Hi everyone, I'm back with another chapter! This time, we get to see Tricia and her friends in action, and a lot of world-building which ... Well, I won't give anything away just yet.
Speaking of which, for those interested, please check out my DeviantArt account, also AllegroGiocoso, for pictures relating to this story. I've got group portraits of Littlefoot and friends, Tricia and friends, and Hyp and friends, as well as a size comparison shot reflecting how the characters appear to scale in this fanfic. And depending on interest and my time, I may upload a more technical map of my version of the LBT world, including many details right from this chapter.
As always, I love and appreciate feedback. It helps keep me motivated to write, and I very much appreciate everyone who's faved, followed, and especially reviewed thus far. And of course, the disclaimer, LBT, its characters, and its universe belong to Universal.
Chapter 16 - Inside and Outside the Valley
Over the next few days, the Great Valley seemed to become peaceful again. Mr. Thicknose, aware of how uncharacteristically hard-edged he came across at the last herd meeting, was determined to not fall into the same trap again. Fortunately, no crises or herd meetings had occurred, making Mr. Thicknose much less stressed out. When not overseeing poop duty, Mr. Thicknose looked around for anyone who needed help in the Great Valley, gladly babysitting, checking in with others, helping to clear away dead trees and rock piles, and even going back to his favorite role of being a teacher in the Valley.
One morning, Tricia was alone with her mother when Mr. Thicknose arrived. "Ah, good morning Tria," said Mr. Thicknose.
"Morning Mr. Thicknose," Tria smiled encouragingly. "You're doing well, I hope?"
"Yes, quite so," Mr. Thicknose said.
"Listen, I must apologize for my husband's actions," Tria said. "He means well of course, but he's not been at his best of late."
"That's all right," Mr. Thicknose smiled. "This leadership thing is a real challenge … But I think I'm learning, little by little," Mr. Thicknose said. "Ah yes, that reminds me. I was wondering if Tricia would like to come by for a lesson today. I'm hoping to return to my old teaching duties, and of course, with all the newcomers, I've had to adjust the classes."
Tricia perked up. "Does that mean I get to have class with my new friends?" she exclaimed.
"Yes, I've arranged for the ten of you to see me," Mr. Thicknose smiled. "I've already told Sam, Garnet and Pearl about the class and they're all eager for it."
"Mr. Thicknose," Tricia said perkily. "Can I get the others?"
"I don't why see not," Mr. Thicknose said. "I'll be at the usual spot once I've done my duties. See you then."
"All right, bye Mr. Thicknose!" Tricia exclaimed as Mr. Thicknose nodded and wandered off.
"Well Trish, if you don't mind, I promised I'd meet Cassia's mom at the mud pool. So if you need us, we'll be there."
"Right," Tricia said. "Bye Mom!" she exclaimed.
Tricia bounded away from her nest as she scurried through the woods nearby, taking a shortcut only little dinosaurs could take to her first friend Cassia's sleeping spot. Cassia was an only child of two hollowhorns affectionately known as the Twopeds. She found Cassia lying down with her belly on the grass, sniffing the flowers blooming by her nest. Cassia's mom was not at the nest, evidently already having headed off to the mud pools. But to her surprise, she found that Cassia's dad was talking to of all dinosaurs her dad. Tricia knew that like her father, Cassia's father was a longtime resident of the Great Valley, but unlike their mothers, she didn't know their fathers to be particularly close. Curiously, she could make out a bit of their conversation as she arrived.
"Now Colby, I know we've had our differences in the past," her father said diplomatically.
"I'll say, my nose hurts where you slid into it," Cassia's father said.
To her surprise however, her dad, rather than get upset, simply chuckled back. "Yeah, I know that must have hurt. But you can always count on me to help our Valley, just like I'm helping you with your nest. You can trust me, just like our wives and daughters trust each other."
Cassia's father however then spotted Tricia. "Hey, there's your daughter, Topps."
Upon hearing that, Cassia immediately got up from the flowers and ran to greet her best friend, who in turn ran to her.
"Hi Cass!"
"Hi Trish!"
And the two of them met in the middle, right by their fathers, and Cassia knelt down as they gave each other their customary best friend hug.
"See what I mean?" Topps said appreciatively. "Our daughters clearly trust each other a lot."
Both Tricia and Cassia looked at each other awkwardly, before Tricia turned to her father. "Dad, what are you doing here?" she asked.
"Oh, um, well, I was helping Cassia's dad clean up his nest," Topps said simply.
"Really?" Tricia said. "I didn't know you did that!"
"Well, it is only natural for me as a herd elder to help out. Now why don't you and Cassia run along and find your friends?" her dad asked. "I've got to talk to Cassia's dad about things of vital importance."
Grateful for the chance to leave, Tricia and Cassia hurried off, looking at each other disconcertedly.
Once out of earshot, Cassia finally spoke. "Your dad is acting kinda funny. "You're right, I've never seen him down here to help before!"
"Yeah, kinda figured, he usually leaves Mom to clean our nest," Tricia laughed. "He's strong but he's also kinda clumsy!"
And lightheartedly, the two kids went to get their other friends.
Mono and Rachelle lived with two green spiked onehorns, Albert and Ova, who were a couple in the Great Valley for many cold times. While not wanting the hassle of raising hatchlings, they were willing to be guardians for two older children. When Tricia and Cassia arrived at their nest, Mono and Rachelle were waiting anxiously for them, while their guardians were dozing for an after-breakfast nap.
"Yay, you're here!" Mono exclaimed. "I was getting bored."
"What's up?" Rachelle asked.
"Mr. Thicknose wants to see us," Tricia said brightly.
Mono and Rachelle however, looked at each other. "We didn't get in trouble, did we?" Mono asked impulsively.
"Oh no," Tricia laughed.
"He's our teacher," Cassia explained.
"And we all get to be in the same class!" Tricia beamed.
"Huh, I didn't think Thicknose'd be a teacher," Rachelle said.
"Yeah," Mono laughed. "Especially because he seems like he's gotta learn himself."
"Give Thicknose a chance," Tricia said encouragingly.
"He's been our teacher a lot longer than he's been herd leader," Cassia agreed.
"He won't puke, would he?" Mono asked.
"Well, he's never puked during teaching," Tricia laughed.
"What's wrong Rachelle?" Cassia asked, for the orange onehorn looked concerned.
