All right, guys ... Where do I begin here?
We've got a real monster of a chapter. So much going on ...
Before we get into this whopper, I wanted to address why I decided to incorporate the reader OCs into the story. The reasoning is really quite simple - The Land Before Time series is all about friendship, teamwork, trust, and the whole idea that seemingly disparate individuals can create something remarkable together. I wanted to celebrate this with a chapter of my writing, and I hope I did that with justice here.
I also want to spend some time thanking the six users who introduced reader OCs into the storyline. You can see what each user had intended for their character in the reference guide, and I will spend a moment touting everyone who put their character into my storyline. Once again, the individual roles of these characters in the storyline are not hugely important in the grand scheme of things, but I am honored to give them a permanent place in my fanfic all the same.
Greymonfire108 (Seth) was the first user who reached out about writing an OC. I actually first heard about Seth when Greymonfire108 asked me to do a photo manip in their universe of him. We went through several iterations of developing Seth for this story until we finally came to a version that would fit the storyline. Upon visiting their DeviantArt page, you can probably tell that they are definitely into boxing characters, and I tried to incorporate that into Seth's personality.
Zee Docking (Jada) has been a tremendous source of support for me in writing my fanfic, and I just love their feedback and valuable insight! They help me come up with great ideas and really help keep me motivated to write. Zee Docking developed a really well thought-out, powerful backstory for Jada that I adore and at once helped make her one of the most sympathetic characters of the group. You met her last time and will find more about her coming up! Also, be on the lookout - This author might have an awesome fanfic coming in the works!
The Jewelstone Queen (Cricket) ... Where do I start? From leaving detailed reviews on my nine-year-old original story to writing an awesome Littlefoot x Ruby story of their own in Unbearable (on this site), I am very impressed with everything I have seen from them. Not to mention this user has got some heartwarming, cuddly, beautiful artwork on DeviantArt, even some based on my work! I highly recommend you check out Unbearable if you like this story, for it's certainly a wonderful, adorable story that just tugs at my heartstrings and is right up my alley, probably singlehandedly making Littlefoot x Ruby probably my favorite pairing not in my storyline =). I hope when you get here The Jewelstone Queen that you'll love what I did with Cricket! You'll also be seeing some more of Cricket next time.
RedMageKnight (Light) certainly has an imaginative mind! From giving me tons of detail on their character Light (who also appears in their works as a rainbow face, such as in Across In Time). This writer takes the LBT world into highly colorful adventures that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. So many fascinating and downright adorable ideas, but I'm not going to spoil them all for you here! As per my style, here Light is a more conventional spikeside, but he's got a couple special quirks!
Animatic Psychopath (Keeter) is running a highly ambitious series of the Land Before Time characters adventuring in the worlds of different Disney movies, and as a fan of Disney Classics and The Land Before Time, I just love these! So far, their Pocahontas fanfic is completed, their Hunchback fanfic is in progress, and a Beauty and the Beast fanfic is in the works. If you want to see the characters we know and love in Disney's magical storylines, check out this writer's work! Their development of Keeter also worked extremely well with the story, something I'm very grateful for.
The Mr. E (Dagara) has got an awesome, thrilling action/sci-fi series called War Before Time. This series has a ton of action and intensity, a bit much for a soft reader like me, but they are a very compelling writer who mines the LBT canon thoroughly, taking the characters in highly creative, superpowered directions and who certainly has a flair for the epic! I'd highly recommend these stories if you're looking for something darker, more intense and more fantastical than my cozier stories, which I appreciate their great feedback on! The two of us worked very closely to adapt their character Dagara, who you might recognize from many of their stories, for this more conventional LBT setting, and I tried my best to fulfill their detailed vision. Here Dagara is a classic longneck rather than the sharpneck of their stories, but still is arguably the prickliest reader OC of the bunch. If you want to read more about Dagara in her original form, check out, among other fics, Because You're a Sharpneck and Surviving a Sharpneck. To further differentiate this AU version from the original, and because this would more appropriately fit her role and character arc here, I also decided to give her a nickname which she will go by later.
You'll be seeing these six characters throughout this chapter, and this humongous chapter is where their most of their roles are the biggest (you'll be seeing quite a bit of Cricket next time), they will continue to have supporting roles for the rest of the arc as the other five become ...
Also, for better visualization, here is the seating chart at the start of the chapter, complete with the characters' actual species, as describing them is hard, so this is what they look like from the gang's point of view, back left to front right:
Lexovisaurus (F) - Kentrosaurus (M) - Ankylosaurus (F) - Edmontonia (M) - Sauropelta (F)
Nyctosaurus (M) - Rhamphorhynchus (F) - Tapejara (M) - Quetzalcoatlus (M) - Pterodaustro (F)
Seth Saurolophus a. - Maiasaura (F) - Olorotitan (M) - Tenontosaurus (M) - Lambeosaurus (F)
Diabloceratops (M) - Pentaceratops (M) - Chasmosaurus (F) - Pachyrhinosaurus (F) - Einiosaurus (M)
Jada Bajadasaurus - Amargasaurus (F) - Saltasaurus (M) - Shunosaurus (F) - Nigersaurus (M)
Apart from all that? The usual please fav/follow/review if you like the story, I appreciate feedback, and Land Before Time belongs to Universal. All right, time to jump into the story!
Chapter 25 – The Sanative Swimmer
Day 1 – Day 2 – Mysterious Beyond
"Uh …" Littlefoot said uncomfortably as he and his friends stared at the formerly disorderly band of youngsters, all of whom were still looking at the ground, their bodies still in an unmistakable pose of respect, bordering on reverence. Now that they were able to look at the members of the group individually, they had begun to realize how unusual this group really was. Each of them was of a different kind of dinosaur, some of whom the gang in all of their adventures had never even seen before.
Littlefoot observed the first row curiously. It consisted of five longnecks, Jada among them, all of whom belonged to unusual kinds, whose herds and relatives he realized must have come from other parts of the world. They were all pretty small in size, only a little longer than Cera and Spike from head to tail, which when considering their long necks and tails, actually put them at a slightly smaller body size, closer to Spike's weight and well lighter than Cera's. Apart from Jada, two of them were species that Littlefoot had only seen a couple of times. Next to Jada stood another female spikeneck, though her spikes pointed backwards instead of forwards, a kind he had seen before from the Great Longneck Migration. The other was a male knobbed longneck, the bulkiest of the group, that he had seen during both the migration and his father's herd in cold times past. The other two, like Jada, were completely new kinds to Littlefoot. One was a female with a tail like that of a clubtail, and the other was a male shortneck who had a strangely wide mouth. They all seemed to look up to him, both literally and figuratively, as he smiled warmly at them. He had never seen such a unique group of longnecks, and he was naturally intrigued by them.
Cera scowled as she looked at the second row of teenagers, all of whom were fellow frilled dinosaurs, bowing down and averting her gaze. Being a large individual of one of the biggest kinds of threehorns, she was not surprised to see that she was considerably bigger than all of the others. There was a male fourhorn with two horns above his eyes and two at the top of his frill, as well as a very small nosehorn. Next to him was a male threehorn with a taller but less rounded frill, meaning it provided more coverage in the back but less to the sides. Third was a smaller red female threehorn, bearing a strong resemblance to the recently departed Bella. Fourth in the row was a female thicknose, who looked a lot like a younger version of their former herd leader. And last was a male onehorn with a notably curved horn. Suspiciously, she looked at each of them in turn, wondering just what they were up to.
Ducky's heart melted as she looked at the genuflecting row of twofooters crouched behind the frilled dinosaurs. She looked at each of their weary faces, malnourished stomachs, and bruised bodies, covered with grotesque gashes. Apart from Seth, who looked rugged yet still wounded with his notably bleeding mouth, the other four also looked like they had been through the school of hard knocks. The female nesting bigmouth looked like she could have been one of Maia or Madge's children back home, but she didn't have the pampered look of a well-loved child, with her left arm coated in blood. There was a male hollowhorn with a crest of a type that Ducky had never seen before, looking vaguely like a snapping shell, whose tail was marred with sharptooth bites. Remembering the story her little brother Sam's friends shared about a species of spikethumb with a long tail and no spike on the thumb they saw on their journey to the Great Valley, Ducky saw a male matching that description standing fourth in the row, with claw marks from fast biters all over the side of his body. And then at the end of the row was a female green tall-crested hollowhorn, with much pain apparent in her stomach area. Ducky swallowed. She knew plenty of nice dinosaurs of her kind, like Lambe, a longtime Valley resident, and Lyle, part of the Swimmer Trio. But even she couldn't completely ignore that the hollowhorn looked a good deal like the scheming despot who had driven them out here in the first place …
Petrie couldn't help but to be in awe of the group of flyers, who unlike so many others, even his siblings at times, actually seemed to respect him. Many of them looked very different than anyone he had ever seen before, even including the flyers he saw at the Great Day of the Flyers. There was a male with two very long, narrow crests protruding right above his eyes, one that shot straight up into the air, and the other sticking out perpendicularly, going as far back as his body did. He shivered at the second individual, a pink female tailed flyer who looked eerily like a younger version of Pterano's old crony Rinkus. Fortunately however, she didn't seem to look anywhere near as menacing upon closer inspection, with softer facial features and a toothless beak like that of most flyers. The third flyer was a male with a great big semicircular crest on top of his head, somewhat resembling that of a round-crested hollowhorn. The fourth was a male giant flyer, belonging to the same kind that had once carried Littlefoot, Cera and Spike home from Threehorn Peak. And the fifth was perhaps the strangest flyer he ever saw, a female pale pink in color with a thin, semicircular top beak, but a large bottom beak filled with very tall, grass-like teeth, almost as if to filter out aquatic plants. It was an unusual group of flyers to say the least, for Petrie had been used to most flyers looking like him back home.
Only Spike looked at his row of tailed counterparts in the back unphased. He could see at once by their droopy eyes how hungry each of them was, and he knew that probably was the root of why they acted out in the first place. Even he wasn't at his best when he was hungry, getting his friends in trouble every so often just because his stomach happened to be speaking particularly loudly that day. Like Littlefoot and Cera, he was bigger than each of his counterparts. Two of them were spikesides, a female who had pointy, spike-like plates from her neck to her tail, and a male who looked similar, except his plates were replaced on the rear half of his back by actual tall spikes. The biggest was a honey-colored female clubtail who was almost as big as he was, belonging to the same species as the clubtail families in the Great Valley. The final two were shieldbacks. One was a male who looked much like the Valley elder Ed Shieldback, and he was very stocky and armored, with several spikes jutting out besides his head. The other was a slender female with four spikes on each side, the first three running parallel alongside her neck, while the fourth jutted out to her rear, and she had a very long tail that made up half of her total length.
Soon, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike had not only observed the row closest to each of their own kinds, but they also had managed to get a good look at everyone else. Though they each had different observations about the group, what they all found highly alarming was now that the adolescents were not moving, staying confined to their submissive postures, pools of blood had begun to form beside their bodies. Some of them were only small, but others left much larger red stains on the parched ground, resembling steadily growing scarlet lakes as their blood continued to accumulate.
As time passed and the group neither budged from their positions or said a word, Littlefoot and his friends looked at each other. Much as they would like to help, they couldn't afford to stand out here all day and wait for them to react, not with so much at stake and a mob potentially on their tails.
"Well, I guess we better go," Littlefoot sighed, and silently, he, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike began to take a couple steps to the side.
"Wait," said a voice. Turning back, they saw that that the male spikeside had spoken up. He was just a tad younger than the gang, with fiery red skin, a beige belly and brown plates and spikes. Curiously, he had a vine pendant around his neck, to which a ragged tree star was attached. He had lifted his head up, as had many of the others, many of whom were looking at the gang with reverent, pleading eyes.
"Thank you very much. You … fight good," he said with an impressed tone to his voice, as many of the others murmured in agreement.
"Glad you noticed," Cera growled huffily, to which she unexpectedly heard a derisive snort. Turning, she saw that she was face to face with the other spikenecked longneck, not saying a word but looking at Cera with great mistrust in her eyes. She was ochre in color with sienna neck spikes, some of which were broken off, gold-colored eyes, a peach-colored belly, and a heavily punctured leg.
"What?" Cera demanded as the spikeneck merely said nothing. This made Cera only more furious. "Tell me or you're gonna get it!" Cera shouted, before Littlefoot held out a paw. "Cera, stop it!"
"Well, at least someone has some manners," she said, nodding in respect to the taller longneck. "Sorry Mr. Longneck … I don't blame you for not keeping your pointy-faced friend in line."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Cera snapped, looking at the spikeneck with increasing dislike.
"Threehorns … You're all the same, aren't you? You lose your temper all the time and you don't know how to take a thank you."
However, she was interrupted when she heard a huff. Turning, she saw the male threehorn standing right behind her, looking at her with great annoyance. He was dark blue with blackish horns and appeared to be among the youngest of the group. Despite this, he also looked to be one of the toughest, with well-worn, strong leg muscles, and even though he had a highly visible wound around his right eye, he seemed to ignore the pain as he glared at the spikeneck.
