Hello everyone! I am back for another chapter. After the copious authors' notes last time, I'll just say a couple things here. We get to see what happens in the Valley now. And also, "tailed dinosaurs", which will be used in the next several chapters, refers to thyreophorans (stegosaurs, nodosaurs, ankylosaurs). Also if you're curious from last time, the tall grazers from Grandpa's story are Plateosaurus. Now the usual disclaimer, Land Before Time belongs to Universal, please fav/follow/review/PM, and presto! Got through it nice and quickly this time.

Chapter 23 – Dirty Dealings

As he beheld the scene before him, Bron was at a complete loss for words. He was no stranger to conflict, having had to lead his herd across the Mysterious Beyond on countless dangerous journeys. But most of the time, these battles were straightforward, where his herd had to protect itself from groups of sharpteeth in twos or threes, and it was always clear who was the ally and who was the enemy.

Dealings with leafeaters however, were an entirely different matter. Through his experience, he had become a firm believer that diplomacy was almost always the best option. Whenever an argument between herds broke out over food, a compromise generally could be found when dealing with rational actors. Usually, both sides would come to an agreement that while not perfect, allowed everyone to share enough food that, at the very least, would allow everyone to avoid starvation for another day. And if all else failed, a sufficient display of strength would be enough to convince one party to back down to prevent actual hostilities.

It was vital to go through these motions, for the alternative was far worse – a physical fight to break out between the parties. No matter what else happened, these fights usually did not end until one side finally surrendered, ending up grievously injured and even hungrier than when the fight started. Yet the victor was usually not much better off. For even in defeat, the loser would put up enough of a fight to both create a raucous commotion and deal several blows, often significant and involving heavy blood loss, upon the winner. And both the noise and the blood would inevitably draw in packs of sharpteeth, which when combined with the injuries and exhaustion of the survivors, would make them very easy prey to attack. Considering all of this, a treestar tree seemed insignificant by comparison.

Bron had seen failure to negotiate play out far too many times. In courtship duels, among uncooperative individuals, and from aggressive but impulsive herds, individuals refused to negotiate and ended up in bitter conflict. And time and time again, between starvation, injuries, and sharptooth attacks, both parties ended up for the worse. Hence, most of the successful herds he regularly dealt with, such as Stella Spiketail's, were rational actors like himself, who also greatly valued herd diplomacy.

But the mob he was facing was anything but rational. They were desperate, forced out of their ways of living following the fires in the Mysterious Beyond and now seeing even the supposed safe harbor of the Great Valley's protections disintegrate before their eyes. They were mostly segregated herds trapped in an integrated environment, with a clear distrust of anyone different than they were and anyone who challenged the way they've always done things. They seemed to hold unwavering yet easily corruptible beliefs about the circles, leaving them very vulnerable to skilled demagogues. And then there was the matter of the Valley's leadership crisis …

Bron experienced a pang of guilt. Ever since the passings of his parents-in-law, the Great Valley struggled with a lack of clear leadership. Yet nothing he did helped the situation. Rather than try to help Mr. Thicknose through the challenges of being herd leader as he should have, he let his fear control him and instead threw himself into a three-way brawl of character assassination against his two rivals. He paid so much attention to their faults and foibles, and all the potential dangers of them being in charge, that he failed to consider the bigger picture. It was now achingly apparent that despite their intense conflicts, that the three of them were a lot alike. They all wanted to lead the Great Valley because they each felt that they alone could keep it safe, ironically enough, from the menace of the other two.

Sighing as he fought back a couple of aggressors, all he could feel inside was regret. Regret he didn't talk things out with Mr. Threehorn and Pterano so they could all understand each other properly, preventing their feud in the first place. Regret that he didn't listen to Littlefoot's visible hesitance about getting involved in this messy business. Regret that the three of them failed to act as proper advisors to Mr. Thicknose like the Circle of Elders did for Grandpa Longneck. Regret that they didn't all work together to try and solve the Valley's problems right away … If all of that happened, there never would have been this complete and total instability … And as he looked at Mr. Threehorn and Pterano, fighting alongside him, he could tell by the looks in their eyes that they shared the same regrets that he did.

In contrast, as Bron looked at the scheming young hollowhorn, whose face was alive with a triumphant smirk, he couldn't help but feel, as much as he hated to admit it, very impressed. Despite not having many cold times of age, powerful social connections, or a commanding physical prowess, Leigh had executed his plot to perfection. From his superficially affable personality to his deliberately low profile to his openly lovey-dovey interspecies relationship with his girlfriend all the way to his tearful despair at her death, Leigh was playing a shrewd game of acting, one where no one would ever suspect him of being anything other than what he appeared. Yet all along, he had everything planned out, biding his time until the moment of greatest turmoil to reveal his true colors, waiting for the perfect moment to strike …

Consumed with his thoughts, he failed to notice that he felt one of the rogue spiketails had gotten behind him and clamped down on his back leg with a surprisingly hard bite. At the same time, two threehorns in front noticed Bron wince in pain and prepared to charge …

"Don't you dare hurt him, understand? You shameful scum," came a menacing, gruff, familiar voice.