"Oh, it's just … Well, Perri was kinda scared of him last meeting," she explained.
"Rach, Oppy's got Perri covered," Mono said. "He's great at that stuff."
"What do you mean?" Cassia asked curiously.
But she didn't have long to find out as they quickly reached Oplax's place. Oplax was taken in by Mr. and Mrs. Clubtail, and the arrangement, which while providing Oplax a home, proved also to be beneficial for them as well. Mr. and Mrs. Clubtail, along with Mrs. Clubtail's sister and her mate Kosh, had laid seven eggs between them, which Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike had saved from eggstealers, and they were interested in having a bif brother figure for their newborn children. And despite being a different species of clubtail than the others, Oplax proved to be more than up for the task. When the other four kids found him, the young clubtail was cheerfully preparing treestars for the hatchlings while the Clubtail parents looked on approvingly.
"Where are your yum yums?" Oplax cutesily asked as the babies watched him eagerly before he took his paws off of them. "Ooh, look, there they are! Your yum-yums! You found them!" he exclaimed. "That's it, eat your yum-yums! Yum yum yum!"
Tricia and Cassia looked at Mono and Rachelle, who knowingly smirked at one another. "Wow, Oplax sure loves babysitting!" Cassia said brightly.
"You can say that again," Rachelle snickered. "He's always been the babysitter back home."
"Even when he was not much older than a baby himself," Mono chuckled.
Oplax soon noticed his friends, nodded gently to them, and after going to his guardians, he cheerfully sauntered over the rest of the gang. "Hi everyone," Oplax said with a warm yawn. "What's up?"
"Thicknose has a lesson for us," Tricia said.
"We're not in trouble, he's just our teacher," Cassia clarified.
Oplax smiled. "Sounds good," he said brightly. "I'd like to see that side of him."
"You think you can help Perri not be scared?" Rachelle asked. "After that herd meeting."
"Don't worry," Oplax soothed. "She'll be fine, promise."
They found Perri alone with her adoptive mother, Beverly. Beverly was a single and longtime resident who never had a mate but took an instant liking to the little hollowhorn. Usually Perri's adoptive mother warmly greeted Tricia and her friends, but today, she was oddly silent as she looked at the treestars high above.
"Hi Perri!" Tricia called out.
"Hi everyone!" Perri exclaimed as she ran to them. Being a cold time younger than the others, and often acting even younger, Perri was the baby of the group, and loved to hug each of her friends. They all enjoyed it as once again, she gave them each a warm, happy hug.
That's when Tricia saw Perri's adoptive mother's face. She looked slightly nervous as Perri hugged each of them, and especially when Perri hugged Tricia.
"What are we doing?" Perri asked curiously.
"We're getting lessons from Mr. Thicknose," Mono said bluntly, causing Perri to freeze. "Mr. Thicknose? But … But …"
"It's okay Perri," Oplax soothed in his soft, gentle voice. "Mr. Thicknose won't be cranky today."
Perri sniffed. "He won't?"
"No, he loves to teach kids," Tricia said. "Right Cass?"
"Uh-huh," Cassia smiled. "You'll be just fine, Perri."
"I hope," Perri said nervously.
Hoping to take Perri's mind off things, Mono asked, "What's with your guardian?"
"Oh … I dunno," Perri mumbled. "She seems kinda scared today. Especially about you, Trish."
Mono and Rachelle looked darkly at each other as Tricia froze. "Me?" Tricia asked. "But … Why'd she be scared of me?"
"I dunno," Perri said. "I tried telling her you're nice, not scary, but …"
Perri trailed off as Tricia visibly hung her head, confused. What had she done to make Perri's adoptive mother scared of her?
But she hardly had time to process that thought, when a great blue threehorn emerged on the scene. "Ah, hello Tricia," Monty said cockily. "I see you are courting your friends to the cause. How is everything coming along?"
"What cause?" Tricia asked as her friends looked bewildered.
"You know what cause," Monty smirked. "I'd like updates from you pronto. And if you lot wanna keep being friends with Topps' daughter ... I'd like to hear word that your guardians are in. Otherwise, I'll look for some more ... Suitable friends. Capiche?"
And Monty hurriedly swaggered off, not giving the kids a chance to response.
"Get back here you jerk!" Mono shouted as Tricia shouted, "But they're my friends!"
But Monty kept on his way, his frill up high as he stalked off.
"What a creep," Rachelle said. "I don't know why your dad likes him."
But before Tricia responded, someone else swooped in on them. "Oh, darling dears," Brara purred. "I couldn't help but notice your father's goon has been disturbing you. Well, tell me what he wanted," she said, grabbing Tricia's horn.
"Well, he ..." Tricia began, but then she paused, looking at how hungrily Brara's eyes sparkled and she smiled maliciously. "Why should I trust you, you creep?"
"Tut tut tut ... Like father, like daughter," she said, before turning to Tricia's friends. "Young ones, I hope you will see sense and ditch her before it's too late. Ta-ta."
And like Monty, Brara hurriedly took off, a devious grin spanning her face.
Sighing sadly, she saw out of the corner of her eye that Cassia crouched down to be right by her side. "You're okay Trish?"
"Yeah," Tricia tried saying reassuringly, but Cassia did not look convinced.
"It's okay, we're all here for you," she said encouragingly.
"But why? Why would your mom be scared of me?" Tricia asked, Perri, hurt. "And why ... Why are those older dinosaurs bothering us? Trying to break us apart like that ... Is it something I did? Is it my fault?"
Mono, Rachelle, Cassia, Oplax and Perri however, all exchanged dark glances with one another. None of them answered right away, instead looking at each other, almost as if they were waiting for someone else to speak.
"It's not you Tricia," Oplax finally said soothingly. "It's, uh …"
"It's your dad," Mono finished.
"My dad? But … Why?" Tricia said.
"Well, your daddy's kinda scary," Perri mumbled at last. "Momma said to be really careful around him."
"He was pretty rough on us for kids," Rachelle said. "When we came to the Valley."
"Who knows what he'd have done if you didn't stop him," Mono added.
"Well yeah, but my daddy's just talk … Isn't he?" she asked desperately, hoping for her friends to give her some support.
"He most likely is," Oplax said soothingly. "But when someone talks that big … I dunno, who knows what he could do."