"Shut it, spikeneck. I'm here to hear them, not your sharptooth dirt," he growled coldly. "But if I'm not gonna hear anything useful, I'm out. I can take care of myself. Move, spikeneck."
"Oh great, another bossy threehorn. Get out of my space," snapped the spikeneck.
"Your space? You're in my way!" the threehorn replied.
"Well that's not my problem," said the spikeneck as she turned her neck back to the front. This however, turned out to be extremely unfortunate. For at the same time, Jada, who was standing next to the other spikeneck and had been anxiously watching the scene, also turned her neck back to the front. As a result, the two spikenecks' necks collided, with both of their spikes slightly piercing the other's flesh.
Startled, the other spikeneck jumped. "Hey!" she shouted, brandishing her spikes as Jada nervously tried to back away. "Watch where you're going!"
"S … Sorry," Jada trembled as she fearfully lowered her neck, wanting to keep eye contact as far away from the other spikeneck as possible.
Hurriedly, Littlefoot stepped forward. "All right, break it up!" he insisted.
At once, they did and the entire group once again looked at the gang respectfully.
"You guys should not be fighting!" Ducky declared. "You should all be friends, yep yep yep!"
This however, earned snorts from the spikeneck and the threehorn.
Cera glared at the spikeneck again. "If you make one more …"
"There you go, picking favorites with your own kind, I see," the spikeneck interrupted.
"We're different kinds of threehorns, you rockhead!" Cera shot back.
"You threehorns all are the same to me," the spikeneck said carelessly.
"Please, everybody, listen," Littlefoot hurriedly butted in with a gentle but firm voice.
This silenced the group, even the spikeneck, as once again, they all lowered their heads in respect.
"Now then," Littlefoot asked warmly. "What would you like to say to us?"
There was a tense silence, before some of the others in the crowd began to speak up.
"We're sorry," sighed the male fourhorn.
"We were wrong to laugh at you like that," confessed the male knobbed longneck.
"We'll forever be ashamed," sniffled the female spikeside.
"No, really, it's all right," Littlefoot tried to say reassuringly, but the male crested flyer interrupted.
"You didn't have to save us. But you did."
"We can learn a lot from you," added the female clubtailed longneck.
The gang looked at each other in puzzlement. "Uh, what you mean?" Petrie asked tentatively.
"Mentor us," smiled the female nesting bigmouth earnestly.
"Teach us everything you know," begged the pale pink female flyer.
"All your fighting moves," implored the female threehorn.
"We need to fight sharpteeth like that in order to survive," agreed the male shieldback.
"We don't have any parents to teach us," explained the male giant flyer.
"And in return, we'll do whatever you say, just like we would our parents," vowed the female clubtail.
And the entire group murmured in agreement as they nodded solemnly, still holding themselves low to the ground in their submissive postures.
Bewilderedly, the gang looked at each other and drew their heads in together.
"Guys, those kids look like they really mean it," Etta informed them. "They may be a bit rough around the edges … But that's some deference they're showing ya … They really want you to be their mentors."
"But I do not want to be their mentor," Ducky said sadly, looking at them. "I just want to be their friend."
Cera shook her head. "Ducky, you can't be serious!" she insisted.
Ducky looked at Cera confusedly. "What do you mean?"
"This whole thing has gotta be a setup," Cera muttered, glowering at the rows of teens. "How do we know they're not in on it with Leigh, and they're really only trying to find out what we're up to? Especially that spikeneck, I hate that attitude of hers."
"Cera … I do not think they would try to trick us, oh no no no … They seem good inside, they do," argued Ducky passionately. "They only acted like that because they are really hungry. Even Spike can get cranky when his stomach rumbles sometimes … No offense Spike," Ducky smiled as Spike grunted in acknowledgment. "They say they are sorry for what they have done, and I believe them. I really feel they want to start over with their lives, I do …"
Her eyes watering, Ducky looked right at the others. "That is why we have to help them! And why we should let them come with us to the Hidden Canyon, we should," she said firmly. "We are going to a safe place, and it would not be right if we did not share it with kids who need our help! Just look at them! They are hungry, they are covered with injuries, and they need our love and support! They are orphans who need us … And if we do not help them, who will?"
Cera had to fight her hardest to not let out a snort of disbelief. "Ducky, I know you mean well, but … Well, Leigh had everyone fooled! Even my dad! Who's to say any of them can be trusted? Even if just one of them is in on it, boom, there goes our Secret Spot. And any chance we have at rescuing our real family and friends along with it! Besides, we've got to focus on what's really important, saving the Great Valley! And we can't waste any time playing teacher when we have real lives to save!"
"What you think, Littlefoot?" Petrie asked before Ducky could interject with another response, as Spike too looked at Littlefoot curiously.
Littlefoot sighed as he looked at both Ducky's pleading and Cera's skeptical faces. Both of them had good points, and he knew the only way they could adequately solve this was through a thorough, nuanced discussion …
"Etta, would you mind keeping an eye on them for a while and make sure no sharpteeth come? We need to talk about some things," Littlefoot gently asked.
"No problem," Etta obliged, and so the five of them alone were within earshot, their heads very close to one another.
Sighing, Littlefoot turned to Ducky first. "Ducky … I'm afraid Cera's right. We can't take everyone in just yet. Grandpa told us we only have once chance to keep the Secret Spot safe … Which means we can't be too careful. If even one of them betrays us, we could lose everything before we even get started and then we won't be able to save anyone."
Ducky sniffled, looking at Littlefoot with surprise and even a little bit of hurt. "Littlefoot, I thought you would understand … You see the best in everybody … That is part of why I like you so much, yep yep yep …. How could you feel good about ignoring them?"
Littlefoot smiled reassuringly at Ducky. "Don't worry, Ducky. I don't want to ignore them. Actually, I want to help them as much as you do."
Ducky looked at Littlefoot hopefully, giving him a tight hug. At the same time, Cera looked highly annoyed. "Oh great," she huffed. "I suppose I'm gonna have tell you why this is a bad idea too?"
"No Cera," Littlefoot reassured her. "You're right, we need to make sure we can trust them first. And there's too many of them to let into our Secret Spot just yet. But I really think we should give them a chance."
"We already gave them a chance," Cera argued. "And the only thing they've done is proven they're a bunch of bullies!"
Littlefoot sighed. He was going to have to try a different tack to get her to come around …
"Cera, what do you think would happen if we just said no to them?" Littlefoot asked thoughtfully.
"We'd just get to the Hidden Canyon faster and not have to worry about them bothering us," Cera answered without hesitation.
"Yeah, but … Try to think about it from their perspective. How would you feel if someone told you no?"
"What'd you think? I'd be mad."
"Right," said Littlefoot knowingly. "And if you were really mad at someone, what might you want to do?"
"Well, I'd wanna get back at them …" she said, glaring at the spikeneck, before pausing. "Oh," she said awkwardly, and Littlefoot knew she finally realized where he was coming from.
"Yeah," Littlefoot sighed. "There may be some risk in trusting them, but there's even more risk in making them our enemies, especially when they could be our friends. I know they weren't very nice at first … But what if Ducky's right? What if they have changed? Even the spikeneck might be good inside."
"Well good for them if they have," Cera growled. "At least they'd have learned something. But we've got bigger problems to deal with! We've gotta help everyone back home, remember? Besides, I don't know how long Sis can go without doing something that'll get her killed!"
"I know, but who's to say we can't do both?" Littlefoot said, drawing curious stares from the others, inspiration once again twinkling in his eyes. He knew just the trick to sell her on the concept ...
Smiling, he said, "Picture this. Remember how strong your Cross-Strength Cohesive was? Well, imagine not just one tough dino, but six! Six frilled dinosaurs on front defense, six longnecks on special moves, six tailed dinosaurs on back defense, six flyers on sky offense, and six twofooters on ground offense! We'd be six times stronger, six times faster, and six times better! Six cohesives, Cera! And we've got everyone we need for it right in front of us!"
Littlefoot could see in her eyes just how tempted Cera was with the prospect as he described it, only for her face to fall as she realized the natural conclusion. "Wait … You're telling me I should teach them the Cross-Strength Cohesive?"
"Uh-huh," Littlefoot grinned as Ducky, Petrie and Spike all gasped eagerly.
"Nuh-uh, no way. I am not teaching that spikeneck," Cera insisted flatly.
"Think about it, Cera!" Littlefoot told her passionately. "All of us working together to save the Great Valley! Plus, if you're their teacher, you can see whether we can trust them or not with your very own eyes!"
"Hmm, if they'd make it through my training," Cera said, with a devious smirk lining her face, but Littlefoot could tell that behind it she was fighting back a more excited smile. "Not that they will … But if we actually had six tough dinos on our side … Of course we'd need to ditch the spikeneck ..."
"Me all for it," Petrie said happily. "Sound like good idea!"
Spike too grunted in agreement, causing Ducky to gasp and clutch her hands, beaming at her friends, hope sparkling from her eyes. "So you mean we are taking everyone in?" she asked excitedly.
"Maybe, but not quite yet," Littlefoot cautioned. "We need to make sure that none of them have a chance to betray us. Petrie, if you and Etta take turns, can you keep an eye on them at all times?"
"We can try," Petrie said doubtfully. "But twenty-five is a lot to watch. Too many to keep track of. Besides, me think we forgetting someone. What about Cricket? He just poor little kid in big world. He eat red food, so he no reason to like Leigh. Plus he no able to fly or climb walls and he too little to move rocks or make big noise, so he no able to tell bad guys even if he want to. And he not do that, he nice, he no even make fun of us!"
"He is cute and friendly and sweet," Ducky agreed. "I am for taking in Cricket, yep yep yep!"
"Well, I suppose he can't really hurt anybody," Cera conceded. "Fine, let's take him."
Spike expressed his agreement, and they all looked at Littlefoot. "I'm fine with Cricket too … But if we take him, how many others do you think you and Etta can always keep an eye on?"
"Hmm … Cricket small, so maybe … Five more? If me up high enough," Petrie answered.
"Only five more?" Ducky asked disappointedly.
Petrie nodded. "Yeah … Me lose track of everyone if we have too many," he explained.
"But how do we choose without hurting everyone else's feelings?" Ducky asked worriedly. "If we pick five, that means we do not pick twenty … Oh no no no."
"That part's easy. We just have to see who's ready for it ... If any of them are," Cera answered mischievously.
Soon, the five of them brought Etta back in, hashed out everything with one another, and came to an understanding. Then they faced the group, who remarkably still were in position, their bodies completely stiff, struggling to retain their posture after having to remain in place for so long.
"Okay then," Littlefoot smiled. "We've got a plan for you guys."
"We know you will like it, we do!" Ducky said brightly.
"Only if you wanna get beaten up, that is," Cera smirked.
Evidently, Cera had hoped to scare some of them off, but not one of them budged. Reluctantly impressed, she backed down and let Littlefoot take over.
"Before we get started, you've got to promise not to tell anyone you've seen us," Littlefoot said seriously. "We can't tell you everything yet, for we've got to know that we can trust you first. But … we have some … Well, dinosaurs who don't like us, both sharpteeth and leafeaters, who would kill us if they knew we were out here. So can you promise to keep the fact that you've seen us a secret, no matter what?"
"And if one of you tries to tell on us, it's up to the rest of you to stop them," Cera added firmly. "Or else there won't be any trainings. Got it?"
The group all seriously nodded.
"Right then," said Cera gruffly. "I'll be your trainer. We'll start tomorrow, at the crack of dawn."
"Oh great," the spikeneck shook her head.
Then an evil grin spread across Cera's face. "That is, if you can pass my first test …"
She looked again to see if any of them would back down. But once again, not one of them moved, and she couldn't help but feel a touch of satisfaction. Just the attitude they would need to have a chance of learning her technique …
"Okay," she said challengingly. "First, you'll need to prove you have the discipline to train with me. You'll all be taking a test, but five of you will have to go first."
"Whoever goes first can come with us tonight while everyone else is still taking their test," Littlefoot offered friendlily.
"If you pass, that is," Cera added, barely concealing a snort of laughter.
"Come on, guys!" Ducky said encouragingly, earning a slight glare from Cera. "I know you can do it!"
Hesitantly, the crowd remained still, looking at each other uncertainly. At last however, some volunteers slowly started to come forward.
"I'll pass your test, no problem," the spikeneck smiled daringly as she looked at Cera, who muttered, "You're on."
"I'm ready to go," Seth declared resolutely.
"I accept your challenge," said the male threehorn respectfully.
"Um … I'll do it," Jada added, looking at Ducky uncertainly, who gave her an encouraging nod.
"I'll go tout de suite," said the male spikeside, revealing a slight accent.
Cera stared at the test subjects determinedly. It was time to see what they were made of.
"Okay you four … and you," Cera ordered, nodding to the tree that they all had been fighting over before. "Here's your test. You've gotta strip that tree of branches one at a time and give them to Petrie and Etta over there without eating any of the treestars. Ducky and Spike will be keeping watch. If you pass the test, you can come to training tomorrow. But if you eat any of the treestars, you're done. Got it?"