And as Bron managed to wiggle his foot out of the spiketail's grasp and kick him aside, he couldn't help but stare at his rescuer, who placed himself right in front of Bron, his frill lifted up determinedly, forcing the two threehorns attacking to come to a halt. Bron smiled. Here he was, in a twist he never thought possible, being defended by the very threehorn who he once feared would lead the Great Valley into a cesspool of tyranny and hatred, and who in turn slandered his actions and character at every opportunity. Now any lingering problems they may have had with one another were completely meaningless, as for the first time, they had become if not friends, at least clear, unmistakable allies in a shared fight …

Suddenly, a blast of noise occurred, and Bron saw that it came from Leigh, who took a big breath and made a loud call, amplified by the tall crest on top of his head. "Enough! Stop the fighting!" he announced, yet in a gentle, warm voice that immediately caught everyone's attention.

Perplexed, everyone did, allowing Bron the opportunity to observe the battlefield. He saw that he was hardly alone in his efforts to hold the mob off. Joining with him to block the exit where Littlefoot and his friends had left, apart from Mr. Threehorn and Pterano, were the other relatives of the fleeing gang – Tria, Mama Swimmer, and Mama Flyer. Littlefoot's friend Ruby along with her parents was also on the frontlines, as were many of the survivors of his herd, Ali as well as her friend Mia among them. Stella Spiketail and much of her herd were present, including her son Tippy and Spike's girlfriend Sophie, and so too were Doc and Dara. Yet there were still more surprising Valleydwellers that were on their side. Among those supporting them were Colby and Rythe Twoped, Albert and Ova Onehorn, the four Clubtail parents, and Beverly Hollowhorn, all of whom Bron realized were parents and guardians of Cera's half-sister's friends. Further bolstering their ranks, curiously enough, were the young troublemaker Hyp and four of his lackeys, who though belonging to a mixed-species group themselves, were hardly ones he'd expect to fight on their behalf. And despite their small size and being well under the age for combat, Cera's half-sister, along with her gang of friends, had also joined the fray themselves, all of their hands and paws grimy from lobbing mud into the eyes of their opponents.

His heart appreciating all of them, Bron knew from experience that the display of support would make Leigh's preferred outcome impractical. If only the gang's parents stood up to him, Leigh could have exacted a punishment on them for their efforts to protect their children easily. But with everyone else who stood up for them, he knew that there were too many on their side for Leigh to be able to feasibly enforce a vengeful punishment without a drawn-out fight ... Something that Bron knew that even Leigh most likely did not want ...

Yet despite their sizable number, they were still outnumbered. Several large herds, fighting in segregated units, were on the other side, and it was very apparent that many of these dinosaurs had lots of experience in combat, with large muscles, fast reflexes, and sharpened bodily weapons, not to mention expressions of determined rage in their eyes. He recognized some of these herds from his travels in the Mysterious Beyond, and putting it mildly, none of them had even been easy to get along with, and the best way of coping with them had always been to stay out of their way. Even more of them were off to the side, guarding Chomper and Shorty menacingly and preventing either of them from taking part without risking instant, near certain death. It would not be easy, and would certainly be dangerous, to even hold their own against this formidable opposition.

As he looked to the side though, he realized that a large number of dinosaurs were merely watching, not taking part on either side of the conflict. Those new to the Valley, the small, the young and the aged made up large portions of this neutral group, but other able-bodied adults still consisted of the clear majority. Surveying the onlookers, Bron saw that the ones that he recognized often had certain sets of characteristics or values, tending to be conflict averse, firm individualists, or those that while in agreement with segregationist beliefs, did not approve of violence or mob rule. Among those in this group were Wild Arms, shivering with fear and losing feathers in the process, Cam and Len, who were in deep conversation between themselves as they looked out at the battle in horror, and Earl's other friend Gus, who while sitting down next to Len, was still managing to give glares of loathing in Shorty's direction. Hyp's other three lackeys, as well as his bonehead friend's girlfriend, also stood off to the side, looking at Hyp and his other friends in confusion and disbelief. And many of the Circle of Elders' skeptics, such as Madge and Maia Bigmouth, Ed Shieldback and Juana Spikethumb also were watching on the sidelines. While not exactly on friendly terms with Littlefoot and his friends or the Circle of Elders and frequently voicing their disagreement, they clearly thought having a fight over this was going too far. Many others Bron had noticed were conspicuously absent as well, most likely choosing to flee or hide rather than be part of this treacherous quarrel. But he knew fully well that these neutral observers held the key as to what would happen next, for their opinions could either strengthen or quell the mob's power.

Reluctantly, Bron set his eyes on the cunning young hollowhorn. He was a master manipulator, that much was for sure. And sure enough, he was up to more tricks, putting on another performance as he stared up at the Night Circle, clicking and oohing loudly. As Topps loudly snorted, Bron had to do everything he could from not joining in. Like Littlefoot, he wasn't entirely sure on whether the circles really were alive, but seeing how some members of his herd got appreciable benefit from their beliefs, he had always been fond of the concept. Leigh however was plainly abusing others' beliefs in the circles in order to manipulate them, doing his absolute best to milk his performance for all it was worth. As much as Bron would have liked to, he knew it was far too dangerous to try to call Leigh out, for his efforts would only fall upon deaf ears and most likely result in the escalation of violence.

As Leigh bowed to the ground and lifted his head up, Leigh began to stutter, traces of a smirk only appearing behind his eyes. "I … I have been speaking with the Night Circle … And by good fortune, it has spoken back to me," he stated, pausing dramatically for effect, making sure he had everyone's attention. "The Night Circle … Is happy for us!" he exclaimed, as several in the crowd oohed and aahed. "The time of bad luck is over! For righteousness has prevailed and we have driven the stain of interspecies marriage out of the Great Valley! And with that, the circles will now begin to shine down on us with their favor, and …"

"Oh, shut up, you bigmouthed, big-crested, sociopathic zealot!" Topps bellowed.

