Ducky exclaimed. "Come and join us!"
They gladly did, so all five of them lay down together.
"So Ducky, how's Petrie?" Littlefoot asked hopefully.
"Oh, he is doing better, I think," Ducky said. "Petrie and I talked things over and now he sees why Cera is mad at his uncle. And well, we have realized something about his uncle, we have," Ducky sighed. "We think Petrie's uncle is good inside, but he does bad things when thinking about how he can improve the herd, he does. And that well … He does not think Mr. Thicknose can lead the herd, and he wants to become the herd leader because he's afraid of Cera's dad getting the job. I do not know Littlefoot ... Do you think that makes sense?"
"I think you're onto something," Littlefoot agreed. "Petrie's uncle is not at his best when he's thinking about who should lead the herd, is he? And he was pretty mean to Cera's dad. But I think …" he paused, before continuing, "Both Cera's dad and my dad are concerned about Mr. Thicknose too. They both asked me what I think about his leadership, and they didn't seem to feel good about it. And well, you can kinda see what they think of each other, particularly after all Cera's dad said. And knowing my dad and father-in-law, I don't think they'd be exactly happy if Pterano was in charge."
"How is Cera doing?" Ducky asked concernedly. "Where is she?"
"She's babysitting Tricia and friends," Littlefoot explained. "I tried telling her that Pterano acted the way he did probably because he's scared of her dad … Only she thinks there's nothing to be afraid of because he's learned from all his mistakes. And I can kinda see why, but … I don't know. I'm not really comfortable he wouldn't … Well, make another big mistake, only this time with no one to stop him."
"Yeah," Chomper said sadly. "He can be a bit of a hothead."
"He means well in what he does, but what he does doesn't turn out as well as what he means," Ruby reasoned.
"I would not like to see him mess up again, no no no," Ducky said, shaking her head as Spike grunted in agreement.
"Well, at least Petrie's not siding with Pterano anymore," Chomper exclaimed brightly. "Maybe now he'd say sorry for fighting."
"Yes, but Petrie would not like Cera and Shorty to rub his face in the mud, oh no no no," Ducky said. "They would say, "I told you Pterano is bad," they would."
"Well, I'll keep watch on Cera and see how she's doing," Littlefoot said before optimistically adding. "Who knows, maybe she's closer to apologizing than we think."
"What makes you say that?" Ruby asked, but the wrathful sound of an all-too familiar voice rang out.
"I better get back to the nest," Littlefoot said. "See you guys soon."
As Cera left Littlefoot and her nest, she followed Monty to her parents' sleeping spot. Sighing, Cera asked, "So what are Tricia and friends up to this time?"
Monty did not answer right away, but as they kept on walking, he turned to her again. "You're not gonna be babysitting," he said simply.
"Huh?" Cera asked confusedly. "Well in that case I'm going back to the nest," she said angrily, but Monty blocked her. "Come on Cera, your dad needs you!"
"For what? If he needed me that bad, how come he couldn't get me himself?" Cera said angrily.
"Well he's gotta respond to what happed in that meeting," Monty said matter-of-factly. "And he needs his family there. So he asked me to come get you. Sorry I had to trick you, I just couldn't let your boyfriend know what's going on."
Cera snorted, but the last thing she wanted to do was get into another fight with her dad.
"Fine," she grumbled as they ambled off toward her dad's sleeping spot.
When she arrived, Cera couldn't help but gasp. A mob had gathered, mostly threehorns from her old herd, who were standing in a tight-knit crowd, excitedly murmuring to one another. Monty escorted Cera over to a the side of a rock facing the crowd, next to Tria, who was trying but not altogether succeeding at concealing a pained expression on her face. But before Cera could say a word to her stepmother, the crowd cheered as she looked to her left and saw her father ascending the big rock right by them, nodding proudly to acknowledge their cheers before the crowd quieted down to let him speak.
"Thank you for gathering here," Mr. Threehorn surveyed the crowd determinedly, before pressing on. "Having attended the last herd meeting, I am sure you have all seen the destructive chaos that has come to our beloved Valley. And no one has been more outraged at the disorder ripping at the heart of our Great Valley than I. We must be prepared, for in our midst, there are dangers even worse than a sharptooth attack, and that we must simply stop at their source. Tonight, I will go over what happened at that meeting, the dangers we face… And where do we go from here."