The five teenagers all nodded before they crowded around the tree, each choosing a different part of the tree to remove the branches from. Seth reached up and ripped off the tallest branches, while the two spikenecks lifted their necks up to remove the branches just below his level, Jada making sure to avoid eye contact with her more pugnacious counterpart. The spikeside meanwhile proved remarkably adept at standing on his hind legs as he used a front paw to brace himself against the tree, removing the middle branches, while the threehorn lifted his head up to rip off the lowest branches. Petrie and Etta sat several paces off to the side, forcing the test-takers to walk over to them with the branches, all the while having to resist the temptation, exacerbated by their famished bodies, to eat any tree stars along the way. Petrie had also brought Cricket over, and once they started receiving the branches, the three of them began to take the leaves off the branches and put them in twenty individual piles. Littlefoot and Cera then went to approach the others.
"The rest of you, you won't be getting off easy," Cera said gruffly. "You're gonna get the same test that they've got. You'll be staying here by yourselves for the night, with a pile of tree stars in front of you. I'll be back when the Bright Circle rises. You've gotta make sure you don't eat a single one of your tree stars until I arrive, no matter how hungry you get. Then I'll count the amount, and if you pass the test, you can eat your share before we start training. All right?"
"We'll do whatever you say, Amazing Threehorn Lady," promised the female shieldback as the others nodded. Littlefoot smirked knowingly as he couldn't help but notice a little smile cross his mate's face. It was so similar to what she had been called before, only this time, she had earned the title just by being herself …
"All right then," Littlefoot said encouragingly. "Spread out and we'll bring your tree stars to you when we're ready. No one's allowed to move from their spots so we can make sure there's no cheating, except if there's an emergency, in which case you can move to defend yourselves." Nodding to the biggest flyer, Littlefoot said, "If that happens, go straight that way, keep calling out "oops-eeps", and we'll come to your rescue. But don't do that unless there's a real problem, because then we'd have to start this all over again."
"Yeah, and no false alarms," warned Cera. "Or else I won't give you another test and you'll all be out of luck."
Nodding in understanding, everyone got up and moved apart to sit a good fifty feet from one another in every direction. Before long, the collection process was completed. The tree had 4,273 leaves, giving them each a pile of 213 leaves to sit with, leaving thirteen remaining for Spike to eat. Fortunately, the wind was very still, so the piles of leaves were not likely to move, but just in case, each of them had several rocks that they put on their leaf piles, ensuring that their leaves would not blow away and making the temptation to resist eating them a little easier. After double-checking each leaf pile to make sure it had 213 leaves, Littlefoot and Cera went back to the tree, where Ducky, Petrie, Spike, Etta, Cricket, and the other five newcomers stood waiting.
"So," Cera sneered as the five teens looked at her anxiously. "I suppose you all failed?"
"Oh no no no," Ducky shook her head delightedly. "They did not eat a single leaf, right Spike?" Spike nodded and grunted affirmatively.
Cera stared, thoroughly bewildered. "Oh, come on!" she shouted.
"Sorry pointy-face, we passed," smirked the spikeneck.
Cera looked to Petrie, Etta and Cricket for help.
"Me see them, and they do everything you say," Petrie added. "Right Cricket?" Petrie asked, who happily nodded.
"They've sure got some fiery willpower inside," agreed Etta.
"Well Cera, I think we've heard enough," said Littlefoot smiling. "A promise is a promise, remember?"
Cera however wouldn't give up so easily. "Show me your mouths," she said, trying her hardest not to sound desperate.
They did, and while she could see bits of branch inside, there was no trace of green whatsoever.
Shaking her head, Cera sighed. She didn't expect this, and this was the last thing she wanted …
"All right," Cera said, facepawing. "You passed."
"Told ya," the spikeneck smirked as Cera struggled with every ounce of effort not to explode.
"Oh, thank you!" Jada beamed at them.
"I'll be ready," the male threehorn said determinedly.
"Thanks!" smiled the male spikeside.
"Awesome!" exclaimed Seth.
"Yeah, well, prepare yourselves for the real work tomorrow," Cera spat bitterly, but unable to fully conceal a twinge of pride in her voice … Except for that spikeneck … She'd have to get rid of her somehow …
They then went to address the others, not one of whom had moved from their places. "All right everyone, we're leaving for the night," Littlefoot said encouragingly. "These five already passed their tests, so they'll be coming with us, and we hope to be seeing the rest of you soon."
"Oh yes yes yes!" Ducky exclaimed. "We have a … uh …" she began, only to stop upon feeling Cera's warning glare. "A special place, where we will all be happy together, yep yep yep!"
"If you somehow get lucky and pass your tests too," Cera daringly said, once again failing to phase any of them. Perhaps these kids had more spunk than she realized ...
"She no say it, but Cera want you to succeed too," Petrie teased, earning both her glare and Spike's loud snorting chuckles.
"All right then, see you later, and good luck!" Littlefoot exclaimed as the rest of the group said their goodbyes, leaving the gang, Etta, Cricket, and the five who already passed their tests to walk together. As Etta dozed on Littlefoot's back to allow her to take the night shift later, the gang began to talk with their new companions. Ducky was even humming to herself as she hopped along, delighted with the success of her new friends.
"You did a great job with Cera's test today … It was hard, it was, right Spike?" she asked happily as Spike nodded.
"Yeah, well, don't think I'm letting you off easy because you passed one test," Cera warned.
"That really mean Cera proud of you but she no want to admit it," Petrie smirked.
"Hey! I can speak for myself!" Cera said, flustered, but seeing how the rest of the gang laughed, the six newcomers couldn't help but feel warm inside too. Even the spikeneck, a little …
"We should introduce ourselves, we should," Ducky said cheerfully. "I cannot wait to get to know you better." She turned to Seth first. "Want to go first, Seth?"
Seth nodded. "Hi, uh, I'm Seth. I'm a swimmer, but I really didn't fit in with my old herd well," he said. "I know I should like water … But I just like combat better. I get a lot more out fun of punching rocks than splashing in the water. I love the thrill of breaking into a sweat and driving all my power into something … Proving to myself I can do anything, even if I don't have a lot of body armor."
Cera eyed Seth curiously as he sighed. "But my herd didn't like me. My siblings kept bullying me … One day, when I was practicing, one of them called me a freak and a stupid sinker," he said, shuddering. "And I … Just had enough. I just lost it and sucker-punched him. That got me kicked out of the herd, and well … I've been wandering ever since, exploring the world, and practicing my fighting techniques," he explained. "I've had to, with all the sharpteeth around."
Ducky meanwhile, couldn't help but notice that while his body was ripped and his muscles were large, the large gash by his mouth looked incredibly deep and painful, with blood even dripping down his chin and onto the ground. "Are you feeling okay, Seth?" she asked concernedly.
"Relax, Ducky, he's fine," Cera said, eyeing his physique with admiration. "Well, no wonder you passed my first test, especially if you fought against sharpteeth with your bare hands. You're good at throwing things?"
Seth nodded. "I've had to throw a few boulders at sharpteeth to knock them out."
Cera's eyes twinkled, and she smirked as she and Ducky looked significantly at each other. "Well then, you're gonna love what I've got planned for you … If you're up for it."
"Can't wait," Seth said eagerly.
"How about you go next, Jada?" Ducky asked kindly.
Jada nodded. "Hi … I'm Jada, she said shyly. "Um … I came from a faraway place, where there were lots of big herds of longnecks. I was once part of a herd, until my mom, dad and I were kicked out. Then just after my seventh star day, my parents were killed by sharpteeth …"
Shuddering, she mumbled, "I was all alone for a few cold times until I was adopted by my stepparents. But they didn't really love me … They would make me clean their sleeping spots … And if I didn't get it done fast enough, they would …" Then she looked at the middle of her back, and as Ducky followed her gaze down her right side, she could see beneath her fresh, open wounds, there lay deep gouges, what had to be the marks of repeated whiplashes …
Ducky gasped as she stared at Jada in disbelief. "They … hurt you?" she asked faintly, barely able to vocalize the words.
Slowly, Jada nodded. "I had no choice but to run away … And ever since, I've been on my own," she sighed.
At this point, Ducky crouched down, she put a supportive hand on Jada, smiling at her tearfully. "I … I feel so bad inside for you, yep yep yep … But we want to make everything better, we do … Maybe you can even come and live ..."
"Ducky!" Cera said warningly.
"Oh … right," Ducky sighed, but then turned supportively to Jada. "But at least we can help you feel better … And I will not rest until your injuries are all gone, oh no no no."
Smiling brightly, she turned next to face Cricket. "Cricket, would you like to go?" Ducky asked as Petrie gave him an encouraging tap on the shoulder.
"Hi, uh, I'm Cricket," he stuttered slightly, noticing how much bigger everyone else was, waving his one large fingered claw subconsciously. No one laughed however, so he felt better. "I got lost from my parents … And it's just been me since," he sighed. "My kind eats crawlers … I just had some, but they sure taste spicy, and I'd like a drink," he smiled. Then he looked up at Petrie, remembering. "You said you know someone who likes crawlers, right?" he asked excitedly.
"Oh yeah," Petrie said reassuringly. "Actually, me know two someones. They grown up, but they still small, and they very nice. And now our sharptooth friend too big to eat crawlers, there plenty for you to eat."
"My kind doesn't get big either," he explained brightly. "I was once this tall," he said, crouching down before standing up and cutely smiling, "But see? Now I'm all grown up! And though we eat red food, we're not sharpteeth. We share trees with leafeaters, eating the crawlers inside. And sometimes, we even eat the big crawlers that play in your even bigger poop!" he said excitedly, causing many awkward chuckles.
"We're a lot like you guys, as we get our food from the trees just like you, and we have to hide from sharpteeth. And we speak leafeater too! My mommy said that sometimes, if you ask really nicely, some leafeaters would even let you eat the bloodsucking crawlers that take a ride on them," he smiled. "But I've never seen a leafeater that nice."
"Hmph! I'm way too tough for any crawler to land on me," Cera boasted.
"Um … Actually, I see a crawler on top of your frill," Cricket giggled as Cera desperately tried to shake it off. "Actually, there's crawlers on everybody. Really little ones, but they're there. "You guys must not have had a bath in a while."
"You could say that," Littlefoot smirked as he looked at the rest of the gang, causing them as well as most of the other newcomers to laugh, with only the spikeneck abstaining, but even she smiled a bit.
"Don't worry, I'll get them all off! It'll be fun!" he exclaimed, and he immediately started to peck at Littlefoot for bloodsucking crawlers.
Sighing, Ducky looked to the ochre spikeneck. It would be harder to get this one to warm up, but she would try her hardest all the same.
"Um … Hello, what is your name?" Ducky said friendlily.
The spikeneck sighed in annoyance. "Dagara. There. Happy?"
Ducky smiled. "You have a pretty name, you do."
Dagara looked surprised with the compliment, and her surprise seemed to only grow with what Ducky said next.
"I can tell you do not want to talk much. That is okay. Spike does not like to talk much either, right Spike?" Ducky asked as Spike grunted affirmatively. "But if you change your mind, I will always be there for you, yep yep yep!"
Ducky looked hopefully, and while Dagara only responded with a simple nod, Ducky could see a little bit of warmth break through the stony surface of her eyes. Ducky couldn't help but smile knowingly. It seemed that just like someone else, Dagara had a tough exterior, yet a tender heart … If only they could both realize it … But she needed to get her punctured leg fixed up first …
"I'll go next, I guess," said the threehorn impassively. "My name's Keeter. I never really knew my parents … They died from a sharptooth attack, and ever since then, I've been on my own."
"Really? You mean you've had to raise yourself?" Littlefoot asked concernedly.
Keeter simply nodded.
"Oh … I am sorry, I am," Ducky said sympathetically.
"It's okay. I'm used to it," he said matter-of-factly. Then he sighed, "I guess that's why I laughed at you like that. You're older than me, when I've been taking care of myself my whole life, and there you show up, sticking together like a group of mismatched hatchlings. I thought it was because you were a bunch of scaredy eggs too weak to take care of yourselves. But now …" he sighed, turning to them. "I know you're not weak at all. You've got a strength I've never seen before. Even I couldn't take on that many sharpteeth … And now I know if I really want to defend myself … I need to learn from you," he said, not able to completely conceal a note of fallen pride.
"Don't worry Keeter," Littlefoot said encouragingly. "We'll help you out."
"You look plenty tough to me," Cera added, looking at Keeter with a great deal more respect, and even Dagara seemed surprised. "I should know, after all … You'll have no problem if you do what I say."
"Except for your eye," said Ducky. "We need to make that all better."
"No, seriously, I'm fine," Keeter insisted.
Ducky sighed, before turning to the red spikeside. "You are the last one left, so you should introduce yourself, you should," she greeted him friendlily.
"Oh, my name's Light," the spikeside said, nodding toward Ducky with respect.