Many of the mob around Topps growled threateningly, causing Bron to sigh internally, but Leigh himself did quite the opposite. Falling to the ground dramatically, he began chanting in gibberish before slowly getting up again. "I spoke with the Night Circle … And it told me that as its humble servant, what I must do." Smiling sweetly at Bron, Topps and their children's other defenders, he said, "The Night Circle is a forgiving body … And therefore, it tells me that I must forgive those who were led astray, trying to protect the corrupted … It asks me to spare them, to give them one more chance to do its bidding, just like it gave me another chance after my wrongs … But if they fail to appreciate the Night Circle's gift and continue to assist our enemies … We are called to punish them accordingly to bring the circles' favor back down upon us."

Bron silently cursed as the audience began to ooh and aah in wonder and admiration. He was not convinced with Leigh's presentation in the slightest, and he could see exactly what calculations were going on in his twisted mind. By sparing the Circle of Elders of any immediate punishment, Leigh could come off across as a benevolent, reasonable leader, earning the trust of the bystanders and further cementing his power. At the same time, he managed to give a clear threat to those trying to resist him - help Littlefoot and his friends, and you will be punished, probably even killed. It was a sickening display, and one which made him steam like a smoking mountain inside, hearing his son, daughter-in-law and friends being smeared as the Valley's enemies and seeing Leigh manipulate the Valley. Seeing how quickly Leigh was amassing power, he knew he had to come up with a way that would limit Leigh's actions that would give Littlefoot and his friends the chance they'd need to fight back …

"With our enemies, so young but so dark inside …" Leigh began suavely.

"Hey! My friends are not dark inside!" Chomper shouted, to numerous murmurs of agreement, as the mob guarding him took a threatening stance of warning.

"Tut-tut … Poor Night Circle, such disrespect from the cold-blooded sharptooth," Leigh feigned tears as the audience began to mutter darkly. "But what do I expect from murderers and heretics, who are obviously less moral than the rest of us …. Oh dear … What am I to do, a kind and gentle servant of the circles, only doing my best to carry out their will …"

Loudly sniffling, Leigh continued, "But I must be bigger than this as a faithful messenger." Stretching out his arms, he declared, "The circles are forgiving, indeed, they have forgiven me for my vulgar behaviors … And so for now, any and all hostilities shall cease. So as long as our enemies do not return to the Valley and try to interfere with the circles' will, we shall have luck in our favor, and having been called to be a benign leader, so I shall be," Leigh simpered with a falsely humble tone. "The circles and I do not want to see any more righteous saurian blood to be spilled in this precious valley. So with their full support, I will be a kind, conciliatory leader and enter into negotiations with … The remnant, until that glorious day when they too might find the circles' wisdom."

Still seeing that smirk in Leigh's eyes as the crowd began to mumble favorably, looking at Leigh with increased admiration, Bron frowned thoughtfully. Leigh's claimed desire not to want any more conflict, desire for compromise, and faux gentle nature were further attempts to gain the trust and sympathy of the public, and judging by the audience's reaction, he was plainly succeeding in this regard. But this gave Bron just what he needed, for now, he had an opportunity to use Leigh's rhetoric against him …

Bron stepped forward, trying to sound as polite as possible. "I suppose you are talking about me, correct?"

"Longneck, don't you dare say anything to that nutcase …" Topps began, but reluctantly, Bron cut him off. He knew just what he had to do to slow down Leigh's power grab, and exactly what he needed to say to force him into a compromise …

"All right Mr. Hollowhorn," Bron said. "I accept your proposition. For I too want to end hostilities in our Great Valley and believe that further conflict between ourselves will only serve to undermine us."

More favorable muttering broke out from the bystanders, and even some of the mob, but he could hear gasps of horror from many of his natural allies. At once, Topps stepped forward, glaring at Bron. "Oh no you don't Longneck. I won't let you give an inch, and if you squander this …"

But evidently, Topps was a poor judge of the crowd's mood, for they began to boo loudly at him. Bron sighed sadly. Everyone simply wanted this conflict to be over, and when contrasting Leigh's smooth, soft phrasing to Topps' bellicose threats, Bron knew that the threehorn would come across as the bigger impediment to peace …

Leigh smiled widely in false sweetness, his eyes twinkling. "Uh-oh … You don't really want to listen to that heretic, do you? Who only wants to see more blood and suffering?" he asked, further increasing the crowd's murmuring.

Bron sighed and paused. Feeling sick inside, he forced himself to give Topps a warning look, before saying with all the false warmth he could muster, "We can deal with things peacefully."

"Excellent," Leigh beamed, rubbing his hands together as several of the mob began to silence the remaining protesters. "And because I am such a nice guy, I will even let you go first."

As the audience once again expressed their admiration of Leigh's conciliatory nature, Bron knew what this really was – a calculated ploy to get him to think about what he wanted most, and then to extract the highest possible price for it. It felt surreal that he was dealing with someone so cunning yet young enough to be his son in age. But no matter the cost, he was ready to take this opportunity, for all if went well, any compromise he'd have to make in return wouldn't be permanent.