"Well I know one thing," put in Cassia. "I don't care what Trish's dad does. I'm not gonna hold anything he does against her, because we've always been and we'll be friends forever!"
"Cass," Tricia smiled tearfully, as Cassia hugged her reassuringly.
"You're right Cassia," Oplax said. "It doesn't matter who Tricia's dad is. She's our friend, and we're not gonna leave her."
"Yeah!" exclaimed Mono. "We're gonna be friends to the end."
"I'd love to still be your friend … But do you think Mommy'd let me?" Perri asked worriedly.
"Even if she doesn't, that shouldn't stop you from being friends," Rachelle responded. "We had to rebel against our fighting parents back home to leave the nest and come here, remember?"
"Of course, if you two weren't such scaredy eggs, we'd have gotten here faster," Mono teased Oplax and Perri.
"Well, we came at a time when we were all ready," said Oplax. "Isn't that right Perri?"
"Well yeah, I guess," Perri smiled, feeling better.
"Hey, why don't you tell us a story on the way to Destiny's?" Tricia said eagerly.
"Yes, please!" Cassia exclaimed. "You've got to have some good ones on your way here!"
"Well," Rachelle said thoughtfully before Mono laughed. "Oh come on! You can't have forgotten the spiked shieldback story?"
"I was afraid you were gonna say that," Perri said.
"Well, why not?" Rachelle asked as Tricia and Cassia looked curiously. "Well, the four of us were in this big rocky place," Rachelle started.
"And there were bodies everywhere!" exclaimed Mono. "We only saw two kinds of flatteeth there, a shieldback with extra spikes on the side, and what looked like a spikethumb but had a long tail and no spike on the thumb. And fast biters. Fast biters everywhere. The others wanted to turn back, but I knew we'd come out unscathed."
"Mono, you forgot how we got out unscathed," Oplax laughed.
"We didn't fight the biters there like you wanted," Rachelle teased.
"Yeah, yeah," Mono laughed embarrassedly.
"Well, we saw something else, there were a lot more spikethumb bodies than shieldback bodies," Rachelle said.
"Yeah, because the shieldbacks had big spikes to keep them safe, but the sorta spikethumbs didn't even have thumb spikes to defend themselves," Mono added.
"They've got lots of armor to keep them safe, just like you Oplax," Perri observed.
"Only not my club tail," Oplax smiled, waving his tail. "But our shieldback did!"
"See, we found a shieldback skeleton. It was heavy, but the four of us could carry it to cover us from biters," Rachelle said.
"One thing's for sure, biters don't usually mess with shieldbacks, especially with all the spike-less spikethumbs around. Especially creepy skeletal shieldbacks that move!" Mono laughed.
"Yeah, the shieldback still had the spikes on the side," Oplax said. "Mono and Rachelle steered us forward, and had their horns sticking out to guard us up front. I watched the sides and stuck my clubtail out in the back to give us behind coverage. And if any biter still got too close, Perri, why don't you show them what you did?" he asked her encouragingly.
"Um, okay," Perri said, before taking a big breath before blowing out a long, shrill screech.
"Geez Perri, that hurt our ears!" Tricia laughed.
"Sorry," Perri giggled. "But that's how I scared the sharpteeth away. I don't think they've heard a hollowhorn before."
"Not like that!" Mono smiled. "But Perri's got a nice voice too."
"Oh don't," Perri blushed.
"Come on, Perri, show them!" Rachelle encouraged.
Perri nodded nervously before closing her eyes and singing in a soft, cutesy, angelic voice that was remarkably in tune for her age.
"Wow Perri," Cassia said brightly. "Thar's amazing. I'd love to see if your singing will help the flowers grow."
"Gee, thanks," Perri giggled as they happily went on to find Destiny.
Destiny lived with her adoptive parents Doc and Dara in a small nook by one of the Great Valley's walls. Even though now married and with an adoptive child, Doc's loner streak was still evident in that the three of them lived apart from the other far-walker longnecks, and that Doc and Dara had been staying out of the contentious herd meetings. Along with Littlefoot, they were also the only longnecks in the Valley who were not affiliated with Bron's herd, which was just fine for Destiny, considering her best friends weren't fellow longnecks. But that morning they weren't alone. Even from a far distance, Tricia and her friends could see that a certain chestnut-colored longneck was speaking to Doc and Dara.
As they approached, however, three young but fully-grown longnecks appeared, blocking the way forward and leering at them threateningly. Tricia and her friends looked at each other, and bravely, Tricia stepped forward to face Earl, Gus and Len.
"Excuse me," Tricia said politely. "Can we get through? We'd like to see our friend."
Gus and Len looked at Earl, who smirked. "You can't," he said simply.
"Why not?" Tricia asked.
"Our herd leader is busy. He doesn't need to be bothered by someone like you," Earl said nastily.
Tricia gasped in shock as Cassia gasped, "Take that back! You don't even know Trish!"
"Oh, I think I know her well enough. But just to make sure …"
And without warning, Earl lashed out his very long tail and like a lasso, completely ensnared Tricia's legs. Tricia screamed as he effortlessly hoisted the young threehorn in the air.
"Hey, you moron! Drop her!" Mono shouted, charging at Earl's leg in an effort to get him to drop Tricia, but he was no match for Earl sheer size, and he fell backwards dazed, as Earl put a toe on Mono's tail to keep him in place. Cassia, Rachelle, Oplax and Perri screamed as they tried to help, but they knew there was nothing else they could do as they watched helplessly as Earl swung Tricia back and forth several times before placing her on his face.
"You put me down or I'm gonna tell my daddy on you!" Tricia cried out.
Earl however, only smirked. "Go right ahead, girly. I'm not afraid of your racist, pompous jerk of a dad."
But behind them came another voice, filled with triumph. "Ha! I knew you guys were no good."
Everyone looked up to see the massive form of Shorty swaggering towards them, a broad smirk on his face. "You're attacking kids? That's just sad."
Gus and Len looked at each other concernedly, but Earl was unfazed. "It's Threehorn's daughter, you idiot."
"So? It's still violence against kids. Wait till I tell my Dad all about this. You guys are gonna get banished in no time!" Shorty said, barely containing his glee.
Gus and Len looked terrified, but once again, Earl sneered. "Oh, you'd go running to Daddy like a baby? Pathetic … Especially because judging by how you behave … I can tell your real daddy didn't want you."