What Light didn't notice however was the way that the gang looked at each other significantly, horror in their eyes. It was a name that sounded perilously close to someone else's, not to mention it was a word that that someone loved to talk about ...
"W … What your name mean?" Petrie asked, unable to fully control his stutter.
"My father named me that because he knew I was good inside and thought I would lead my siblings like a light to a better future. Only …" he sighed, looking down at the tree star pendant on his chest. "That's not how things worked out."
His heart stopping with a pang, Littlefoot felt his eyes water a little as he bent down to get a closer look at Light and his tree star pendant. "Hey," he asked gently. "Did your father give you that?"
"How did you know?" Light asked.
"Because …" Littlefoot sighed, "A tree star was the last thing my mother gave me … And I kept it with me even after she … she …" Littlefoot gulped as he tearfully smiled at Light.
Light stared at Littlefoot in disbelief. "He was a great dad … He stopped the other hatchlings in the herd from bullying me because I was smaller and weaker than they were … And he showed me how to get my first tree stars from up high … He taught me how to put my front foot on the tree and balance to reach the taller tree stars. And that's how I got … Before the …"
Littlefoot gave him a gentle caress with his neck, putting a paw on his side, giving him a light embrace …
"Ow!" Light suddenly shouted, wincing in pain, for Littlefoot had just inadvertently bumped into his right paw.
"Oh, sorry," Littlefoot said, still not fully realizing how big he was as Ducky bent down to examine Light.
"Light!" she gasped. "Your front paw is bleeding!"
"Yeah," Light sighed. "It's been like that for a while."
"Do not worry, Light," Ducky said soothingly. "I will help you feel better when we get to …"
"Hold on Ducky," Cera interrupted, before turning to face Light suspiciously. "You don't happen to know a Leigh, do you?"
Light looked puzzled. "Uh … no."
"Cera, their names being close is probably just a coincidence," Littlefoot said reasonably.
"Oh yes yes yes," Ducky agreed. "Light seems nothing like Leigh does."
"Yeah, well, I don't want to take that chance," Cera growled. "What if he's wearing that tree star because he knows you'll go all soft on him? I don't know about you, but I'd rather make sure our real friends and family are safe!"
However, she was interrupted as with a shuffle, Light once again sunk into a submissive posture. This time however, Light went even further, going into a fully prostrated position, with only his belly remaining on the ground while all four paws were stretched out, exposing his paw pads, sacrificing his ability to stand up without moving. "I swear my loyalty to you," he said earnestly as he dutifully stared at the ground.
Littlefoot looked at Light in surprise. "You don't have to …" he began, but Light cut him off.
"You saved my life, and yet you still don't trust me. I promise I'll never hurt you in any way. And if I do, you can claim my life if you wish."
"Me too," said Keeter, repeating the posture as he solemnly looked at the ground. "You have earned my loyalty, and I will never betray you."
"Yeah," Jada smiled as she too went into the same posture. "I really like you all … And I can feel you're good inside."
"Count me in as well," Seth said as even he, despite being a twofooter, fell into the same posture. "You're treating me better than my real family ever did."
"I promise too!" Cricket promised eagerly as he joined the others splayed on the ground.
Only Dagara was left. Doing her best not to look at Cera, she sighed, "I suppose I don't have anyone else to be loyal to." And she too fell into the posture.
The six lay in silence, carefully keeping their eyes fixed to the ground as the gang looked at one another uncomfortably. Even though they had not seen many declarations of loyalty before, it was obvious that these positions were ones of extreme subservience. Positions so devoid of personal autonomy that each of the gang felt uncomfortable even looking at …
"Um … guys?" Petrie asked tentatively. "We like it better if you just stand up like normal."
Reluctantly, the six of them obliged. "But you … you're our herd leaders," Jada explained in admiration.
"How else are we supposed to show you respect?" Keeter asked.
Once again, the gang looked at each other awkwardly. Them, the troublemaking band of mixed-up misfit kids, now having the responsibility of being herd leaders? The concept didn't feel right to any of them, not even Cera. How could they, barely able to keep themselves out of danger as it was, be responsible for others' safety?
"Um … We are not herd leaders," Ducky said slowly. "We are barely not kids ourselves. We do not want to be in charge of you. We just want to be your friends, yep yep yep."
"As long as you don't say a word about us to anyone," Cera said warningly.
"But why?" Cricket asked innocently. "You say that bad guys are after you, but I don't understand …"
"Yeah, you guys are really nice," Jada agreed. "Why would anyone want to hurt you?"
"If anyone tries, I'll give them a knockout," Seth said determinedly, as Light and Keeter nodded determinedly with him.
Littlefoot swallowed, and looking at the others, he knew they realized that the time had come too. They had shown themselves as trustworthy in every way possible, and if they were really going to stick as resolutely with them as what they were saying, they had to understand everything, including the risks and perils of what they were getting into … As Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike nodded at him, Littlefoot cleared his throat and prepared to take the plunge.
"Okay," Littlefoot said seriously. "We'll explain everything … But first, you've got to promise that you've got to keep everything we tell you a complete secret."
"Yeah," Cera added. "That means no telling the next far-walker who comes along and offers you tree stars. You've got to keep quiet no matter what if we're gonna tell you anything. Got it?"
The six of them looked at each other, and Littlefoot could tell they were understanding the seriousness of the situation. At last, Jada spoke up.
"You … you can trust us," she vowed, bowing.
"Our lips are sealed," added Cricket, trying to cross his one clawed hands.
"We promise," Keeter said seriously with a nod.
"We won't say anything," agreed Light, also bowing.
"That's right," said Seth with a genuflection.
As Dagara sighed and nodded with commitment, the gang looked at each other. The newcomers evidently knew how important this was, and there was no point in waiting to divulge their secret any longer …
"All right then," Littlefoot sighed, closing his eyes as he began to relive his painful memories. "The truth is … We're exiles from the Great Valley and we're on the run from a dangerous mob that wants to kill us."
Apart from the initial gasps of horror, what followed was a stunned silence. Only Dagara finally broke the silence as she looked at them scornfully. "You mean … You're really just a bunch of lazy, spoiled leafeaters that now have to live just like the rest of us?"
At once, Jada, Cricket, Keeter, Seth and Light glared at Dagara.
"Don't speak about them like that," Keeter said indignantly.
"Beg pardon, mes amis," Light apologized, as Dagara, having realized she had gone too far, sighed and nodded.
"It's okay," said Littlefoot. "But how about we keep going, and on the way, we will tell you everything."
So they began to walk again, and Ducky started. "You are right, Dagara," she sighed. "The Great Valley is a really nice place to live. We grew up there together. It was a place where green food was everywhere, there was plenty of clear water, the Bright Circle always seemed to be shining, and no matter how much trouble we got in, we always had a place to call home, we did, right Spike?" Ducky asked as Spike nodded sadly. "We lived in the Great Valley together as best of friends, and that was how we thought we would live forever … Until now …"
"I didn't know it actually existed," said Keeter thoughtfully.
"Me neither …" said Jada in wonder.
"Why'd you get kicked out?" Light asked sadly.
"Yeah, you guys are really nice," piped up Cricket.
"Great Valley have some, well, bad luck," Petrie explained with a shiver. "Everything go wrong. First we have prickly plants, then giant fires, dying trees, and sharptooth attacks. Not to mention big bully Leigh tricking Valley into following him and abusing circles to get everyone to hate us!"
"But how?" asked Seth. "Why did it all happen?"
"Well, it's kind of complicated," Littlefoot explained. "Ever since they got to the Great Valley, my grandparents, with the help of the Circle of Elders, have always led the combined herds of the Valley."
"Combined herds?" Jada asked thoughtfully.
Littlefoot nodded. "Though we come from a bunch of different herds, we always acted like one unified herd, like a big family, no matter how different we might be from one another. We shared power between the different herds as well ... Cera's dad and stepmom, Ducky and Spike's mom, and Petrie's mom were all on the Circle of Elders too, working side by side with my grandparents. And though our folks had disagreements, everyone cared about each other and wanted to make the Valley a better place ... together."
With a wistful sigh, Littlefoot continued. "When my grandparents passed on, our new leader Mr. Thicknose felt overwhelmed taking over for them. He never really wanted the job, and he only took it because he would be the only one that everyone else could agree on. But he wasn't really a leader at heart and he didn't have much confidence in himself. The other adults, including my father, Cera's father, and Petrie's uncle could sense that and grew concerned. They didn't think Mr. Thicknose could lead the Valley in times of danger, and they wanted to do everything in their power to keep the Valley safe. But in order to do that, they each felt that they had to become herd leader themselves to protect the Valley from the leadership of the other two."
Confusedly, the newcomers looked at Littlefoot. "They all had their own problems. My dad didn't know much about our Valley or the way we did things, Cera's dad had a speciesist past and made a lot of bad decisions, and Petrie's uncle made decisions bad enough that they led to the loss of many lives. None of them were perfect, but each of them was so worried about the possibility of the other two taking over that the only way they felt they could keep the Valley safe was to be herd leader themselves. They're all really good inside, but they just ... Didn't see that in each other."
"Last night, we had a sharptooth attack," Ducky sighed tearfully. "One that killed many of our friends and neighbors, including a couple of my future siblings-in-law ..." She shuddered slightly, before continuing, "We tried to help, but we were stopped by a group of bad leafeaters who wanted to hurt us. They attacked us … And although we did not want to hurt them, our lives were in danger, and we had no choice but to fight back," she sighed.
Confusedly, the group looked at each other in surprise, except for Dagara, who nodded slowly. "I've seen leafeaters who treat each other far worse than any sharptooth does," she said darkly, her eyes flashing on Cera for a moment. "At least they have to eat us to survive …"
"Why would they … Do such a thing?" Cricket asked fearfully.
"Yeah," Jada sighed. "Especially to you all of all dinosaurs."
"We don't know," Littlefoot answered. "They didn't know us, and they barely even spoke to us …" Sighing, he said, "In any event, Mr. Thicknose was blamed for the incident, and he was forced to step down. With the herd's leadership at stake, a fight between our folks broke out … Which Cera, Petrie and I had to stop ourselves," said Littlefoot, as the newcomers gasped. "Eventually we did, and we got them each to realize that they all wanted what was best for the Great Valley. But just when they were about to start working together ... Everything began to fall apart."
"These stupid bigots showed up from the Mysterious Beyond after the fires we had," Cera explained.
"Mysterious Beyond?" asked Light.
"Sorry, outside the Great Valley," Littlefoot clarified.
"And they didn't like the way we did things as a combined herd," explained Cera. "They blamed everything on the Circle of Elders and their leadership, and that we're a combined herd ... And they started demanding to segregate the Valley, not caring who they ripped apart from one another. All they needed was a ringleader, and then …" She took in a deep breath as she fought her hardest not to scream. "This evil creep named Leigh comes out of nowhere, pretends he has a conversion experience, starts claiming he's speaking on behalf of the circles, and then blames us for all the Valley's problems!"
"Yeah!" Petrie exclaimed, taking their wedding prints from Etta's sleeping person, showing them to the newcomers. "All because me married to Ducky and Littlefoot married to Cera! Leigh claims we make circles bring bad luck because they mad at us for loving who we love, and that we evil for it. When in truth circles only want us to be happy and free to love each other, and Leigh the one truly evil inside!"
More silence followed their pronouncements as looks of deep concern were on each of the group's faces. How could the circles, a source of inspiration, hope and love, be twisted for such a dark purpose?
"We didn't see it coming," Littlefoot sighed. "Leigh pretended to have a threehorn girlfriend himself …"
"Who just happened to be killed right before he started spewing his nonsense," added Cera.
"He was mourning his girlfriend's death, so we all felt sorry for him. But then after his ... Well, act, he comes out wanting to segregate the Great Valley," said Littlefoot. "He knew we would try to stop him, and so he framed us for murdering those bad leafeaters …"
"Who no doubt were in on it with him," Cera growled.
Littlefoot nodded sadly. "They had our sharptooth friend Chomper and my boxhead brother Shorty surrounded and are falsely accusing them both of murder … If they're still alive, that is …" Littlefoot shook his head, trying his hardest not to acknowledge that possibility, before continuing, "Leigh claimed that the Night Circle wanted us dead and his mob had us surrounded, so we had no choice but to escape and run for our lives and well, that's why we're here."
Silence continued, before Dagara said, "So let me get this straight. You've got a power-mad tyrant who uses the circles for his own ends, accuses everyone who disagrees with him of murder, operates by mob rule, and is forcing everyone to stick with their kind, even if they don't want to?"
"Yep yep yep," Ducky said glumly. "And it gets even worse. Our family and friends are still in the Great Valley, and since they helped us escape, they are in danger, they are ..." She sniffled, before adding, "If the mob gets what they want, our family and friends will have to be split up, even though they will not want to be. Everyone will be ripped apart from any friend they have who is different. My mom and Petrie's mom cannot see each other … Nor can Hyp and his friends … Nor will our other friends Chomper, Ruby, Ali, Shorty and Guido …" Before she paused and tearfully gulped, "And my poor little brother …"
Dagara looked concernedly at Ducky. "Your little brother?"