"All right then," Bron said slowly and clearly, making sure everyone in the Valley understood him. Though his heart yearned to speak up to defend Littlefoot and the others, he knew there was a more pragmatic way of helping them out …

"You said you do not wany any saurian blood to be spilled among those in the Valley, correct?" Bron asked Leigh.

Leigh proudly nodded, "Indeed, for I value the importance of righteous saurian life ... Unlike several others …"

Ignoring the needling jab, Bron pressed forward. "So naturally, you would likewise be opposed to forming a search party to find my son and his friends. Their track record of journeying proves they will not be easy to locate, and an endless chase after them would surely result in much suffering and loss of life, whether from starvation or sharptooth attacks. Do you really want needless blood on your paws? Especially when you yourself said the luck will turn in our favor so long as they do not return to the Great Valley?"

Bron of course didn't believe his son and his friends brought bad luck, but while he appeared to speak to Leigh, he was really reaching out to the audience. No matter how anyone felt about Littlefoot and his friends, Bron knew that it was in no one's personal interest to leave the safety and green food of the Great Valley for an indefinite and dangerous journey to track them down. And as he looked to see the audience's reactions, they too were muttering skeptically to one another about the prospect. Indeed, even many among the mob seemed to have second thoughts. With a grin of relief inside, Bron knew he had secured a major triumph. So long as Littlefoot and his friends were shrewd enough to stay out of the Great Valley itself, he was on the verge of protecting them from the wrath of the mob … Allowing them time to carry out whatever plans they had free from interruption … And if Leigh were to refuse him, going against the clear will of the audience, his conciliatory image would be damaged, thereby risking the power he had already amassed … It was a win-win situation …

"Well, I am sorry to see how misplaced your priorities are," Leigh said in mock concern, though Bron could also detect a hint of frustration in his voice. "This is why we couldn't have you and your cronies as herd leaders, see? You place the lives of your children over everyone else in the Valley, even as they have brought grave instability and bad fortune upon all of us. This is a very big ask, for you to demand that we not stop evil while it still may threaten us. But I have faith in believing that the circles will ensure their proper punishment, and I too would rather not have to lose any saurian blood over such traitors. I will agree to your terms, forbidding anyone to leave the Great Valley to hunt the corrupted down … Presuming of course that their evil presence does not return, bringing the wrath of the circles with them and becoming a threat to the entire Great Valley, in which case, they shall be dealt with ... But in return, I would ask for a teeny, tiny favor …"

Bron swallowed. He knew this was coming, but it did not make the prospect of having to accept Leigh's demand any easier. Yet at the same time, there were more safeguards that he needed to put into place …

"In hopes of earning the circles' continued favor," Leigh purred smoothly, "I hope you will agree to at least try my compromise at encouraging herd purity."

There it was. From that disgustingly sweet smile came a gently veiled proposal to segregate the Great Valley. The prospect of having to agree to any form of herd segregation deeply sickened Bron, as he personally despised speciesism, knew of so many who would be hurt by such a policy, and he knew fully well that it wouldn't resolve any of the tensions in the Great Valley. But he knew that these segregationist proposals, between the mob and many of the bystanders, had popular support, and that he had to concede to Leigh's demands on something. He had to think about what he was gaining through these negotiations, and he knew he had to have faith in Littlefoot and his friends, who wouldn't allow segregation to rear its ugly head in the Valley without a fight …

"Fine," said Bron, trying to conceal all his emotion amongst the numerous gasps of those he knew would be terribly impacted by the proposal. "What is it?"

"Well, since I am a reasonable and gentle leader, I realize it is impossible to enforce full species purity in one passing of the Bright Circle," Leigh simpered. "But we can at least take steps to get there, can't we? Which undoubtedly will help us earn the Bright Circle's favor."

Carefully hiding the gleeful excitement in his eyes, Leigh continued, "To begin with, I propose we divide the valley into four quadrants. The longnecks can have the southeast, the frilled dinosaurs can have the southwest, the tailed dinosaurs can have the northwest, and the twofooters can have the northeast. A very agreeable proposal, and it would provide plenty of room for everybody, wouldn't it? And this way, we can make progress to advancing full purity while only being a little disruptive, only taking further steps when we are ready for it."

Bron had to fight to control his grimace as both Leigh's followers and the bystanders seemed to react positively. Once again, Leigh presented this in the most gentle, reasonable way possible, and his soothing tone in such a volatile time was highly effective, with a clear majority of the Valley being in support to at least try the idea. As much as he hated it, he knew fighting this would be a losing battle and could cause negotiations to break down ... Besides, there was something else he still needed to add to the bargain.

"All right Mr. Hollowhorn," Bron said very reluctantly, trying his hardest to ignore the plaintive pleas of Tricia's gang, despite how much his heart ached. "You know how much I despise herd segregation and think it's absolutely the wrong way to solve our problems. However, I will agree to a trial of your ideas, in exchange for a fair trial of all accused of crimes."

Bron paused to take in the audience's reactions. While the mob was visibly frustrated and some of the audience also looked annoyed with the prospect of a trial, this request appeared fair and reasonable to many of the bystanders. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Chomper and Shorty both looked slightly more hopeful, and saw Shorty even give him a beaming smile. Trying his best to ignore it, Bron continued, "This means no extralegal punishments and someone who will enforce basic rights for defendants on trial."