"What?" Shorty asked, enraged.
"You were ditched, bumphead, or are you too dumb to realize that?" Earl asked quietly, before smirking. "You're so worthless, you're not your crush's first, second, or when she falls desperately in love with me even third choice …"
SMACK
Earl never got a chance to finish his sentence. With one thrust from his massive front paw, Shorty poured out all his anger onto Earl. The blind outrage combined with his newly enormous weight even for longneck standards resulted in a whack far bigger than he anticipated, for before he knew it, the fully grown Earl was sent rolling on his side. So did Tricia, who screamed in terror as her friends hurriedly ran to get her once Earl was grounded. As Gus and Len gasped in horror, Shorty stormed straight over to the downed Earl, and aimed jab after jab to his side.
"All right, that's enough!" came a voice, and Bron emerged, in furious disbelief. Alongside him were Doc and Dara, and riding on Doc's back a shaking Destiny, stunned with what they had just witnessed.
None of Tricia's friends, Earl's gang, or Shorty moved as Bron, Doc and Dara remained ominously silent. Finally, Dara said quietly, "Destiny, why don't you go with your friends?"
"But It wasn't Shorty's fault," Tricia put in.
"Tricia, I'll handle this," Bron ordered. "Go with your friends."
"But she can't play with …." Earl began looking at Destiny, and then Tricia, before Doc glowered at Earl, "You sure you feel up to it, friend? In your condition?"
Earl recoiled, shaking his head, and with that, the kids scurried off, leaving Bron, Doc and Dara to deal with the other longnecks. Earl then tried getting up, but he couldn't, only remaining still on the ground.
"I think I can't move," Earl moaned.
"Be quiet," Bron ordered seriously.
There was silence before Doc finally said, "This," he said simply. "Is why my family can't accept your offer. Too much fighting in herd life."
"We're only staying here because it's a good place to raise Destiny, but if this continues, we may have to reconsider," Dara said.
"But Sir," Gus said as Len gasped, as Doc shook his head. "Don't sir me. You were involved in attacking my daughter's friend. Truly a disgrace."
"It is," Bron agreed, before sighing and looking at Shorty and Earl in turn. "You two are lucky beyond belief that none of the Valley Elders saw this display. Because this behavior could have had you banished from the Great Valley. Do you understand?"
Shorty and Earl nodded feebly. "That being said, I know it would be irresponsible to expel either one of you. Shorty, yes, you may be my son, but this does not give you license to do whatever you like. You need to understand that in terms of your sheer bulk, you are bigger than anyone else in this Valley and your kind, while rare, is large even by longneck standards. You may have been able to get away with physically hurting others when you were younger. But you are so big now that if you do what you did to Earl to anyone who is not a longneck, you would become a murderer. I do not want to see you exiled, but if you do this again, I would have no choice … You must keep your emotions in control. Do I make myself clear?"
Shorty sighed in frustration as Earl, Len and Gus smirked, but nodded in agreement. Then Bron turned to the three of them.
"As for you," Bron said coldly. "I know you three have a lot to learn. But your behavior was just as unacceptable, especially yours, Earl. Attacking an innocent hatchling is completely out of line, no matter the circumstances."
"But she's Old Threehorn's daughter!" said Len.
"That racist, evil, jerk!" added Gus.
"That doesn't matter," Bron said coldly.
"Are you going soft because your perfect son is married to Threehorn's other daughter?" Earl smirked.
Bron shook his head. "Clearly, you three have more learning to do. And based off what the three of us have seen, Shorty didn't arrive until after you were on the attack. And knowing Shorty, I know you must have aggravated him with saying something pointlessly cruel. This behavior is completely disgraceful, and the three of you have a lot to think about."
Bron sighed. "But with our herd in a precarious position, I do not want to bring scandal upon it. For simply put, I don't want blood on my paws. I do not want to give any excuse for certain herd elders to drive out my innocent herd members into a burned up world. And I know that by exiling you, Shorty, you would simply not find enough sustenance to avoid starvation, essentially making your penalty a death sentence. Likewise Earl, you are injured enough that your exile would surely lead to a sharptooth attack you are in no condition to fight, also effectively a death sentence. So instead, I will give you one final warning, and you must do what I say. We will keep what happened here quiet, claiming that Earl was injured by a rockslide, and Shorty, you are in charge of helping Earl recover."
"But …" Shorty said.
"The same terms go for you too, Len, Gus, for your cooperation with Earl's behavior. Any violation of these terms will lead to expulsion, potentially of all four of you, into the Mysterious Beyond. Understand?"
The four young longnecks all nodded, while Doc stepped forward. "In case you scum get any ideas of hurting my daughter's friend again …"
"All right, I think they get the point," Bron said, and with that, the longnecks dispersed.
Meanwhile, Tricia was hobbling her way over with her friends to Mr. Thicknose's spot. She was more shaken than hurt, although she did have a slight fracture of her back leg from Shorty's pushing Earl to the ground. Luckily, she had her friends to talk to.
"I'm so sorry," Destiny said. "All this trouble just because you wanted to see me."
"It's not your fault Dess," Tricia soothed.
"Yeah, it's not your fault that longneck's a real jerk," Rachelle grumbled.
"I'll tell you, if I was full-size," Mono began, lifting his horn up defiantly.
"Should we tell Mr. Thicknose?" Perri asked worriedly.
"Maybe," Tricia said. "But I don't wanna get Shorty in trouble."
"But Trish, he could have really hurt you!" Cassia exclaimed.
"Yeah," Tricia said. "But Shorty acted real brave for us, and we can't turn our back on him," Tricia said firmly.
"You're probably right," Oplax gently said.
"Well I'm not gonna let this happen again," Destiny said. "Nor is my Dad. Earl won't feel up to it anymore now my Dad's onto him!"
And quietly, the group snickered as they met Garnet, Pearl and Sam at Mr. Thicknose's place. Luckily Mr. Thicknose didn't seem to notice Tricia's slight hobble as the seven of them arrived and took their place right in front of him.
"Ah! Welcome, everyone. As you know, I am Mr. Thicknose, and while I am the herd leader of the Great Valley, I have been a mentor for young minds like yourselves. Today will be my first class I'll have for the ten of you together. But I'm not going to give you a boring lecture today. Instead, we are going to walk around the Great Valley, and I am going to introduce you something I never taught some of your older siblings, the concept of cardinal directions. Something that should be very useful for young ones like yourself, in case you ever get lost outside of the Great Valley."