Hushed silence occurred as Mr. Threehorn lifted his head up in the air and proudly declared, "As you all know, over the cold times I have striven to give my all to protect this Valley. I took it upon myself not just to raise my own daughters, but also to be at the center of all decisions regarding the Great Valley. Fighting alongside my son-in-law's grandparents and the other senior members of the Circle of Elders, we have been able to protect our way of life in the Great Valley in the fourteen cold times I've been here. We have overcome food and water shortages, times of indecision within the herd, and of course, fought against countless sharptooth attacks, all the while emerging from each battle stronger than before. I'm proud of this record of leadership, and I'm proud to stand by it."
Mr. Threehorn paused impressively as Cera stared at her father in surprise. Usually being one to get straight to the point, her father's grandiosity seemed oddly verbose. It was almost as if he had prepared the speech was giving for many cold times.
"We have achieved an impressive legacy in the Great Valley. But now with the unfortunate passing of the Longnecks, the time has come for us to face another reckoning. As Grandpa Longneck's most trusted advisor, I saw more than anyone else the impact he and his wife had on all of us. While we may not agree with the Longnecks on every regard, we must certainly appreciate that their intentions were always in the Valley's best interests. Something I took for granted at the time, but something I now see that is sorely lacking … In others …"
Topps' eyes narrowed as he glared defiantly. "I am of course speaking of a certain power-hungry flyer here. He may have learned something in his own way during his exile, but who we also know has a long history of lying, scheming, and manipulating. As a Valley elder with the Longnecks, one of the last decisions we made together was to allow Pterano to return to the Valley, under the hope that he may have changed himself. But unfortunately, his behavior at the meeting plainly shows he's still the same old Pterano."
He took a deep breath before roaring, "Pterano sunk to a new low in this meeting. Not only did he blatantly run over Thicknose and challenge my questioning, he went out of his way in attempting to ruin young Monty's character with his accusations, before turning on me, shaming my character without provocation, slandering my actions, and accusing me of being of all things, an usurper of the herd! Abusing all protocol and bringing dishonor on not just me and Monty, but onto all of us threehorns!"
Many in the crowd began to mutter darkly. "Whatever you think of me, you know I stand for no nonsense and what you see is what you get. And let me tell you this. I have done my best to fight for the Great Valley, not myself. Why else, in all of my time serving under him, did I not do anything to undermine Grandpa Longneck's ability to lead the combined herds? Because I cared for the welfare of the Valley more than myself. Even though yes, there were times when I engaged with him in heated arguments, I never did anything to undermine his leadership. You cannot find a single instance of me disrespecting his authority on anything!"
Cera's heart sank as her father righteously hoisted his head in the air again as the crowd murmured in agreement. While no one else in the crowd seemed to remember this, she could remember exactly what her father had said in the past to Grandpa Longneck …
"No, I will! They'll be better off following me."
"I, for one, am getting fed up with this, "I'm taller so that makes me better than you," attitude of yours."
She remembered how even she and Littlefoot fought specifically because her father challenged his grandfather's authority. Could her father really not remember what happened? Or worse, was he deliberately pretending that these things never happened? It certainly didn't sound like the threehorn she always prided for telling things like they were.
"And in case you haven't noticed, Mr. Thicknose is herd leader right now," Topps continued. "Even though, let's be honest, we all know I would make a much stronger leader than he would. I'm more qualified than anyone with my cold times of service, I don't cower away from anything and I always stand tough. Not to mention I could crush his arse if we fought over it," he smirked, causing many of his herdmates to laugh. "But why did I let him take over? Because once again, I acted in the best interest of the Valley. I knew that despite me being a strong and capable leader, there were some that didn't like me, and my rise would trigger a backlash. And I know that my personality is much more direct than the Longnecks' and it would be something others would have to get used to. I realized Thicknose would make for a much smoother change from the Longnecks, and so I deferred and let him assume the position. Why? Not because I wanted to, but because I thought it would keep the Great Valley together. Especially in a time of peace, when big conflicts shouldn't be happening and when a strong leader is not as important."
The crowd, who had been wondering on this very point, began to mutter in understanding, before saying, "Unlike Pterano, who doesn't care a damn about the Valley's interest and only cares about himself. Unlike me, Pterano relishes disgracing Thicknose and would do anything to undermine him as herd leader. Why else would he blatantly ruin Thicknose's meeting plans and make such accusations about me? Because he wants to force Thicknose out of power so he can swoop in and grab it for himself. And he attacked my character like that because he knows full well that I, perhaps more than anyone else, would do my absolute best to stop him."