"That would be me," came a voice from the crowd, and out stepped Lance Bonehead, Hyp's friend Ceph's father and a longtime resident of the Great Valley. "I am the designated expert at resolving criminal matters in the Great Valley, so any procedural disputes will be resolved with me."

Clearing his throat, Mr. Bonehead said, "All right. Let me lay down the ground rules of trials. The accuser, in this case you, Mr. Hollowhorn, will press charges against the individuals you feel are guilty."

"Gladly, Mr. Bonehead," Leigh said, bowing in respect, malevolence flashing in his eyes. "Well then, I accuse the sharptooth of murdering multiple leafeaters, and I accuse the boxhead of murdering the young whiptail Earl."

"Very well," Mr. Bonehead said. "Trials will take place over a period of ten passings of the Night Circle. No punishment is to be given before that time. Each defendant will be assigned a prosecutor and a legal representative. Defendants shall be held in custody in the center of the Valley, supervised at all times, until a verdict is issued. Are there any questions?"

"Hold on, Mr. Bonehead," Pterano said suavely as he swooped in. "Having been a defendant myself, I have an acute knowledge of the criminal process. And may I ask for clarification on additional details I feel might be relevant?"

Curiously, Bron stepped back, wondering what Pterano was up to as he could see a steely glint in Pterano's eyes. Leigh noticed this too, and he didn't like it. "Oh dear, are you sure he is allowed to speak? He is a convicted criminal, after all."

"Was, rockhead," Topps blurted out. "He fulfilled his punishment, so he has just as much right to speak as anyone else," adding with a mutter, "More than you I dare say."

"Why, I am disappointed but not surprised to see the heretic and convict are in cahoots," Leigh pouted.

But Pterano didn't care what kind of sharptooth dirt came out of Leigh's mouth. He had never expected his one-time biggest detractor to advocate so forcefully on his behalf. Spurred on with this encouragement, he smiled to himself. Knowing the three former rivals were now all firmly on the same side, he was ready to take their alliance to new heights, just as his nephew wanted him to.

"Proceed, Mr. Flyer," Mr. Bonehead said without expression.

"Thank you," Pterano said, bowing. "I have a couple of questions. For one, cannot the defendants have a shared defense, with two representatives advocating for both defendants?"

"That is correct, if agreed upon by Mr. Hollowhorn," Mr. Bonehead said. "This also means that the prosecution can be shared."

Leigh smiled. "I don't see why this is an unreasonable arrangement."

"Grand," Pterano said, his eyes sparkling knowingly. "Well then, I shall also like to clarify. Defendants are also entitled to a personal confidante, are they not? To give them moral support during the trial's proceedings separate and apart from legal advice?"

"That is correct, and in the case of a shared defense, the two accused and their confidantes all have the right to speak with one another. This applies regardless of other policies that may be in the Valley," Mr. Bonehead said again, as Bron beamed at Pterano for remembering that little detail, knowing just how this would help both Shorty and Chomper personally in these trying times.

"Thank you, I shall step aside," Pterano said as Bron turned to Leigh, looking at him expectantly. Leigh hesitated, but sighed, "Very well. I am a reasonable individual, and so I agree to a trial, under one condition, that the representatives, legal and personal, shall experience the same verdict and potential punishment as the accused. This is a case involving murder and treason after all, and I'm sure the circles expect special circumstances. If you can agree, then we will consider our deals complete," Leigh said to Bron sweetly. "Okay?"

Sighing, Bron thought. This was hardly a perfect deal, one that in many ways truly made him feel sick inside, seeing the Great Valley fall under the dark specter of a resurgent speciesism and seeing his own son and the friendly sharptooth he grew to admire have to stand trial for crimes he knew in his heart they did not commit. What's more, he had no illusions that Leigh would continue to remain true to his word if he had even the slightest benefit of reneging on it, or that he didn't have any more tricks in store. But he had to force himself to think about the positives. The deal at the very least gave Littlefoot and his friends time without having to deal with a mob on their tails, and would buy Shorty and Chomper time before any execution could take place. Time in which Littlefoot and his friends could feasibly be able to put a resistance effort into action …

"All right," Bron said solemnly. "You've got a deal."

It hurt saying those words. He knew that in the short-term, this outcome was going to be painful for everyone involved. But between Littlefoot's vision, Cera's stubborn streak, Ducky's optimism, Petrie's tendency to shine through in crisis, and Spike's loyalty, he had reason to be hopeful. He had to, for they were the only hope any of them had left.


With the herds beginning to disperse into their separate quadrants, Shorty and Chomper were escorted over to Mr. Bonehead. The two of them looked at one another. They had been spared, at least for a little while, due to some quick thinking from Bron. But both had little faith that the trial would be anything other than a sham. There was no way that Leigh would let a fair trial happen, and their verdicts seemed to be as sure as the Bright Circle would rise. No, they had to have faith in their friends … Bron deferred their sentence, and ten days may be just enough time for Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike to come to their rescue … If they could come to their rescue, that was …

Mr. Bonehead looked up at them coldly. Only a small number of dinosaurs stayed behind, most not wanting to be anywhere this tense situation. "Very well, it's time to appoint the parties to this case," he said indifferently. "Prosecution, call forth your representatives."

"My pleasure," Leigh said, before beckoning them, and stepping forward were two dinosaurs - Gus, who was looking at Shorty in deepest loathing, and an older threehorn, dark gray, solid and muscular like Topps, but had little of the warmth that Topps had in his eyes. But from the way Topps looked at him now, the two were barely distinguishable. "Trenton? What are you doing here?"