"Sir," Oplax asked curiously, "Why didn't you teach the others this?"
"Well, because at the time, I didn't want my pupils to find out that I've never been outside the Great Valley. Not to mention of course, that they didn't need my help to get into trouble," Mr. Thicknose explained. "But my ancestors were wanderers, and they passed their stories down to me. I will convey to you what I learned about the world around me, along with of course, several examples and contexts, and legends about all our kinds. We will begin our tour of the world around us right now."
The kids followed Mr. Thicknose, forming a circle around Tricia in the middle to conceal her injury. "If you have noticed, the way we are going now is the way the Bright Circle falls every night. This way is called west. The Great Valley is in the western part of this landmass, and it was in this direction that many, including Tricia and Sam's parents and my former pupils, took on their journey to the Great Valley. Alas, there is only a little land to our west to comment on. Parts of it are like the Mysterious Beyond just outside the Valley, while other parts resemble what we call the Biter Bluffs, which we'll get into later. But not too far to the west is big water as far as the eye can see. It was this big water that my former pupils took their swimmer friend Mo home to, for a connection from our Valley all the way to the big water exists. Beyond the big water, from what I've heard, is a land far, far away from us."
"Can we swimmers cross it?" Cassia asked.
Mr. Thicknose shook his head. "Oh no. From what I've heard, there are no treestars for days. And swimming sharpteeth are everywhere in the Big Water. With no treestars, creatures have to eat other creatures to survive, hence why there are so many sharpteeth. It is a sharptooth eat sharptooth world in there. Even flyers cannot easily cross it, for it would take several passings of the Bright Circle to get from one side of the Big Water to the other. So I would say for an adventurer, the journey to the west would be relatively quick, for they would soon find that there is nowhere else for them to go."
Walking along the edge of the Great Valley, Mr. Thicknose then changed direction a little bit. "The way we are going now is called southwest. We are still going west, but we are also going a direction called south, which I will talk about next. Anyway, this way southwest goes through what we call the Mysterious Beyond, but what faraway dinosaurs call the Rugged Range. The Great Valley is in the Rugged Range, an oasis in what can often be a barren, dry climate. But the mild temperatures of this region allow for potentially all types of plants to grow, from the tiniest flower to the tallest tree, if enough water is present. Hence why the Great Valley is such a wondrous place for plants. The Thundering Falls provide enough water to ensure that plants can flourish, and this abundance of all kinds of plant life allows for a diversity of dinosaurs unknown anywhere else in our land."
Mr. Thicknose sighed, "But outside the Valley, conditions are tough. Only a few kinds have large populations, among which are a few species of longneck, and the largest kinds of threehorn, spiketail, clubtail and bigmouth, with smaller varieties and runners being much rarer. Leafeaters need this size for protection, for the most common sharpteeth are browridges and giant two-claws … Which are massive and among the most dangerous sharpteeth in existence. Further to the southwest are smaller regions called the Treestar Mountain, Western Cliffs, and Southwest Dunes, each characterized by a certain kind of sharptooth haunting that region. But these are all far away from the Great Valley,and bounded to their west is yet more Big Water. So I will spare you the details as we continue onward and focus on the south."
Mr. Thicknose then led the kids along the next wall. "As I said before, the Great Valley is in a mild climate that can support virtually all plant life. But further to the south, things get too hot for some of the plants common in colder climates."
"Hold on," interrupted Mono. "But it's plenty hot here … Isn't it?"
"It's not exactly cool," agreed Oplax. "I'm used to more shade back home."
"Yeah, it really is pretty hot," agreed Perri.
Mr. Thicknose smiled. "You three are born northerners, so it is understandable why you think the Great Valley is hot. But south of us, it gets even hotter … Where it is so hot and dry, there are no flowers in some parts."
"No flowers?" exclaimed Cassia, shocked. "But … How would some of our kinds survive?"
"They don't," explained Mr. Thicknose. "Except in small isolated regions, like the Threehorn and Old World Basin, where special kinds of flowers have evolved in areas where cousins of northern life can be found. But as a whole, kinds like onehorns, hollowhorns, clubtails, and even threehorns find it difficult to survive. Which is why the region to the south of us is known as the Longneck Plains. The northern edge of this region is where Littlefoot and his grandparents once went to for the Great Longneck Migration, as well as the Fire Mountain, where Littlefoot once rescued his father. It is naturally, also the area where Bron and his herd migrate. Tall trees are very common here, allowing plenty of sustenance for all different kinds of longnecks to graze. Accompanying them are often spiketails, who have a broad palate, and eat ground plants, along with types of smaller leafeater that eat remainders left behind. But browridge, featherhead and horned sharpteeth are also common in these parts, which are dangerous to even all but the biggest longnecks."
Mr. Thicknose smiled. "Needless to say, I haven't personally been to the south. Nor would I want to, for it is much too hot for most of your kinds. Beyond the Longneck Plains, it gets even worse. Two regions called the Hot Prairie and Sailback Desert are even further south, where plant life is even more scarce, trees are rare, and it is even hotter, where creatures adapted for this weather abound. And beyond that is the Southern Land Bridge, which connects to the southern continent, a fabled land dominated by strange and gigantic longnecks. And of course, where there are giant longnecks, there are giant sharpteeth … Which let's just say we should be very glad we live very far away from."
The kids nodded as Mr. Thicknose turned another corner and walked along the third side. "This way, the way the Bright Circle rises, is called the east. The southeast, or south and east, is mostly a continuation of the Mysterious Beyond, as is the east. But it is this way where my former pupils had the most of their adventures outside of the Great Valley. This is the direction, as you can see, that Saurus Rock is in from us, and of course, where my former pupils followed your older half-niece and nephew, Tricia."
Tricia giggled. "You're right, I guess I am a younger half-aunt! I never thought of it that way."
"Sometimes family structures can be quite different," Mr. Thicknose smiled. "Now to the southeast is the Mysterious Island, where your family once lived nearby, Garnet and Pearl, and where your older sister met Chomper. Out on an eastern inlet is the Land of Mists, the former homeland of Ali and her herd. But in a place even further out to the east was the original barren homeland of your big sisters, Tricia and Sam, your big brother Sam, as well as that of Littlefoot and Petrie. The place that they lived before they even became friends. A foreboding place, that is for sure, and even though they were hatchlings when they made that journey, it is not a journey I would recommend you take under any circumstances. Beyond all of this is another vast stretch of Big Water, which again is far too big to swim across."