Slowly, Ducky nodded.
"Ducky's little brother belongs to a group of friends led by my Sis," Cera explained. "They're all different kinds, and even though they're all kids, they've sure got a lot of spunk." Sighing she said, "Sis and her friends are never gonna put up with this, and knowing the kind of trouble they get into, they're gonna do something that'll get them killed if they're not careful!"
Stony silence followed this pronouncement as the newcomers looked at the gang in horror, their jaws all agape. Shock and disbelief coated their eyes, unable to fully comprehend what they were hearing. But just by hearing the heartfelt tone in the gang's voices and looking at their sorrowful, teary faces, they knew at once that they couldn't possibly be making this up …
"That's … That's terrible!" Jada cried out.
"How could he and that stupid mob do that?" agreed Keeter.
"They're really mean!" trembled Cricket.
"I'd knock them out if I was there," growled Seth.
"This is just so wrong," Light agreed.
"How can you just run away from all of this? You can't just leave them!" Dagara gasped indignantly.
"We're not," Littlefoot said quietly, piquing their attention, and bringing them all to a stop.
Then Keeter understood. "You mean," he said comprehendingly, "You've got a plan."
"Yep," Littlefoot smiled determinedly. "We're going to save our Great Valley … And we're just getting started."
The six newcomers looked at each other in amazement, but all the same, they couldn't help but look a little apprehensive. "You … you're really brave," Jada said in awe. "But … Won't they try to stop you?"
"What if you can't even get inside?" Light asked concernedly.
"Oh, we'll get in," Cera smirked triumphantly. "For we're going to our secret hideout … A place in the Valley that the bad guys don't know about."
"It right at Great Valley edge, and while it may be little, it got everything we need!" Petrie exclaimed. "And we and Cera's dad only ones who know where it connects to the rest of Valley!"
"The trick is we've got to be careful," Littlefoot explained, remembering what his grandfather said. "If we're discovered now, we'll be outnumbered, and they'd probably kill us. But if we can slowly sneak everyone who's on our side into our Secret Spot, get everyone prepared, and only reveal ourselves when they're least expecting us … We might have a chance."
"To save our Great Valley, yep yep yep!" Ducky cheered.
"And we'll show that stupid mob to never mess with our Great Valley again!" Cera exclaimed.
The six newcomers looked at each other, all of whom were at a loss for words. Something had begun to stir in them inside … A feeling of camaraderie between them, of something greater than themselves, something far more meaningful than where they would find their next meal …
"We're gonna help you!" Dagara exclaimed, her eyes flashing determinedly.
"Yeah, what can we do?" Seth asked eagerly.
"There's gotta be a way we can help else besides keeping quiet," agreed Jada.
"There sure is!" Cera said determinedly. "You can help us by learning the same trick we used to beat those sharpteeth – my very own Cross-Strength Cohesive!"
Littlefoot smiled as Cera closed her eyes and grinned proudly. "Cera just taught it to us, but you saw how amazing it was. She'll be great at teaching it to you guys, and soon, you'll look just like the five of us when we fought off those sharpteeth! We learned that by trusting each other and relying on our different strengths, you can stop enemies in a way where you won't even have to take any damage!"
"You guys will have training with whoever else passes my test," Cera smirked. "Of course, that means it'll probably just be the five of you. Cricket, you're too small and young for this, but you can help us by removing our crawlers."
"Right," Cricket tried to salute with his tiny claw, only to look more pleased when he saw no one laughed at him.
"Um … Mr. Longneck?" Jada asked Littlefoot.
Littlefoot smiled. "You can just call me Littlefoot, Jada. We're all friends here."
Jada shyly looked up at him. "Okay, Littlefoot … Um … Never mind …"
"It's okay," Littlefoot said encouragingly. "Go for it."
"Well … Do you think if we help you out and stop the bad guys … We might be able to stay in the Great Valley too?" Jada asked. "It's just … Well, we don't have anywhere else to go, and …"
Littlefoot smiled, knowing in his heart exactly what his grandparents would say. "Well … The Great Valley has always been welcome to anyone wanting protection from the Mysterious Beyond."
"We will tell our parents about you guys," Ducky smiled. "They are really nice … And if you want to stay here … They would let you, yep yep yep!"
"Even my dad would be okay with it once I put in a good word for you," Cera snarked.
"Yeah, especially if you save Valley with us!" Petrie exclaimed.
The six newcomers looked at each other, excitement gleaming in all of their eyes.
"You should've told us all of this when we were taking that test!" exclaimed Keeter incredulously.
"A self-defense class, a rescue mission, and a home?" Light added. "That's magnifique!"
"Well, we had to know we can trust you first," Littlefoot smiled.
"And now we know we can do that for sure, oh yes yes yes," Ducky chirped.
"Right Cera?" Petrie asked teasingly.
Cera sighed. "You're not that bad, I guess," she said gruffly, but by now everyone was beginning to see the little smile that was forming on her face.
"Um … Mrs. Hornface …. Uh, I mean … Ms. Threehorn," came an awkward voice, and the other newcomers stared as Dagara approached Cera. "Um … Can I talk to you in private?"
"You guys go right on ahead," Cera said, before confidently adding, "Don't worry. Dagara and I can take care of ourselves."
So everyone else did. Dagara looked out at the crowd drawing ahead of them before she turned to Cera, her head lowered in shame.
"You can call me Cera," she told Dagara. "Littlefoot's right, you know. We really are all friends here."
Dagara looked up. "I'm sorry I was so rude to you at first …" she said awkwardly, before heaving a sigh. "I've just … Never felt good enough to be around threehorns."
Cera looked at her quizzically before Dagara explained. "I didn't want to tell everybody about my story, but … I feel like I should tell you, so you understand." Sighing, Dagara said, "I was raised in a threehorn herd."
Cera nodded in comprehension. "So that's why you're so tough! I thought you seemed more like a threehorn than most longnecks."
"Yeah," Dagara said, upset. "But … Things didn't work out. It's kind of like what happened to Seth, see? My old herd had a trio of pointy-faced jerks my age in it … They put me down and made me feel terrible about myself … I told my adoptive father, but when he told the other grownups, none of them did anything to stop them. Until one day I just couldn't take it anymore and … I hurt them. And then my herd didn't want anything to do with me."
Cera nodded in understanding, thinking back to her earliest moments with Littlefoot, where she had been hardly any better herself. "So that's why you had a problem with threehorns?"
Dagara nodded. "But that's not even the half of it. I tried to stand tough against a threehorn invading my space … We fought over a tree, but when I admitted defeat, he didn't let me leave like anyone else would ... He said I needed to learn a lesson, so he pinned me to the ground, ripped some of my spikes out with his beak, and stabbed my leg with his horn until I was writhing with pain," she said, showing Cera her wounded leg, where Cera could see the unmistakable marks of repeated horn jabs.
Cera nodded with disgust. "That's just sick. Really, really, sick."
Dagara looked at Cera. "I'm sorry I misjudged you like that … I must have sounded like such a bigoted piece of sharptooth dirt."
Cera shook her head. "Actually, I wasn't any better once. I … said that flatheads have very small brains," she shuddered. "It wasn't until I became friends with Littlefoot and the others that I finally understood prejudice was wrong, just like you've learned. It doesn't matter that we weren't always right. What matters is we've learned from our mistakes so we'll never make them again. And given what you've been through … Your ability to realize that shows just how strong you are."
Cera then looked at her and chuckled. "To tell you the truth, you actually impressed me. You probably knew I wanted you to fail that test. But that didn't stop you from going for it anyway, and you stuck with it. That takes a lot of spirit and guts … And I like that." Cera smiled.
Dagara nodded, before with a sudden impulse, came up with an idea. "Um, Cera ... Would you mind calling me Gara? I ... just would like a fresh start."
"Okay, Gara," Cera smiled, her eyes glinting excitedly. "But I've got an even better idea for that."
Gara looked curiously as Cera explained. "I'm gonna make you and the others my squad leaders. You've certainly proven yourselves today, and you'll have no problem getting the others in shape. Besides, a longneck who thinks and fights like a threehorn ... How cool is that?"
Gara smiled, feeling better. "I used to think combined herds didn't work … But now, seeing you guys," she sighed. "You opened my eyes and gave me a greater purpose … And I'm determined not to let you down."
"You won't," smirked Cera. "Trust me, I thought I'd never say this, but … You're gonna be awesome leading your team. You're as tough as me … Well, almost," Cera said, causing them both to laugh.
"How 'bout we spar to see about that?" Gara asked.
"You're on," Cera laughed daringly, and playfully, the two butted horns and spikes as they hurried back, practicing their technique, with Cera realizing that like the others, Gara was a friend and ally that they could trust.
After officially naming Jada, Seth, Gara, Light and Keeter their squad leaders and much trudging through the arid, dusty expanse of the Mysterious Beyond, like a sign of hope, the high cliffs revealing the narrow entrance to the Hidden Canyon finally revealed themselves on the horizon.
"That's it, behind those rocks," Littlefoot happily explained. "The Hidden Canyon, our first secret spot!"
"Oh yes yes yes!" Ducky exclaimed cheerfully. "We are almost there! Our special place when we were kids … Is going to be our special place when we are grownups!"
"So how did you guys find it?" asked Keeter.
"Kinda by accident, if you wanna know the truth," said Littlefoot. "We were playing a game of Toss the Seed, and we found the entrance. It's got loads of tree sweets …"
At once however, Littlefoot was cut off, for the six newcomers looked at each other enthusiastically.
"Did you say … Tree sweets?" asked Light, licking his lips.
Cera smirked. "Well, it's not like Ducky's excited about this place for nothing."
"And where there's tree sweets, there's gotta be big leaves!" Jada sighed dreamily.
"And trees mean crawlers!" exclaimed Cricket. "Thinking about crawlers makes me thirsty though."
"Don't worry, we've got water," Littlefoot smiled.
"Whole bunches of it!" Petrie agreed.
This caused all the newcomers to swoon longingly, the prospect of finally having proper nourishment in sight.
"So why is this spot secret if it's so great?" asked Gara.
"Well," Littlefoot said. "These tree sweets provided protection for the Great Valley from sharpteeth because they make sharpteeth sick. Once we started eating the tree sweets though, sharpteeth started entering the Valley through the Hidden Canyon, forcing the grownups to close it off."
"But when Littlefoot says the grownups, it was only his grandparents and my dad who actually sealed the place off. And since Littlefoot's grandparents aren't here anymore, my dad is the only one who actually knows where the Hidden Canyon connects to the Valley. And he'd rather die than tell the bad guys anything!"
"Plus everyone forget about Hidden Canyon by now," added Petrie. "And even if they remember and know we here, apart from Cera's dad, no one can find entrance to Valley but us!"
"We've just got to keep quiet enough so that no one would ever suspect anything," Littlefoot explained, as the newcomers nodded in understanding. "The only problem we have is the Hidden Canyon isn't very big. But don't worry, there's supposed to be a rock wall at the back that leads to another secret spot, so if we can knock that down, we'll be just fine."
"We can do that," Seth said confidently. "I can use some strength practice!"
"Yeah, my horns can plow through that, no problem," Keeter agreed.
At last, they got to the entrance of the Hidden Canyon and paused anxiously. While all seemed okay, they needed to make sure they weren't walking into a trap …
"Petrie, can you check to make sure it's all clear in there?" Littlefoot asked quietly.
"Me got it," Petrie smiled, and carefully, he slowly lifted himself to the top of the Hidden Canyon's walls. Grabbing onto the cliff just before he reached it, he pulled himself over the ledge, flattening his body as he scooted across the rocky surface. The rocks rubbed against his skin roughly, but it was better than to potentially be seen by any would-be assassins.
Seeing the edge to the inner side of the Hidden Canyon in sight, Petrie looked down into the Hidden Canyon. Looking carefully, he scanned for any movement. Fortunately however, no one seemed to be inside. The grove of tree sweet trees, appearing to be untouched for several cold times, had also expanded, going right up to the small stream's edge, while the older trees had gotten to be almost as tall as the taller palms, with thicker, denser leafy coverings. All looked fine … Until he realized that something wasn't just the glare from the Bright Circle …
"Nooooo!" Petrie exclaimed as he swooped down toward the ground.
"Petrie, you've gotta be careful!' Littlefoot whispered.
"Me sorry … But there big problem! Ground sparkles in Hidden Canyon!"
The others looked at each other confusedly, and Cera snorted.
"Petrie, it's way too hot for ground sparkles!" she said impatiently.
"Me know … But ground not green! See for yourself! It all white inside!"
"Petrie," Littlefoot said calmly. "Is anyone else inside?"
"N … no," Petrie answered.
"Well then, let's check it out," Littlefoot reasoned. "Everyone ready?"