"Taking out this sharptooth scum, of course," said the threehorn dismissively.

Gus meanwhile, could only scowl at Shorty. "This is for Earl," he said coldly.

"Well, that rockhead …" Shorty began, only for Chomper to frantically shake his head. The last thing Shorty needed to do was to make things worse for himself.

"Wise decision," Gus taunted.

"Next, defendants, call forth your representatives," Mr. Bonehead ordered.

"Uh …" Chomper and Shorty both began, but at that point, they saw two large, powerful figures, one brown and one gray, take the stand in front of them.

"Dad," Shorty gasped. "You … you're defending me? Even after … everything?"

"I will do anything for you, my son," Bron nodded proudly, giving Shorty an affectionate cheek rub. This made Shorty feel much better, knowing that when it really mattered, he could always count on his adoptive father for support. Just as he always could ...

"And you're helping me, Mr. Threehorn?" Chomper asked in disbelief.

"Of course I am. It's high time someone stands up for decency around here," Topps said, glaring especially at Trenton who smirked.

"Should've known it'd be you Topsy, betraying your own kind to help out a sharptooth."

"No one but Tria calls me Topsy, got it?" Topps roared as Trenton sneered at him.

"Says the herd exile," smirked Trenton.

"Enough," Mr. Bonehead said impatiently. "Confidantes, step forward."

And at once, Ruby appeared, putting her hand on Chomper's knee, as Chomper affectionately smiled down at his closest friend. "I promised Chomper's parents I will always be there for him," she told Mr. Bonehead determinedly. "And being there for him is what I will be doing."

Mr. Bonehead looked impassive. "Very well. And as for the boxhead, who will be his personal confidante?"

There was a long pause as Shorty hung his head. With Bron already acting as his legal representative and Littlefoot on the run, who would be there to be his personal confidante?

"Um … Mr. Bonehead?" came a gentle, nervous voice. "Uh … I would like to be Shorty's confidante."

Shorty turned, hardly daring to believe his eyes. Like a being from the Great Above, he felt her soft presence make her way toward him, till she stood right by his side. Shorty at once felt himself growing uncontrollably warm all over. Did she really just agree to be his personal confidante? Whapping himself with his tail to make sure he was still awake, and he turned over to face her.

That's when he saw it. There was no point trying to deny the expression that was on her face. Her neck was drooping to the ground as she carefully kept her eyes averted from him, and he could see a clear frown stretching to either edge of her face. His excitement rapidly fading, he realized the truth. She saw him as a hopeless case, sure to be executed, and she merely felt sorry for him and wanted to extend a small gesture of her seemingly unlimited kindness. That was all there was to it …

"Very well," Mr. Bonehead said again. "Now that all parties have been named, this meeting shall be dismissed."


Walking back, Ali's head was still held very low as she slowly moved, looking at each individual plant on the ground. Did she do the right thing? She liked Shorty, no, she liked him a lot. But what if what she was doing was only to assuage her feelings? What if she wasn't acting in his best interests?

"Hello Ali," came a voice, and as Ali continued looking at the ground, she saw that Ruby had entered her line of vision, walking along her side.

"Oh, hello Ruby," Ali said dispiritedly.

"You doing okay?" Ruby asked gently, watching Ali with concern.

"I suppose," Ali answered vaguely. In truth, she felt anything but okay, but she didn't know where to start … Luckily, Ruby was sympathetic and did not press her on it.

"Well, we're both confidantes now," she told Ali sympathetically. "So no matter what, at least we have each other."

But at that point, Ali couldn't take it anymore. Stopping still in her tracks, she just stood there and finally began to let the tears she was fighting flow freely.

"Ali?" Ruby asked gently. "What's wrong?"

Ali shook her head.

"Listen, you can tell me," Ruby said supportively. "And I promise I won't tell anyone else."

Ali nodded thankfully. Once again, she found herself wondering what things could have been like had she stayed in the Great Valley growing up. Perhaps she wouldn't feel so uncomfortable talking to Ruby, who she knew Littlefoot and the others trusted completely, yet she couldn't fully trust herself …

"Hey, you two! You're a two-footer and she's a longneck! Split up at once!"

"We're both confidantes! We have the right to share a joint defense!"

"I'll tell Leigh on you!"

"Go right ahead, because Mr. Bonehead said we can talk to one another!"

Ali walked in silence for a bit, Ruby sticking by her side, before she said, "Well, I think he's gone. Which is good, because if he's gone, then he's not able to hear us."

Ali couldn't help but smile at Ruby's unusual speech pattern, beginning to appreciate why Littlefoot and the others had grown so close to her. Sighing, Ali looked around for any eavesdroppers, and not being able to find any, she finally felt able to press on.

"Do you think …. I just killed him?" Ali asked quietly.

Ruby looked at Ali in surprise. "No Ali! You're helping him, which is what any good friend would do! And I know Littlefoot and the others would be happy that you're helping him be happy … Well, as happy as he can be."

Ali however, still didn't look convinced, leaving Ruby to ponder thoughtfully. "Why would you ask?" she said gently.

Ali sighed, and then, abruptly, she fell to her knees and began to sob, her neck lowering all the way to the ground. As Ruby stroked her cheek, she asked, "There's more to it, isn't there?"