They finally made it to the fourth wall. "Now we reach the way we call north, which I personally find the most interesting for my heritage, and for many of you perhaps, the most interesting as well. The north is a challenging region, for while the more southern parts in that direction hold a wide variety of flowers, shrubs, and coniferous trees, the gigantic trees that can be found in the Great Valley are much rarer, as are the large ground bushes that support spiketail populations. As a result, few longnecks, who need the tall trees, and spiketails, who depend on a high volume, can be found in this direction, and the ones that are generally smaller than the ones around here."
"So that's why!" Tricia exclaimed as Mono, Oplax, Perri and Rachelle looked significantly at one another. "These guys never met a longneck or spiketail before Littlefoot and Spike!"
"Correct, for the colder climate up north makes these species much rarer. Where there is a lack of a kind of food, there is a lack of dinosaurs that depend on that food. This however, makes room for other species, which are fairly uncommon in the warmer temperatures, except of course in the Great Valley, which many refugees, like yourselves and your mothers, Tricia and Cassia, have made your way to."
"Now I'm going to go over the regions to the north, and fill you in about them, none of which are that far from the Great Valley. We are near the northern edge of our region, and directly north of us is what's called the Biter Bluffs. This can be marked at around the spot of Threehorn Peak. This region is only a little cooler than the Great Valley and has moderate rainfall, allowing for tall trees to grow and support a small population of larger dinosaurs, making it much more hospitable for life than much of the Mysterious Beyond. But it is most noted for the steep cliffs it has, making navigating through it difficult, and of course, the deadly fast biters that permeate it. It was this region that Pterano tried to take his herd through, and I think you all know that story," Mr. Thicknose said, unable to control rolling his eyes a little bit. "In terms of leafeaters, it has …"
"Shieldbacks and spikethumbs without spikes," Mono interrupted. "We've been through there!"
"Well, I guess you must have to get here," Mr. Thicknose smiled. "Quite an accomplishment for you youngsters to navigate. But needless to say, I would not encourage you to do it again. But I'm sure you know that, considering how many fast biters you must have seen," Mr. Thicknose warned, causing the four to all look nervously at each other.
"Anyways, to the northeast is a region called the Rocky Coast. Though fairly mild like the Biter Bluffs, giant trees and shrubs do not grow well here due to the inconsistent climate, with giant waves of big water frequently flooding the otherwise dry plain. This precludes most longnecks and spiketails from establishing residency here. However, this area, like the Mysterious Beyond, has low species diversity, for it is predominated by large herds of the largest kinds of cooler-weather dinosaurs, like the biggest species of threehorn, clubtail, and bigmouth. Herds can measure in the hundreds, especially among threehorns and bigmouths, and often are not welcoming of visitors. And they need all this protection, for the amount of giant twoclaws and large biters here is staggering. But this way does provide a route to the Great Valley from the north around the dangerous Biter Bluffs, and I believe this is the route your mothers took, Tricia and Cassia," said Mr. Thicknose. "Your mother being a threehorn might have helped a lot in that regard to get Cassia's mother through."
Mr. Thicknose continued, "Further to the north is a cool desert called the Egg Valley. It is an arid, dry flatland with little in the way of trees, large ground plants are the more common variety of food. As a result, there are less large flatteeth than in most regions, which in terms means a relative scarcity of large sharpteeth. The exception of course is the nesting bigmouth, which tends to congregate in this region to lay their eggs, and migrate across to feed their young. They tend to travel in large herds, and while the occasional curved-horn, onehorn, clubtail and shieldback could be found, nesting bigmouths tend to be most prominent. I dare say you must have gone through here to get to the Great Valley, albeit you probably did not run into the nesting bigmouths, for you would certainly know if you did. But needless to say, the region is not completely free of predators. Fast biters are common, and obviously, wherever there are eggs, there are eggstealers, and here, unlike most regions, noteeth tend to be eggstealers. It is why you two," he nodded to Pearl and Garnet. "Need to be very careful if you go through here. Because any kind of notooth is treated like a sharptooth, especially by a breeding colony."
Mr. Thicknose continued, "Oh yes, where was I? Ah yes, your homeland, the Northern Forests. Mono, Rachelle, Oplax, Perri, forgive me for going over what you already know, and Tricia and Cassia, I'm sure your mothers have told you all about their homeland. But there is no mistaking that in terms of sheer beauty, the Northern Forest has plenty of natural wonders. It has a slightly cool climate, way too cold for the tall trees down in the Longneck Plains, so you wouldn't find any longnecks or spiketails up there. But flowers and trees are plentiful, and it holds a wide variety of dinosaurs, including many kinds of onehorns, threehorns, hollowhorns, clubtails, shieldbacks, domeheads, swimmers and generally friendly noteeth, usually in brighter colors to camouflage with the flowers ... Dare I say it, it looks a lot like you children."
"You're making me miss it," Perri teared.
"Aww Perri," soothed Oplax. "It's just as nice down here."
"And at least not everyone's fighting down here," Mono said.
"And we can all be together," Rachelle added.
"Plus, you wouldn't have met us!" Tricia perked in.
"Very true," said Mr. Thicknose. "Not to mention there are a sizable amount of two-claws and fast biters that prey upon the leafeaters in the Northern Forests, which our Valley is fortunately safe from. And the cold times can get very cold, much like the Big Freeze we had here, except on a much more frequent basis. And now that the different kinds are fighting up there … I feel safe in saying you'll be much happier here."
"We are, Mr. Thicknose," Mono said right away as Rachelle and Oplax quickly nodded, and even Perri eventually nodded.
"Excellent," Mr. Thicknose beamed. Then he looked at them curiously. "Now, can any of you tell me what is north of the Northern Forests?"
None of them answered right away, until Rachelle finally said, "We … Were just told never to go too far away from home," she said simply.
"Our parents would never let us explore beyond the forests," Mono said.