Topps paused before continuing, "Pterano's foolish ideas are dangerous and will tear this whole Valley apart. His schemes literally killed everyone who went along with his nonsense last time, not to mention his stupid dare that killed my wife …" he paused in sorrow before he roared, "Listen here Pterano, it is my duty to stop you, your reckless personality and your crackpot ideas that would destroy the Great Valley as sure as the Bright Circle falls! You are a corrupted, vile, treacherous soul, and have caused far too much damage with that wingbrain of yours, and I for one am here to say that enough is enough!"
The crowd began to roar in approval, but something about her dad's demeanor made Cera uneasy. His eyes, usually tough and determined but also tender and warm, turned into narrow slits, with the protective love she knew so well having been completely gone, replaced by blind anger, rage and vengeance. And something was different about his anger than usual. Instead of seeming confident, grounded, and stable, almost seeing to enjoy arguing, now he seemed to struggle to breathe as he roared out his uncharacteristically longwinded phrases. And his body posture, normally so consistent, looked nothing short of being controlled by instinct, as though he were in a life or death fight with a sharptooth …
Struggling to get his breath back, Topps huffed, "And if Pterano is not bad enough, we have a certain other visitor who is also scheming to take control of the herd!"
Murmuring broke out as Topps cut in. "Oh yes. I'm not gonna leave that flathead out of this. Now let me begin by saying Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were certainly honorable individuals, and I am pleased to say they passed on their values to their grandson, who contrary to what Pterano may say, I am proud to call my son-in-law. But the same cannot be said for his birth father," he said. "You may think that he is an impressive herd leader, the way he holds himself high and struts around like he owns the Great Valley. But in truth, his actions show he is anything but. He was a failure as a father, walking out on his mate and leaving her to raise him herself. And even worse, in his negligence, his mate was killed by a sharptooth, and if it wasn't for the strong leadership that I instilled in my daughter, the son he never met would have never made it to the Great Valley."
Cera couldn't help but gasp in shock. She had expected her father's slander toward Bron after the first herd meeting, but what she did not expect was that her father, who always prided himself in his blunt honesty, made not one but two unbelievable flat-out lies. Despite her penchant for boasting, she made sure never once to take the credit for their success in making the journey to the Valley. That journey humbled her and taught her way too much about love and friendship for her to ever stretch the truth on, and she was alarmed that here her father was, tarnishing that pivotal moment.
"A father's job is to be there to protect his family, and in that regard, he utterly failed. But does he take any action to find his now orphaned son? Oh no, it's not for another three cold times until he finally gets around to that. Instead, he runs away from his responsibility and forms a herd to boost his own ego. Like Pterano, he is simply obsessed with power, for he chooses to lead a herd not for their good, but because of his own inflated sense of self-importance. And even worse, when he and his son finally meet by chance, he fails to do the honorable thing by resigning his post as herd leader to take care of his son. Any of those flatheads could have led that herd in the Mysterious Beyond, but young Littlefoot has only one father. But can you guess which one that flathead chose? That's right, he chose the ability to flaunt power over a herd than take care of his own son, and that is just sick. Truly, truly sick. In fact, I think it's fair to say that I've been more of a father to young Littlefoot than his birth father is!"
As the crowd muttered fervently in agreement, Cera's head was spinning, struggling to keep up with how many distortions her father was spewing. He had to know that at the very least, Littlefoot and his father loved each other, didn't he? And that he couldn't only be leading the herd due to his own selfish desires?
Mr. Threehorn paused, before he said, "Isn't it funny that he happens to show up without his herd when the Longnecks are just before death? The truth is, it's no coincidence. He was waiting for his parents-in-law to die so he can stroll in and take over the largest safe haven for leafeaters there is. And even now, he's doing all he can to prepare for his takeover. You saw him smuggle his herd into the Valley in an attempt to integrate his herd into ours? No doubt now he is trying to take over the Old One's herd after she died. And even though he is a mere far-walker, an outsider to our Valley, he keeps trying to insert himself into the herd's affairs, which are none of his business, and why is that? Simple, he is organizing a coup to take over the Great Valley. For like Pterano, he too senses weakness in Thicknose, and is waiting for the chance to take the Valley over and establish a dictatorship where longnecks, just because they are the biggest, rule over everyone else! Oh yes! Longneck supremacy is rampant among some in this Valley, an idea that is atrocious and simply must be stopped at all costs!"