As the little herd nodded, they made their way through the narrow entranceway and into the Hidden Canyon. No one dared speak yet, just in case of an ambush. But soon, they saw the white for themselves … Except rather than being on the ground, the blanket of white was really a few feet above it, held up by a thick spread of massive green stems with pointed leaf tips. And as they got closer, they saw that what looked to be ground sparkles was actually an endless sea of tiny white flowers, complete with a pungent aroma …
"Guys," said Cera in a hollow, dead-sounding voice. "If this is what I think it is ..."
And stepping forward, with a look of nausea permeating her face, Cera tentatively stuck her tongue out to lick one of the plants ….
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed.
"Cera, quiet, remember!" Littlefoot gasped as everyone's hearts pounded in tension.
Cera nodded, taking a few seconds to get her breath back. Finally, she said in a voice filled with suppressed rage, "Take a look at them, Littlefoot."
Littlefoot lowered his neck down to get his head closer to the plants. Pretty as the tiny little flowers were, something about their pointed stems was deeply unsettling to him …
"Uh-oh …" he said, his heart dropping. "Are those … Prickly plants?"
"Fully grown prickly plants!" Cera hissed. "Without anyone there to stop them!"
Littlefoot gulped as the others looked at them confusedly.
"Well, we can just eat them," Seth said matter-of-factly, to which Littlefoot shook his head. "No Seth! Prickly plants taste terrible to everyone but spiketails!"
"But we've got to get rid of them," said Cera angrily. "These stupid things spread like fire and stop good flowers from growing!"
"Oh no no no, there cannot be healing flowers and painkiller plants if prickly plants are around," Ducky sighed, looking at each of the newcomers' injuries sadly. "I am sorry … I wish there was more I could do …"
"Hey, we'll be okay," Keeter tried telling Ducky reassuringly.
"We're used to having it rough," Gara agreed.
"We'll be all right," Jada smiled consolingly.
"Well maybe if me look in Valley me can find …" Petrie began, but then remembered. "Oh … yeah. But ripping up prickly plants not enough. They can be fire hazard if lying around, and if wind carries prickly plant seeds, they grow into new ones."
"So the only way to get rid of prickly plants is by eating them," explained Littlefoot, but then he smiled. "But at least we've got two spiketails now."
Spike nodded brightly as he exchanged a look with Light, who smiled "I'll see how they taste," he said, taking a lick as he chewed the stem. "Mmm, they're not the best … But I can eat some."
"Great," Littlefoot said. "Maybe if you two eat enough prickly plants, they'll be gone and other flowers can start growing."
"We'll do our best," Light promised, and he and Spike began to work on eating the vast expanse of prickly plants.
"But what are we going to do about everyone's injuries?" Ducky asked, looking at Jada's injured side, Gara and Light's injured feet, Seth's injured mouth, and Keeter's injured eye area.
Petrie patted Ducky's shoulder encouragingly. "Me have idea! Me go into old Secret Spot and get healing flowers and painkiller plants there."
"We'll be okay Ducky," Keeter tried to reassure her.
"Yeah, what about your own injuries?" Jada asked, looking at the spots where Ducky had been bitten by the horned sharpteeth.
"Do not worry about me," Ducky said firmly. "You guys have had it much worse than me …"
"But Petrie be back with enough for everybody," Petrie promised.
"Just be careful, Petrie," Littlefoot reminded him.
"Me will," Petrie nodded, and so flapping up to the cliff, Petrie flew behind it, using the Valley's walls to conceal himself from being seen by anyone inside the Valley.
While Etta continued to sleep, Spike and Light made their way through the prickly plants, Ducky and Jada foraged for more healing flowers, Cera, Seth, Gara and Keeter practiced sparring, and Cricket began investigating the trees for crawlers, Littlefoot looked out at everyone thoughtfully. Things had been going remarkably well so far. They had found a hideout, avoided the mob, learned a new fighting technique, made it to the Hidden Canyon undetected, gained some new friends and were finally able to rest, allowing his mind to finally drift beyond their immediate circumstances and surroundings, and to think about everyone who needed their help on the other side of the Hidden Canyon's walls.
Somehow, he needed to figure out just what was going on in the Great Valley and reach out to their friends and allies back home, but that was easier said than done. Craning his neck into the valley might be possible, but the possibility of being seen made the idea far too dangerous. He couldn't send any of the newcomers into the Valley, for that would put them in extreme peril if their intentions were discovered. And as Petrie's father had said, Petrie flying over the Valley himself to see what was going on would also be extremely risky. Perhaps they could wait for Etta's wing to recover, but being a large yellow flyer, her presence would also be conspicuous, and no doubt some of the mob would want revenge on her for helping Petrie …
"Hey Littlefoot," came a voice, and saw Cera walk over to him, a few tree leaves in her mouth. "What's going on?"
Littlefoot nodded. "I was just thinking about what's happening in the Great Valley …"
Cera nodded with frustration. "Me too. It makes me so mad that we can't just rush in there and save everyone! It's our home for crying out loud!"
"I know," Littlefoot sighed. "But we don't even know what's going on in there …" Trying to reassure Cera, Littlefoot put on a brave face and said, "You just get some rest and think about teaching everyone tomorrow. I'll come up with something, promise."
Cera snorted. "You think they'll all pass the tests?"
"Well, if they're anything like these guys," Littlefoot teased playfully. "I don't know Cera. If I didn't know better, I'd say you wanted them all to pass."
"It's all your fault you know," Cera jabbed back. "Your bad influence made me too soft on them, you know that?"
"Come on Cera, you've got to admit, you've found some pretty good squad leaders," Littlefoot smirked, seeing Seth, Keeter and Gara continue to spar with one another.
Cera shook her head. "Just as long as they remember the point is to cohese."
It was then however that Littlefoot looked up and saw a familiar shape swooping over to them. But he was not alone. Two other forms were gliding alongside, and on top, three tiny things were moving on Petrie's back ….
"We back!" Petrie exclaimed, and everyone dropped what they were doing to come over and investigate.
"Who are they?" Keeter asked, looking at Petrie's two feathery companions.
"Hey everyone," said Petrie. "Meet Guido and Avie! Me found them in old Secret Spot! Along with …"
But at that point, Ducky gasped as she looked at the three little tiny grey forms that had just gotten off Petrie's back. "Petrie … Are those?" she asked excitedly.
Happily, Petrie nodded. "Yep! Everyone, these are Willow, Saska and Creek! Ann's babies!"
Confusedly, the newcomers looked at the gang.
"Ann's one of our friends back in the Great Valley," explained Littlefoot. "She had some eggs that just hatched in our old Secret Spot."
"And we've been watching them ever since," chuckled Guido.
"Someone's gotta keep those pipsqueaks out of trouble," laughed Avie. "But my, they sure get tiresome."
Cricket, meanwhile, was looking eagerly at the two of them. "Hey … You guys are their crawler eater friends! I'm Cricket … And I like crawlers just like you!"
Guido looked at Cricket, perplexed. "How do you know I like crawlers?"
"Because you're a glider, of course!" Cricket said matter-of-factly.
Guido stared at Cricket, intrigued. How did this kid, even littler than he was, know he was called a glider without even knowing him?
"Actually, I haven't seen your kind in ages!" Cricket continued. "Not since my folks and I saw the Tiny Forest when I was a kid!"
Guido felt a jolt in his heart. All of a sudden, this kid shows up, confirming the Tiny Forest, the fabled land where his ancestors had come from, still existed …
"You mean … You saw others like me?" Guido exclaimed.
"Guido never know anyone his own kind," Petrie explained with a smile.
"Yeah, it was a long time ago when I last saw you guys. But I still remember! There was a whole colony of you guys! Bright, colorful and feathered just like you!" he said cheerfully. "And all eating crawlers just like us!"
Guido's heart pounded a little. "You mean … I'm not a fast biter!" he asked with relief, remembering Roy's story.
Cricket just laughed. "No … That's just a bedtime story! You gliders all speak leafeater! You know why? Because you need to talk to leafeaters to share the trees with them … And ask them if you wanna remove the bad crawlers!"
"Crawlers?" Guido asked confusedly. "What do you mean?"
"Cricket, Guido doesn't know because he live in Great Valley with us, where we clean, everybody takes baths, and there no bloodsucking crawlers," Petrie explained.
"Oh, right!" Cricket exclaimed. "You guys wouldn't see any if you have baths, they hate water! But there are really tiny crawlers that look for leafeaters to land on. All these guys had loads of them. They're really bad, and they need us crawler eaters to remove them!"
"Really?" Guido asked, confused, before going to examine Petrie.
"Well now they're not," Cricket giggled. "I ate 'em already!"
"I think that's good," said Guido in relief. "I like tree crawlers just fine."
"Are there lots of tree crawlers here?" Cricket asked excitedly.
"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Guido, looking at Avie significantly.
"Actually, too many," Avie smiled. "So serve yourself."
"Yay!" Cricket cheered as Guido looked at Cricket thankfully. "Hey, you can't fly, can you?"
Cricket shook his head. "Nope."
"I can glide," Guido offered, feeling a great fondness for the little kid. "Wanna take a ride on me?"
"Sure!" Cricket said excitedly, boarding Guido's back as Guido glided off toward the trees.
"Whee!" Cricket exclaimed as Guido flew him off there.
Just then, one of the triplets started to cry. Ducky looked at Avie, who said, "I think Saska says she's hungry again!"
This aroused murmuring from the others. Apart from Spike and Light eating the prickly plants, while the others ate a few leaves to satisfy their urgent hunger, they had been so busy that they didn't have time to actually relax. But the mere mention of tree stars was enough to get all of their mouths to salivate.
"Who's ready for dinner?" Littlefoot asked, and at once, the ten leafeaters, all ravenous for food, eagerly cheered.
The big patch of trees, still largely blocked off by the prickly plants, was still untouched this point, but Spike and Light had cut a path right through the prickly plants that led them to the big tree path. But while Gara, Seth, Jada, Keeter and Light headed straight for the trees, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike hung back, looking at each other knowingly. Even in their fun and excitement, they knew they could still give their new friends a lesson right here.
"Hey guys," Littlefoot smiled. "Why don't we all eat together?"
Gara, Seth, Jada, Keeter and Light looked at each other confusedly. "But … That's what we are doing," said Keeter confusedly.
"Right?" Seth asked.
"We're all going to the trees to eat together," Light added.
"Well …. In the Great Valley, we celebrate a special day called The Time of Great Giving," Ducky explained. "It is a day where we collect the leaves off the trees and eat them all on the ground together, right Spike?" she asked, as Spike grunted happily, reminiscing the scrumptious feasts as he licked his lips. "And because there's only a few of us, we can all sit down together and eat like one big happy family!"
"If we sit down and eat together, we can eat big leaves, tree sweets, and drink water all at once!" Petrie explained.
"It's not something we usually do in the Great Valley," Littlefoot smiled. "We only do it for special occasions … But welcoming you to our home is certainly one of those!"
Looking at one another in tearful happiness, the five newcomers didn't know what to say. When the Bright Circle had risen that day, they were all lost loners in a cruel, barren hellscape. But now, thanks to the acts of this quirky, idealistic but surprisingly strong little herd, they had been given another chance …
"We … don't know what to say!" Jada smiled.
"Well I do," Cera smirked. "You guys get a head start on training right here, by getting a chance to practice the most important part of the Cohesive … Thinking about what you're good at!"
"Think about it," said Littlefoot encouragingly. "We've got to come up with a way where we can collect both the big leaves and tree sweets we need. Can you guys come up with a way where we can carry all the food we need in one trip?"
Seth thought. "Ducky and I can pick the tree sweets off the trees!"
"I can do that too," smiled Light, demonstrating his ability to balance against the tree.
"Cera and I can hold the tree sweets in our frills," Keeter suggested.
"And Gara, Littlefoot and I can collect the big leaves up top!" offered Jada as Gara nodded.
Spike cheered with the idea as the gang looked at each other, impressed with the newcomers' resourcefulness and quick thinking.
"Hee!" Cera exclaimed proudly. "That's just the kind of thinking you'll need to pull off my move!"
And it wasn't long at all before they were ready for dinner, and together, they all began to eat on the Hidden Canyon's soft, green floor. Enjoying the rich combination of juicy tree sweets, cool water, and soft leaves, the meal felt like a verifiable banquet to the food-starved group, old and new to the Valley alike. Feeling their stomachs rejuvenated, the newcomers were eager to hear about the first steps of their mission.
"So," Keeter said as he looked at Littlefoot expectantly. "How many of us will there be?"
Littlefoot thought for a moment. This was a question that would just in itself determine a huge part of their strategy, both in terms of getting the word out and figuring out how they can accomplish their comeback. However, he was immediately distracted by the sight of Ann's triplets running around. "Well, someone has to watch over Ann's babies," Littlefoot smiled as he watched their cute antics. "We've got to keep them safe."
"Avie and I can do it," Guido volunteered.
"We wouldn't be much use in big fight," Avie agreed.
"I can help babysit them too!" Cricket agreed.
"Okay," Littlefoot said, doing a head count of everyone who was left. "So if Etta gets better, we'll start off with 11 to save the Valley."