Mr. Thicknose nodded. "And your parents would be quite right to do that. You see, beyond the Northern Forests is …" But Mr. Thicknose trailed off, seeing that Sam raised his hand. The others stared, not expecting Sam, who had lived in the Great Valley his whole life, to know something about the outside world that the others didn't. Mr. Thicknose looked at Sam curiously and said, "Yes, Sam?"
"Well, I remember, when my Dad left our family …" he said quietly. "He said something about going to a place far, far away … That he said was very cold."
Mr. Thicknose nodded. "That would be correct. Your father went to a place far to the northwest, even past the Northern Forests, where a large herd of your kind lives. We call it the Polar Bridge. But it's not only a homeland for your kind. It is actually where we thicknoses come from."
Mr. Thicknose continued, "The Polar Bridge is a place that is covered with ground sparkles most of the time. Its southern part, where most of the dinosaurs there live, consists of coniferous evergreen forests and specialized cold flowers. Species resemble those of the Northern Forest, though usually are slightly different with a higher body fat content and often more feathering, and the region is much less dense than the Northern Forests. But Sam, do you know why the reason is called the Polar Bridge?"
Sam shook his head, and Mr. Thicknose continued. "That is because legends say that if one keeps going north and then off to the west, one will reach an entirely different landmass. One supposedly where others of your kind exist, Sam. And one where species that can be rarely found here are commonplace. But needless to say, this is not a journey any adventurer should take. In the northern parts of the Polar Bridge, it is much too frigid cold for anything to grow, and dinosaurs have literally frozen to death trying to make the journey. In addition, the few dinosaurs specialized to living there are extremely aggressive, for the leafeaters are fiercely territorial of what little food grows, and the sharpteeth would literally attack anything, no matter how small, for the only alternative for them is to starve …"
Mr. Thicknose finally said, "Well, I hope I gave you all a most enlightening journey around our world. I trust that you won't do reckless with anything that I just told you, and instead take this as a lesson about the world around us." Sighing, he said, "Well, I'd better be off. Better get back to watching poop duty. Though between you and me, I'm looking forward to this punishment ending so I can get spend more time teaching children like you. I look forward to seeing you again."
"Bye Mr. Thicknose!" the kids exclaimed, as Mr. Thicknose lumbered away.
"Wow, I can't believe Mr. Thicknose told us all that stuff!" Tricia exclaimed.
"He was really nice!" Perri said in relief.
"Yes, he was," Oplax smiled.
Tricia then felt a stabbing pain in her leg. She hoped that her friends wouldn't notice, but while most of them didn't, Cassia did. "You're okay, Tricia?"
"Yeah," Tricia said. "Just … Well, my leg still hurts a little bit."
"You've got to take it easy Tricia," Oplax said. "You can ride on my back if you want."
Gratefully, Tricia lay down on Oplax's well-plated back, and while the young clubtail had a hard time moving, he could still carry Tricia around.
"My dad can't see me like this," Tricia said.
"I know! You need healing flowers," Cassia told Tricia brightly. "Follow me. I'll help you find some!"
Eagerly, the gang followed Cassia as she scoured around the edge of the Valley, looking for healing flowers. The others watched to make sure no one else was watching Tricia ride Oplax's back, but luckily, Mr. Thicknose had left them in a quiet part of the Valley where, fortunately, no one else seemed to notice them.
Cassia closed her eyes. All the grass, trees, and rocks in the Great Valley were a distraction. At this point, all that mattered were finding some healing flowers for her injured friend. Picturing their gorgeous, sweet, refreshing smell in her head, Cassia smelled carefully, trying to mask all the other scents in her mind. Each flower, while all wonderful in their own way, smelled slightly different, and it was up to her to make out the healing flower. She imagined lying in a bed of healing flowers, completely picturing it within her senses … And then, though faint and surrounded by other kinds of flowers, Cassia began to follow her nose to the healing flowers.
She could feel her friends following behind her, and though she tried not to let their words distract her, she could make out bits of conversation.
"Where's she going, Oppy?"
"I don't know, Perri …"
"I don't even know what's back there!"
"You don't Sam?"
"I don't Dess, And I thought I explored the whole Valley, I did! But I thought back there was just ... Wall."
"Guys, Cass knows all about plants! If she thinks she can smell the flowers, we've gotta follow her. That's what Big Sis and her friends would do!"
"I think I might smell flowers too!"
"You too Pearl? So do I!"
"Do you twins do everything alike?"
"Not everything, Rachelle."
"But we do always have a good sense of each other."
"Hey, she's going inside. Let's follow her!"
"Hey, wait for us Mono!"
As Cassia approached, she took in a big whiff, hardly daring to believe it. There had to be every kind of flower in the Great Valley in this place, as she fathomed the different scents, from succulently sweet so refreshingly earthy to even the occasional sharp and peppery. Nearby, she could hear her friends expressing their amazement about a place where they could play undisturbed. She could not wait to open her eyes, as she could take in the scent of the healing flower right nearby …
"Hey guys, look!" Tricia exclaimed. "It's my Big Sis …"
"She looks kinda mad," said Perri uncertainly.
"Oh, don't worry, she's always like that …. Oh," Tricia trailed off.
Cassia opened her eyes just to see just why. There, standing in front of them, was Cera, who looked very cross.
"Okay Trish, how did you guys get in here?" Cera asked seriously.
"Uh, they followed me," Cassia said nervously. "I smelled healing flowers in here."
"Cera? What's going on? Oh …" came another voice, and there emerged Littlefoot, who looked at the children. "Uh … Hi there."
"Sis, what is this place?" Tricia exclaimed.
"None of your business, all right? Now take your healing flowers and go. No more questions," Cera said gruffly.
Tricia's friends however groaned, and she could tell that like her, they didn't want to leave. Considering all they've been through that day, to which she felt plenty of responsibility for her, she wasn't about to abandon them. But she knew just what trick she had to play that might pull this off. "Hey Sis, if you let us in, we won't tell anyone. Or I could just tell Mom and Dad."
The others gasped as Tricia looked determinedly at her big sister. Littlefoot and Cera looked at each other and muttered quickly.
"You kids stay here," Littlefoot said. "We'll be back."
"And don't go anywhere, all right?" Cera asked.
"All right," Tricia said, and she and her gang began to talk amongst themselves.