Slowly, Ali nodded. "Call me crazy but … But … I don't know, everyone who seems to care about me ends up dying! First there was my dad. Then there was … Rhett," she sobbed tearfully. "Then the Old One … Now Earl just died. I didn't really like him that much, but he liked me, and he was just becoming a little nicer … Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike are on the run, if they're not dead yet … And now Shorty's … Shorty's … And I won't even get the chance to … to …"

Ali paused for a moment before Ruby quietly said, "You love him, don't you?"

Ali sighed as her mind drew back to that fateful day …

"You really like me, Ali?"

"Always."

She and Rhett had almost gotten there. If that dreaded sharptooth never showed up, who knows where they might be today. And yet, even though Rhett was long dead … Could she ever really move on from him?

"I … I don't know," she said cautiously. "If I could love anyone, ever again … You remember Rhett, right?"

Ruby thought for a moment. "Oh yes," she chuckled. "Big mouth but bigger heart."

"That's him," Ali sighed with a wistful smile, as she sighed. "Shorty reminds me so much of him sometimes … But maybe that's just it. Maybe when I see Shorty, I'm really thinking back to him …"

Ruby nodded understandingly. "Well, you'll never know until you really know him," she smiled. "And who better to get to know Shorty than his confidante?"

"Well, I would like to get to know him better. But I … I don't want to intrude," Ali said nervously. "I know he's keeping things from me."

"Just like you are with him?" Ruby asked gently. Slowly, Ali nodded.

"You may only have ten days with each other," Ruby encouraged. "You may never get the chance to get to know him if you don't get to know him now. So why don't you two give it a try? I'm sure he's just as curious about you are about him."

Ali nodded slowly. "You think?"

"Why not?" Ruby said supportively. "And remember, I'll be there for you if you need help with anything."

Ali looked at the pink fast runner, who for the first time was starting to feel like a friend she made for herself, rather than just being a friend of a friend. Smiling, she sniffed, "Thanks Ruby,"

"You're welcome," Ruby smiled, and suddenly pulled a loose feather from her arm. "But if nothing else, maybe this will help."

And Ruby held out her feather under Ali's teary eyes, catching the droplets that had been welling up as she embraced the longneck supportively. Then she began moving the feather down Ali's face, tickling her cheeks lightly. Ali began to laugh as Ruby began to tickle more and more playfully, a mischievous expression appearing in her eyes. Ruby felt a flow of happiness inside as she saw Ali begin to giggle. Laughter really was the best cure for tears after all.


"What's the matter with you guys?"

Rana the sailbacked spikethumb was looking increasingly annoyed. By good fortune, their watering hole had been placed in the twofooter zone, and with no longnecked, frilled or tailed dinosaurs having access to it, it was now more secluded than ever before. What's more, the new segregation policy placed nearly their entire gang in the same quadrant. Only Nod was excluded from the group, replaced by Ceph's new girlfriend Halle, who Rana thought was better company anyway. In a sense it was just like the old days, with eight of them standing around the watering hole together once again, just like it was before their poop duty punishment started and the subsequent, mysterious disappearance of not just Nod, but also Hyp, Mutt, Ann and Dispo from their ranks. Only things just didn't quite feel right ...

"I'll tell you what's the matter!" Hyp fumed angrily. "Nod is gone, stuck all by himself because of some stupid rules!"

"Uh …" Mutt said, waiting for Nod to speak second as he usually did, but whose response never came. "Uh … yeah!" Mutt finished feebly, looking at Hyp, who sighed. "See? Even Mutt can't get his cues right!"

"Well, it's about time that Mutt learns to think for himself," Weald laughed, as Rana and Ceph joined in, all three of them pointing at him as Halle laughed along with her boyfriend.

"Hey! Cut it out!" Ann suddenly barked.

"Yeah, how'd you like it if you lost your best friend?" Dispo added.

Hyp too glared at them, causing Rana, Ceph and Weald to look at one another in confusion. "What's gotten into you, anyway? All of you?" Rana asked.

"Why were you bothering to help the Circle of Elders in that fight?" Ceph asked.

"After all the trouble they caused us?" Weald agreed. "Getting us into poop duty?"

Hyp was getting impatient. "You guys don't get it, do you! Who's to say we won't be next? You heard that idiot hollowhorn! He won't stop segregating the Valley until we're only with those of our own kinds."

"Well, that will be all right," Ceph said as he and Halle shared a loving embrace with one another.

"Maybe for you two love crawlers, but I don't want to be stuck with my cranky old father all the time!" Hyp said angrily. "Nor do I want to be cut off from all of you like we are from Nod!"

"Hey, just chill," said Weald casually. "You're getting way ahead of yourself."

"You saw my father, he's still in charge of handling criminal matters," said Ceph in that same relaxed tone. "That stupid hollowhorn would get in real trouble if he dared to do that."

"Like you'd know, since your father hasn't dismissed the cases," Hyp retorted, as Ann and Dispo quickly nodded, Mutt nodding slightly later.

"What are you talking about?" Ceph asked indignantly as Halle put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm his down.

"Your father shouldn't be holding these dumb trials in the first place," Hyp said.

"Yes, when it's obvious Chomper and Shorty wouldn't murder anyone!" Dispo agreed.

"Whoa whoa whoa, since when are you on first name terms with that longneck kid's friends?" asked Weald.

"Are you on those spiky flowers again?" Ceph teased.