Cera could only shake her head. Her dad couldn't really be thinking all of this nonsense and these conspiracies, could he? But the crowd was muttering and eating it up, and Mr. Threehorn kept up his steely and determined gaze at the crowd. "It is that which we're up against. Who knows how long Thicknose can stand up to the pressure he's facing, especially with the wingbrain and flathead looking for any chance to seize power themselves. We've got to stand tough and tell them we're not going to take it, and if either one of them dares to try to lead the Great Valley, they've got another thought coming!"
Much of the crowd roared in delight and began to crowd around Mr. Threehorn excitedly as he descended the rock from which he was standing on, and Cera could hear the reactions that were happening.
"What a leader!"
"He really speaks the truth!"
"How did Thicknose get to be in charge and not him!"
"Why did the Longnecks have power in the first place? He should have led the Valley the whole time!"
And what was worse, as he stood tall, basking in the adulation of his peers, Cera could see a small smile form on her father's face. Not the smile he had for her that made her feel warm inside, but a smug, icy smile, one filled with self-righteousness, and one that seemed to be thirsty for more …
Seeing her chance, Cera bolted away. What exactly was going on with her father? One thing was for sure, she had never felt as scared of him as she did in that moment. No, scared for him, more like …
"Daddy … I hope you're all right," she thought, as she hurriedly returned to the safety of her nest.
"What's wrong Cera?" Littlefoot asked when she returned, huffing madly.
Cera took a long time to get her breath under control as she lay on the ground. Bracingly, Littlefoot wrapped his front paw over her back and said gently, "It's okay Cera, I promise. I'm here for you, whatever happened out there."
Cera nodded, amazed at just how much of a loss for words she was at. Littlefoot waited for her to speak, but seeing that she couldn't get the words out, decided to ask a question. "Your dad didn't need babysitting help, did he?"
She shook her head, "Promise me Littlefoot, that you don't tell your dad anything! And I mean anything, Littlefoot!"
"I won't Cera, promise," Littlefoot said firmly.
Cera looked pained, for saying this would be a major of betrayal of trust to her father, not to mention show how vulnerable her pride in him was at that moment. But at last she gulped and said, "My dad's mad!"
"About what?" Littlefoot asked gently, but only got a snort back.
"Not angry mad …. I mean he's going mad! You should have heard the speech he gave!"
And Littlefoot listened in shock as Cera shared the whole tirade. "But … Why'd he say all of that? My dad isn't like that!" Littlefoot cried out.
"I know!" Cera said. "But it felt like my dad would say anything to attack yours! And the scary thing is, I think he actually believes all the crap he said! Because the only time I've seen him get mad like that is when someone he loves is threatened!"
"Yeah, but my dad's not threatening anyone in your family," Littlefoot said puzzledly. "But maybe …" Littlefoot paused and he said, "The Valley."
"Huh?"
"It sounds like your dad is scared for the Valley, and that he alone can protect it from my dad and Pterano," said Littlefoot thoughtfully. "And his fear is controlling him and causing him to act like that."
"Well one thing's for sure," Cera said in indignation. "The way he's going, the only one that's gonna need protection from him is himself." Shaking her head she said, "I can't tell Dad this but … I think all this herd leader stuff has really gone to his head. And the way he's acting, there's no way in hell he can lead the Great Valley himself. Yeah, I said it," she said dourly.
Littlefoot licked her on the cheek. "What am I gonna do?" she sighed. "I can't let Dad go through with this … But I can't betray him either!"
"Maybe," Littlefoot muttered, "Maybe you don't have to. You know how your dad's now my father-in-law, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, that means my dad's now your father-in-law, which makes him your family too. So that way, you'd be stuck between …"
"Two family members," Cera said understandingly, before shaking her head, "That's not gonna be good enough for Dad."
"Well, I'm going to do the same thing to my dad," Littlefoot said firmly. "I can't say I think he should lead the herd. Your dad's right about one thing, he doesn't really know anyone in the Great Valley, or the way in which we live our lives. But I love him too much to tell him that, and so if he asks, I'm going to mention your dad is my father-in-law as the reason why I'm staying out of this. So if we both stick to the same story and have each other's backs … Maybe we can stay out of this mess together."
"If only it were that easy," Cera sighed. "But it's better than nothing, I guess …"
And the two of them snuggled together as the night circle cast its rays on them, desperately hoping all the best for those they knew and loved.