Littlefoot and Cera returned to the others, where everyone else who knew about the secret spot was. Shortly after making the place a secret spot, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Ruby, Hyp, Ann and Dispo agreed it would be best if they only told a select few about their secret. Apart from themselves, there were only three others in on it. Once Chomper returned fresh from stuffing himself at his parents' place, Littlefoot and his friends naturally let him in on the secret. Chomper was eager to join his friends in exploring the secret spot, and Hyp, Ann and Dispo had to admit the use of Chomper's sniffer in watching for predators in this unknown spot of Great Valley land, not to mention the smell of two-claw sharptooth would be enough to naturally ward away most predators. Hyp likewise brought Mutt and Nod into the secret as well. Hyp claimed he only wanted Mutt and Nod as bodyguards to scare away anyone who tried to intrude in on the secret spot. But Littlefoot knew full well, and suspected his friends did as well, that Hyp wanted to keep his first, closest friends in on the secret for their companionship and support, especially with two of his other friends dealing with such challenges.
"Well, you're right Chomper," Littlefoot sighed. "It's Tricia and her friends."
"See?" Chomper smiled to Hyp. "My sniffer can detect anyone!"
Hyp snorted. "All right, why was the place open? Weren't you three supposed to shut it?" Hyp asked Littlefoot, Cera and Spike.
"Well Mutt and Nod had to go," Littlefoot said simply.
"It's not our fault they didn't tell us when they'd be back," Cera snapped, as Mutt and Nod looked at each other nervously.
"I thought you were gonna tell them?" Nod asked Mutt.
"Me? I Thought you were gonna tell them," Mutt replied back.
"Sheesh you two," Hyp said, facepalming. "I let you two in on the secret, and you've already messed up?"
"We're sorry Hyp, we won't do it again," Mutt whimpered as Nod frantically nodded.
"You better not," Hyp said. "Or else there won't be any secret spot!"
Dispo groaned, "Do those kids really have to know?" he asked as he grabbed his stomach in pain. "Seeing me like … This?" he said as he wretched.
"Yeah … I don't want them knowing about my eggs," Ann said worriedly "What if they tell their parents?"
"Well I'm not gonna let 'em," Hyp said warmly. "If they mess with you guys, I'm gonna show 'em who's boss like this," he said, slapping Mutt on the butt, who jumped in surprise. "If Mutt can feel this, those hatchlings will feel it real good."
"Look, beating up Sis is not gonna do us any good," Cera said sharply. "You don't wanna see my dad mad, right?"
Reluctantly, Hyp groaned. Luckily, Ruby brought the conversation down to earth. "Look, we know about the secret spot. And the kids know about the secret spot. But while we can't make them know about the secret spot, we can share the secret spot with them so it would remain a secret."
"I think we can trust them," Chomper said warmly. "Tricia and her friends are really nice."
"Oh yes yes yes! My little brother Sam wouldn't tell anyone, oh no no no," Ducky agreed as Spike nodded.
"Petrie feel okay with them knowing," Petrie said. "Better them know than the elders!"
"Sis may be a pain, but trust me, she's not gonna ruin a chance for her and her friends to have a secret hideout," Cera smirked.
Mutt and Nod looked on blankly before looking to Hyp for a response, while Ann and Dispo looked imploringly to Hyp as well.
"Don't worry, I've got an idea that would make everyone happy," Littlefoot said, explaining to the others. Hyp's gang looked hopeful but unsure, and Hyp said, "Well, I guess this beats them telling on us. But let me talk to them first so know what they're dealing with."
This made the rest of Hyp's gang ease up as he went over to the other side of the secret spot, where Tricia's gang waited. They were all surprised to see Hyp, and his towering stance and glower intimidated them as he eyed them menacingly. "So, you hatchlings go and found our secret spot, did you?"
"It's not your secret spot," Mono began but Hyp snorted. "Well, we were here first. And you better not tell anyone about this place. Got it?"
Tricia's gang looked uneasily at one another, as Hyp smirked, saying, "Now if you babies know what's good for you, you'd leave this place."
"But uh …" Perri stuttered, surprising even herself. "We like it here."
"That's right," Oplax said encouragingly. "It's so beautiful."
"The flowers here are in such pure soil," Cassia agreed. "They're singing with happiness."
"We can play together here," Pearl began.
"Where nobody can bully us," Garnet finished.
"It's not like any place I've seen in the Valley before!" Sam exclaimed.
Mono, Rachelle and Destiny also indicated their agreement, causing Tricia to smirk. "Nice try Hyp, but sorry. We're not leaving."
Tricia's gang braced themselves, preparing for the possibility Hyp might try to hurt them, and that they might have to fight back. But instead, Hyp sighed, and said, "Ugh, stubborn tykes," and reluctantly, headed back to get the others.
With that, everyone else came to approach Tricia and her friends. Ann and Dispo hung back, wanting to make themselves as discrete as possible. "All right, we'll let you in. But you've gotta not tell anyone about this place, all right?"
"That's right," Hyp demanded. "And I wanna hear that promise from every one of your snot-nosed mouths. Don't tell your parents, the grownups, anyone. Got it?"
The kids looked at each other, but one by one, each of them gave their word they'd keep the secret spot's secret safe.
"Right," Littlefoot said, and then turned to Tricia and her friends. "Now kids, Hyp and his friends want some privacy and space for themselves without, uh … Hearing you guys playing. So maybe if you could leave the far half of the space for Hyp and his friends, you could play in the near half."
"You mean they get the east half?" Sam asked curiously, causing multiple curious stares.
"Uh … Yeah," Littlefoot said in surprise.
"I did not know you knew about directions," Ducky said in surprise.
"Yeah, how do you know?" Cera asked.
"Thicknose told us today," explained Rachelle.
"Hey, that no fair!" Petrie pointed out. "He never told us which way we going."
"He probably didn't want to get us in any more trouble," Littlefoot laughed.
"And we didn't need directions anyway," Cera boasted. "We figured it out all by ourselves."
"Ugh," Hyp said in annoyance. "We just want you to know, stay out of our half. Right?"
The kids agreed, and so it was decided. They found a log to split the secret spot up, with Tricia and her friends playing on the near, west side, Hyp and his friends having the far, east side, with Littlefoot and his friends able to go between the entire secret spot. In the end, everyone was mostly satisfied. It gave Tricia and her friends a new place to play, allowed for no one else to find about Ann and Dispo's secrets, and the secret spot was kept, but now with twenty-two in on the secret.