"Really guys, that's enough," Ann snapped as she subconsciously gazed toward the Secret Spot. "I just hope that these stupid rules are over so I can …" she trailed off. She had been so consumed with worry about her babies that she had almost let slip her secret.

"All right Ann," said Rana annoyedly. "Fess up."

"What?" Ann asked.

"What've you been hiding from us? You've been acting weird for way too long," Rana said.

"Yeah, you're all acting weird," agreed Ceph. "Like you've become a bunch of secretive do-gooders all of a sudden."

"Pretty soon you're gonna start singing how you wanna go adventuring," laughed Weald as Rana and Ceph joined in.

"Will you just shut your stupid mouths up?" Hyp shouted exasperatedly.

Weald, Rana and Ceph stared. This wasn't just Hyp having a cranky moment, or him being on the receiving end of a practical joke. He really was truly mad at them this time, so much so that Mutt actually took notice. "Uh … Hyp, you feeling all right?"

Hyp just sighed as he looked at Mutt intently. "Come on," he told Mutt, Ann and Dispo. "We're going somewhere else."

"Hey, wait!" shouted Weald, but it was no good. The four of them had walked away from the watering hole just like that, leaving Weald, Rana and Ceph just as they had been getting accustomed to, alone with Halle and without their five old friends.

"What's going on here?" Rana said incredulously as Weald and Ceph could only shrug.


"Split up. Now!"

With various levels of acquiescence, most of the Great Valley's residents made their way into their designated zones. But Tricia's gang was not having any part of it. Defiantly, the ten of them stood in the center of the Great Valley, proudly locking arms and legs with one another and glaring at Leigh determinedly.

"No," Tricia said firmly, as the others all vigorously nodded in agreement.

Leigh swore to himself. He had tried everything, flattering them, cajoling them, even promising them tree sweets and the favor of the Bright Circle. But while the rest of the Great Valley was slowly falling into line, the little threehorn and her band of followers only seemed to dig in their heels further. Who knew that a pack of impudent hatchlings would be this troublesome. They were even testing his patience …

"I'm warning you, hatchlings," Leigh said, his gentle voice becoming increasingly hardened and threatening. "I don't want to hurt you. But if you continue to defy the circles' will, we shall have to force you to comply, even with your parents watching."

Indeed, the parents and guardians of Tricia's gang had stuck around anxiously. At first, most of them they were waiting for their children to come home, but they had underestimated the will of Tricia and her friends considerably. All of them that is, except for Topps, Tria, Mama Swimmer, and Mama and Papa Fast Runner, who knew fully well what their older children were capable of at that age and how ugly things could get …

"Perhaps," Mama Swimmer said reasonably, "We can grant a special exception for these children. Maybe we can put them in the Secret Caverns."

Leigh however, only smirked. "I don't think so." Turning to the children, he said, "Last chance. Give up now, please."

But none of them moved in the slightest.

Leigh sighed, "Don't say I didn't warn you!" And at once, he brought forth several of his minions, who immediately began to work on prying Tricia's gang apart.

The skirmish quickly turned ugly. Much as the older dinosaurs tried to rip them apart from one another, Tricia, Mono and Rachelle were able to land several horn attacks on their opponents, Destiny a couple of whiplashes, and Oplax some tail swats, and all of them fought back with clawing, scratching, kicking, and biting, which Garnet and Pearl were especially talented at. But eventually, the children grew exhausted, and the older dinosaurs managed to find the weak links in their connection, throwing Destiny into the longneck quadrant, Oplax into the tailed quadrant, Perri, Sam and the twins into the twofooter quadrant, and Mono and Rachelle into the frilled quadrant.

As the parents and the children finally began to retreat, each of Tricia's gang continuing to protest as their parents reluctantly led them away, only Tricia and Cassia were left. But the two of them, though saddened by the defeats of their friends, remained undeterred. They had gotten into a position with their bellies touching as they wrapped all four of their legs and paws around the other, forming a tight ball. No matter what anyone tried to do, Tricia and Cassia would not budge.

"Cassia, it's not safe!" Mrs. Twoped called out. "Please!"

"We don't want to see you get hurt!" agreed her husband.

"No!" Cassia shouted back to her parents. "Trish and I are staying right here!"

"That's the spirit, Cass!" Tricia cheered.

"You better not hurt my daughter at all, understand?" Topps threatened, to which the mob ignored him.

Finally, Leigh sighed. "Enough," he said coldly. "Perhaps this will do the trick."

And grabbing the pair of young girls, he lifted them up into the air and slid his hand in between their two bellies, aggressively tickling them both in turn. This caused them both to uncontrollably laugh, weakening their grip on each other, before Leigh pushed down on Tricia's belly, sending her flying straight into the ground, landing with a hard crash.

As Leigh threw Cassia over to her parents, Tria went over to collect Tricia. Both kids were crying in fierce protest as all four remaining parents glared at Leigh furiously.

"You have gone way too far, Leigh," Topps warned. "Much too far."

"Oh, I don't think so," Leigh said mildly.

But then Tria spoke up. It was rare when she got this angry, but when she did, her rage was something to behold. Her eyes narrowed, she kicked the ground as she stared at Leigh threateningly. "You may have won this battle," she said in cold fury. "But I'm warning you, you don't want to deal with a mother threehorn when she's mad. You're just lucky I need to relax first."

And with a discrete yet significant glance in her friend's direction that nobody else noticed, Tria hoped that she had managed to get the message across.