Light couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. "Forgive me Littlefoot, but I think the other ones of us will help us!"
"If we can fight each other like that over a stupid tree, we'll all be ready, no problem," Seth agreed.
"Add that with what we can learn from you, and we'll all have great potential," promised Keeter.
"How could the others not side with you guys?" Jada asked incredulously. "Especially when they find out who you really are!"
"So that makes 31 to start off with," smirked Gara. "Especially once we get to talk to them and get them all rallied up."
"Okay, 31," Littlefoot smiled. While not entirely sure if he could count on every single one of the remaining test-takers, he was pleased with the teens' determination and didn't want to do anything to dampen their optimism.
"31 a lot, and we barely get started," Petrie observed with a smile. "Me think we have to count," and he started lining up small stones on the ground, putting them in piles of ten each.
"So besides us," said Keeter. "Who else have we got?"
"All right, let's see … We can only count those we can completely trust …" Littlefoot said, thinking, and at once, the nagging feeling of profound worry he had pushed aside came back to him. Though a bit scared to find out the answer, he nonetheless cleared his throat, turning to Avie and Guido, and asked, "Hey guys, are Chomper and Shorty still alive?"
To his intense relief, Guido smiled. "We were mostly in the Secret Spot watching the babies … But we picked up on what was going on. Your dad forced Leigh to give them a trial that will go on for 10 days, so they cannot be killed until then."
"Great," said Littlefoot thoughtfully, his heart surging in pride for his father.
"No doubt the stupid jury is rigged," Cera snarled, shaking her head.
"Yeah, but at least we've got some time," Littlefoot reassured her.
"Chomper and Shorty are being held by the mob in the center of the Great Valley," Avie explained. "Mr. Threehorn and your father are their defense representatives, and Ali and Ruby are their personal confidantes."
"Awesome! I knew Dad would stand up to this crap … And he's gonna let 'em have it!" cheered Cera.
"And Ali and Ruby are being great friends, they are!" Ducky added.
Littlefoot smiled, feeling so proud for all four of them. Reluctantly though, he forced his mind back to the practicalities of the situation. "If they're all involved with the trial, they're bound to be watched, so we probably can't tell any of them just yet. But we can definitely count on all of them, so once we can free Shorty and Chomper, that's 37."
"All right, my turn," said Cera determinedly. "There's my stepmother Tria, 38. Then there's Tricia …"
"Should we count Tricia though?" Ducky asked concernedly. "Do you not think she is a little bit young for this?"
Cera smirked. "Do you really think Tricia and her friends are gonna take no for an answer?"
Ducky sighed, shaking her head. There was no point even trying to deny the inevitable.
"Okay, so Tricia's gang, that's 48."
"The Tricia Team," Light commented with a smirk.
Cera rolled her eyes and groaned. "Just don't."
"The Tricia Troop, or Tricia's Troopers," Gara smiled mischievously.
"How about the Tricia Ten? Or Tricia Tenfold?" asked Keeter.
"The Tricia Ten-Hit-Knockout!" suggested Seth.
"Those names sound cute," Jada giggled.
"Yeah, and they sound fun!" Cricket exclaimed. "I'd like to meet them!"
Cera looked sickened. "Trust me, you don't want to give Sis any ideas, or we'll never hear the end of it." With an exasperated sigh, she continued, "Okay, so along with Sis's friends comes their folks. Mr. and Mrs. Twoped, Mr. and Mrs. Onehorn, the four clubtails …"
"Hold on Cera," interrupted Ducky uncomfortably. "What about the clubtail babies? Who is going to watch over them?"
"Ducky, you made me lose count!" Cera grumbled.
"We okay, we at 56," said Petrie.
"We can just put them with Guido and Avie," Cera continued impatiently. "Okay … so … Perri's adoptive mom, Ruby's parents and your mom, Ducky. Oh yeah, then there's your siblings … Uh …" she said, turning to Littlefoot, who looked at her understandingly. Much as they loved Ducky, keeping track of her enormous family was a very difficult task, especially given how many of them were raised by aunts and uncles, her father had left with several of them, and some of her nestmates left the Valley on their own when they grew up. "How many siblings do you have, Ducky?"
Ducky looked slightly hurt. "Well … There's Azul, Loph, Hannah, Gene, Aquata …"
"I thought Hannah went out to the Mysterious Beyond?" asked Cera. "And Gene and Aquata are with your dad?"
"Yes, they are with my dad, and Hannah left when she fell in love with Rufus …"
"Ducky, we're trying to do a headcount," sighed Cera. "How many siblings do you have in the Great Valley right now?"
"Let's see, there's Azul, Loph, Kiri, Delphine, Clive, Lena, Day, Sam, Lily, Shine, and Sally … Of course Lily, Shine and Sally are too young, and Sam is too young too, but …"
"Ducky," Cera said impatiently. "How many?"
"Okay, okay," Ducky said, and Littlefoot could sense a note of indignation in her voice. "There are seven others my age …"
"There," said Cera. "See? It wasn't so hard. So now we're at 67 …"
This time however, Ducky looked at Cera, her hands on her hips. "Cera, my family is not just a number!"
"What? I know that …. Ducky, wait!" Cera shouted, but Ducky didn't listen. She stormed away, crossing right through the prickly plants as she took a seat by the tree sweet trees, looking away from them. Concernedly, Spike went off to join her, sitting down right by her side.
Petrie sighed as he looked at Littlefoot and Cera. "Um … Me have seven siblings in Valley, two siblings-in-law, Mama and Uncle Pterano. So we at 78. Oh, me forgot Brara, but me no know if you should count her or not."
"Thanks Petrie," said Littlefoot gently with a nod, before Petrie gratefully took off. "She'll be all right," Littlefoot tried to reassure the newcomers, but Petrie didn't hear another word as he flew, his mind only on consoling his saddened mate and closest friend.
Ducky was hiccupping as she quietly sobbed, her face obscured from view by the tree sweet trees, with Spike bracing her on her right side. Taking a seat on her left, Petrie wrapped a wing around her. "You all right?"
Ducky turned to face Petrie. "Oh Petrie …" she gulped, as she gave him a tight hug. "I am not happy … No no no."
Turning back to see Littlefoot and Cera still talking through the headcount with the others, all of them occasionally throwing concerned looks in their direction, Ducky sighed. "I know Littlefoot and Cera are helping and what they are doing is important. But … I do not like hearing it, I do not," shuddered Ducky. "Every time I hear someone's name or hear that number go up, I feel something inside … I know I should be happy knowing we have so many family and friends that would want to help us," she sighed with a shiver. "But I cannot help but feel that every time we bring up someone else, that is someone else we are putting in danger ... just for us."
Petrie patted Ducky on the back as they continued to embrace. "We no put anyone in danger Ducky," Petrie consoled her. "No one have to join us. But others in Valley just as unhappy as we are, and me know they want to help! Me family fought off mob when me leave with wedding prints and save Etta. And me know your family want you safe too, and they never be happy till you back home. Besides, everyone else have their own reason to be mad! They no fight for us Ducky, they fight with us. And the more of us there are to stand up to mob, the better off we all be," Petrie consoled her. "Besides, Cera come up with Cross-Strength Cohesive so we fight smarter, not harder! So we all protect each other so no one get hurt! If we teach others that, we can stop bad guys and still be safe!"
"Yes," Ducky sighed. "But … I do not know. I just do not feel right. What if someone ends up not being safe? Because no matter how hard we might try, there is still a chance some of us will get hurt. And what will we do then? Just let them suffer from their injuries, like all of our new friends are? And what if ..." Ducky paused and shuddered, before continuing, "What if someone gets so hurt that … That they lose their life … All because they are fighting by our side?"
As Ducky's beak quivered, Petrie put his hands bracingly on her shoulders and looked right at her. So often it was she who was the one supporting him … It only felt right for him to be able to do the same.
"You no think you able to fight, remember?" Petrie reminded her. "But now look at you! You the only one strong enough to really throw rocks at those sharpteeth!"
"But … Cera came up with that," Ducky said doubtfully.
Petrie yawned, but his eyes still glimmered as he looked into hers. "Me point is me know you can do anything you set you mind to! You Ducky, most amazing swimmer in whole wide world! With you bright, shiny, warm eyes, you big heart of hope, you being true friend reason why we all even friends, and you catchphrase which me never get enough of," Petrie said, as he smiled at her. "Me know you can do it … Yep, yep, yep!"
Ducky stared at her favorite flyer, eyes watering, before she gave Petrie a big hug. "Thank you, Petrie … I do not know what I would do without you."
"Me neither without you," Petrie exclaimed, and with a knowing smile, Spike pressed both of them even closer together as they shared a long, passionate kiss …
They only broke apart when Petrie lost control of the yawn he had been holding back. Looking at Petrie, she gasped, "Petrie ... You need to go to sleep, you do. You have been busy watching everyone all day ... Tell Etta it is her turn now to keep watch on the newcomers … Even though I do not think they will need it," she chuckled.
"All right," Petrie said, before saying, "But me show you this first." Trying to ignore the others wrapping up their headcount, Ducky followed Petrie as he showed her the stash he had collected from the Secret Spot, carefully held in place by a rock he moved.
"Me brought lots of healing flowers from Secret Spot," Petrie explained. "As well as painkiller plants. You know, the stuff Littlefoot's dad used for his herd. You can try healing newcomers with them if you want. But Ducky? Make sure you save plenty for yourself," Petrie said worriedly, looking at the numerous bite marks on her belly. "You hurt pretty bad from sharptooth attack."
Ducky smiled at her mate. "Thank you Petrie," she said, petting his crest.
"You be fine Ducky," Petrie said her. "Me sure of it."
And without further ado, Petrie went to wake Etta up after her long nap, before going to sleep himself. Etta meanwhile promptly woke up and took his place to both keep watch over the new recruits and to keep an eye on the entrance for sharpteeth and the mob.
Just then, the headcount finally ended, and the newcomers, inspired by all the future friends and allies they had yet to meet, seemed to be bright and cheerful. None of them had ever considered the possibility of having that many dinosaurs care about them and they were all eager to meet everyone the gang had talked about.
"Now get some sleep guys," Cera said. "You gotta be sharp to survive my training!"
"Yeah, besides, we need to talk to Avie and Guido to figure some things out," Littlefoot smiled.
As Littlefoot, Cera, Avie and Guido went away, Ducky looked at Spike hopefully, who nodded. "Well then, I will be taking care of you all now, yep yep yep!" Ducky told the newcomers, with the painkiller plants and healing flowers cradled in her hands. "These are the best healing greens our Valley has to offer."
"I got all the bloodsuckers out," Cricket informed Ducky happily.
"Great Cricket, yep yep yep!" Ducky said happily. "Now everyone can have their treatment and their injuries will get all better, they will."
And her heart beating with excitement, she looked at the new recruits one by one. Jada's whippings and bites on her side, Light's bleeding broken foot, Gara's stabbed foot, Seth's bloodshot mouth, and Keeter's bite puncture around his eye … They all looked like they hurt really bad, but all of their hurting was going to end once she gave them the treatment they needed to make them feel all better.
"Um … Don't you want some?" Jada asked, nodding toward Ducky's bite-ridden body.
Ducky chuckled. "Oh no no no. You guys need it much more than I do. Especially with what Cera will put you through," she giggled.
"We're fine, we can handle it," Seth tried to reassure Ducky, but Ducky insisted. "No no no. You guys are getting what you need."
"But I am already feeling better," Light put in, but Ducky was determined. "You have to go ahead and eat your painkiller plants, you do!"
Reluctantly, each of the new recruits acquiesced, looking concernedly at Ducky, but they began to eat their painkiller plants nonetheless.
"How are you feeling?" Ducky asked hopefully, looking at each of them in turn.
"Kinda tired," sighed Seth dozily.
"Yeah …" Gara added with a yawn. "My foot feels sleepy."
"That is good, you are not feeling pain anymore, nope nope nope!" Ducky exclaimed as she looked eagerly at each of their injuries. However, none of them seemed to be getting any better, for even in the dimming light of the Bright Circle, it was apparent their gashes were just as red as they were beforehand.
It was then that she realized why the painkiller plants were called such. While they were effective at dulling the pain the newcomers felt as well as making them sleepy, the painkiller plants did very little to actually stop the bleeding and heal the injuries. Undeterred, Ducky looked at her healing flowers. At least she knew from personal experience, between Cera's fast biter bite to the injuries they all sustained in their final fight with Redclaw to Tricia's limp, that they could actually help make the injuries better.
Hurriedly splitting the periwinkle healing flowers up into decently sized piles before the newcomers could fall asleep from the painkiller plants, Ducky expeditiously got through the process. "Okay guys, eat up!" she exclaimed.
The five of them, however stared expectantly at her, fighting back their exhaustion from the painkiller plants. "We're not eating unless you have some for yourself," said Keeter firmly, and he pushed away part of his pile of healing flowers. So did Jada, Gara, Light and Seth, until Ducky had a pile just as large as theirs.
Sighing, Ducky knew that they would soon be falling asleep from their painkiller plants, and there was no time to argue with them. "All right, fine," Ducky sighed, as she stuffed the equally sized helping of healing flowers into her mouth. At once, she began to feel her bites getting better, and she looked on happily as the others ate their helpings before gradually falling asleep from their earlier sedatives. Once they were all knocked out, Ducky smiled at Cricket and Spike, the only two of whom that were still awake.
"Is everyone sleeping?" Ducky asked Cricket, who carefully went around to check each of their eyes. "Yeah, they're all out!" he answered.
"Great!" Ducky exclaimed, rubbing her hands together. "Now they can rest up while their injuries get better. Spike and I are going to stay by their side and watch over them as their injuries disappear, just like mine, yep yep yep," she said, seeing that Cricket too was yawning. "You can go to sleep if you want, Cricket."
"Okay," Cricket said, and he curled up as he too went to sleep.
As the Night Circle revealed itself in the sky, Littlefoot and Cera, not wanting to disturb Ducky's healing of the new recruits, followed Avie and Guido over to a corner of the Hidden Canyon, their stomachs satisfactorily filled from the dinner they had. All in all, things still seemed to be going relatively well. Chomper and Shorty were still alive, there was no call for oops-eeps from the other test-takers, and there was no sign that anyone in the Valley had discovered that a fledgling band of rebels was hiding within its walls. But their minds were still racing. After adding everyone else who knew about the Secret Spot to their headcount, they had gotten to a grand total of 85 who they could count on to rebel against Leigh's regime. But they knew just by watching them during the headcount that Avie and Guido had more information to tell them, and their hunch was confirmed once the four of them began to talk.
"So guys, what's going on?" Littlefoot whispered to Avie and Guido as he and Cera sat down and the four of them put their heads closely together.
"Well," Guido said, "Your father did get Leigh to promise to call off the mob, so long as you don't return to the Great Valley."
"Or so he thinks," Cera smirked.
"So the other newcomers won't be bothered by the mob, and the mob's not looking for us," Littlefoot said in relief.
"Yep, for now," said Guido, though his voice couldn't betray a note of anxiousness.
"So what's the catch?" Cera asked. "If the mob's not after us and Chomper and Shorty are still alive, they must've gotten something they wanted."
Guido looked uncomfortably at Avie, who sighed. "They segregated the Great Valley last night."
Cera seized up, her eyes narrowed. "Those rockheaded bastards ..." she hissed.
"You can't be serious," Littlefoot cried out indignantly.
Sadly, Avie nodded. "Leigh split the Valley up into four parts. The frilled dinosaurs have the southwest by us. The tailed dinosaurs have the northwest. The longnecks have the southeast, and the twofooters have the northeast and the boulder to our old Secret Spot."
"Sharptooth dirt, that means Leigh's got the Secret Spot's boulder," Cera sighed, remembering how he and Bella had been snogging near the area. "You think he knows?"
Guido shook his head. "We haven't seen Leigh around there."
"Well that's good news," Littlefoot said in relief. "And at least your dad has access to the Hidden Canyon."
"Yeah," sighed Cera. "But a fat lot of good that's gonna do if he's stuck in trials."
"Have you guys been seeing what else has been happening today?" Littlefoot asked Guido.
Guido shook his head. "I was busy watching Ann's babies, but Avie was doing some surveillance."
"It's pretty quiet down there, actually," Avie said. "Leigh began the trial the center of the Valley, and a crowd came to watch. No legal arguments were made, but they appointed jurors. I don't know any of them, but the head juror is a threehorn named … Tobias I think."
Cera's nostrils flared. "That's the name of some nutjob fossil from my Dad's old herd. What's he doing here?"
Avie shrugged. "His son's also Chomper's prosecutor, named Trenton I believe."
Littlefoot gritted his teeth in disgust. "That's not justice. That's a hopper court!"
"I knew it! Like they're ever gonna get a fair trial with those so-called jurors!" Cera snapped.
"Yeah," Littlefoot sighed. "So we've gotta save Shorty and Chomper before they can deliver a verdict." Turning back to Avie, he asked, "So what else is going on?"
"Well, most of the Valley residents went off into their own zones, and things have remained relatively peaceful," sighed Avie, turning to Cera with a smirk. "That is, except for a certain bunch of kids who were making life for Leigh very tiresome."
Cera groaned, but at the same time, couldn't help but to feel proud of the nerve shown by her sister's gang. "They're still alive, aren't they?"
Avie nodded, and Cera laughed in relief. "Well, that's good. What kind of trouble did they get up to this time?"
"More like what did they not do," said Avie, shaking her head. "They were at it since the Bright Circle rose this morning. They kept on trying to sneak into each other's zones, protesting and cursing whenever they got caught, and blowing raspberries left and right. When that didn't work, they moved on to setting vine traps and throwing mud and rocks. Eventually, they even started defecating and urinating on Leigh's followers and spitting in their faces! The mob had to spend all day dealing with them, and it got so bad they had to get Leigh himself involved. At that point, Cassia, Perri, Sam and the twins threw nests of stinging buzzers at his guards, and Mono stabbed Leigh himself in his right foot. Leigh tried to give him a spanking, but Oplax actually clubbed him on the heel, Rachelle caused him to fall onto his back and break some bones, and Tricia bit his arm and called him a histrionic hollowhead."
Cera loudly sniggered. "That's Sis and friends all right! And Dad must have taught her that one, he's great at coming up with insults."
Littlefoot laughed too, but he couldn't help but worry as well. "Then what happened?" he asked.
"Their parents came to the rescue before things got any worse," Avie explained. "But because of their behavior, Leigh's starting what he calls emergency re-education tomorrow."
"Oh great," Cera said, rolling her eyes. "Like that's gonna help anything."
"Tricia and her friends are gonna get themselves in real trouble if they're not careful," Littlefoot said thoughtfully. "You think we have a chance of getting them out?"
Avie shook her head. "They've drawn so much attention to themselves everyone'll notice if we try rescuing them."
"Maybe Leigh will just get so sick of them he'll just kick them all out," Cera snorted.
"Yeah," Littlefoot smiled uncomfortably, not wanting to consider any worse alternatives.
Sighing, he turned to Guido and Avie. "There's no way we can defeat Leigh and the mob by ourselves. We've got to let everyone on our side know what we're up to so they can leave the Valley and join us. And since you guys are small and can fly ... Do you think you two can sneak into the Valley and talk to some of them?"
"We … can try," said Guido tentatively. "But it'll be difficult, with all the bad guys around."
"Yeah," said Littlefoot understandingly. "It's probably best if we talk to someone in each zone so they can reach everyone. Someone who can keep a low profile ... Who we can count on to spread the message to the others without anyone suspecting."
Cera snorted. "Well, that's certainly not Sis and her friends."
"Yeah," Littlefoot chuckled. "Let's see ..." he pondered as he thought through everyone in the Great Valley they could trust. Many of them were easy to eliminate, but there had to be some suitable candidates who could be unsuspected informants ...
"I got it, Mr. Thicknose for the frilled dinosaurs!" he exclaimed.
"Thicknose?" Cera asked, befuddled.
"Yeah," Littlefoot smiled. "Everyone underestimates him and thinks he can't do anything, but we know we can count on him to be on our side! He's got no herd, so he'd be a lot more likely to be found by himself. Plus, Tricia, Mono and Rachelle trust him, and since he's lived in the Valley all his life, he probably knows some things we don't even know about!"
Cera thought. "Hmm … I like it," she said. "All right, Thicknose it is."
"With the tailed dinosaurs …" Littlefoot smiled. "Maybe Sophie? She doesn't talk much, she's very nice, and no one really notices her … We even thought she was a rock at first!" Littlefoot laughed.
"Except for Spike," Cera said as the two of them both snickered. "How about the twofooters?"
"Right," Littlefoot said thoughtfully. Littlefoot knew that whoever they'd tell in that group would have a huge responsibility, considering it held five of Tricia's gang, all of Ducky and Petrie's siblings, all of Hyp's gang but Nod, and of course, Leigh himself to watch out for.
"Nobody can tell all the twofooters by themselves," said Littlefoot thoughtfully. "But maybe ... We should tell both Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer? They'll probably be watched and difficult to reach safely, but if they can get Ducky's and Petrie's siblings to help distract the bad guys, that should give them enough time to tell the others. Now for the longnecks …"
"Don't say Cam and Mia," warned Cera. "If there's anyone who'd be worse than Sis at keeping a secret …"
Littlefoot laughed. "No … I was thinking … How about Mr. and Mrs. Lone Dinosaur?" he said with a smirk.
Cera rolled her eyes. "You don't still believe Doc's the Lone Dinosaur, do you?"
"Nah," Littlefoot smiled. "How can he be if Grandpa's grandpa told him those stories? But he and Dara are everything the Lone Dinosaur would be – brave, loyal, goodhearted, and they're even Destiny's folks! Plus Doc's all about action, not talking. No way he'd have a slip of the tongue."
"All right," said Cera. "Well, I guess we got our secret sharers."
"Guido, you think you can take care of Doc, Dara and Mr. Thicknose, while Avie, you talk to Sophie, Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer?"
"Yeah, and keep an eye on Sis and her friends in case they get into even more trouble?" Cera asked.
Both Avie and Guido agreed. "We'll sneak into the Valley just when the Bright Circle rises," Avie said.
"And we'll find everyone, promise," said Guido.
"Thanks," said Littlefoot appreciatively. "I better let you guys get some rest."
"Okay then, night Littlefoot," said Guido, and he and Avie went to sleep.
Littlefoot and Cera went back over to the others and found Ducky crouched over the sleeping forms of the new recruits, closely examining them. While Spike greeted them with a friendly grunt, Ducky hardly seemed to notice their arrival. As Littlefoot and Cera got closer, they could see all of the frustration on Ducky's face as she was examining the deep wounds on Jada's back.
"Hi Ducky," Littlefoot greeted her quietly so as to avoid waking anyone up.
Ducky turned to them with tear-filled eyes. "Oh, hi guys."
"Hey, your injuries are gone!" Cera exclaimed.
"Yeah, I guess they are," Ducky sighed dispiritedly.
"What's wrong?" Littlefoot asked gently.
"Sorry if it was something I said earlier," Cera said awkwardly.
Ducky sighed. "No, it is not that … The problem is how bad these guys are hurting," Ducky explained. "I fed them all the painkiller plants, but while they made them sleepy, they did nothing to actually help them recover from their injuries better. And we all ate some healing flowers … But while my injuries got better, theirs did not! I did not want to eat any healing flowers ... But they made me, when I should have followed my heart and made them eat all of them!"
Littlefoot sighed sympathetically. "Ducky, it's not your fault. You're doing your best."
"Besides, you heard them, they'll be fine," Cera encouraged.
"I want to believe you guys, just like I want to believe them … But how could they be?" Ducky asked sadly. "Have you guys realized how badly they are injured? Light has a badly broken leg and Jada has all those whippings from her past. Knowing how many fights Seth got into, he probably sustained some terrible injuries. Keeter has that terrible sharptooth bite, and Gara looks like a threehorn stabbed her a lot! And who knows where else they may be hurting? They have injuries all over, even before they learn any self-defense, and no amount of healing flowers or painkiller plants are working! And what about the others? They are still out there in the Mysterious Beyond, just as injured as these guys …"
"Ducky, no one's called oops-eeps yet," Littlefoot tried to say reassuringly, but to no avail.
"Maybe that is because they have already been killed," Ducky shuddered. "I am so worried about them …"
Having heard the conversation, Etta went over to check on them. "I'll make sure they're all still kicking," she promised, before clumsily flying off.
"Great," said Ducky dourly. "Now I am putting Etta in danger too."
"Ducky, you're doing everything you can to help them feel better," Littlefoot said with a smile, giving her a bracing hug.
"Besides, you need to take care of yourself," Cera told her seriously. "You need rest, just like the rest of us."
"Yeah, just get some rest and everything will look better in the morning," Littlefoot advised.
Ducky said nothing as Spike approached her concernedly. "I think I need some quiet time," she finally sighed.
Littlefoot and Cera looked at one another concernedly. "We'll keep watch of the entrance till Etta gets back," Littlefoot said.
"Just take care of yourself, all right?" Cera asked.
"And remember, we're always there to help you," Littlefoot smiled.
"Yep yep yep," Ducky said glumly. But as Littlefoot and Cera headed over to guard the entrance of the Hidden Canyon in Etta's absence, she did not feel any better.
Concernedly, Spike offered his body to her for support. Gratefully, she gave him a big hug, tears pouring onto his skin as Spike stroked her gently. "I am sorry, Spike … I do not like it when you have to see me feeling sad … But I cannot do anything to help my new friends feel better … I have been so worried about them I have not even asked you how you are doing, I have not … You must be hurting too from trying to save me."
Spike looked at Ducky earnestly, before he grunted in the negative.
Ducky shook her head. "Oh Spike, thank you for trying to make me feel better. But you cannot fool me. I know you are hurting, just like Littlefoot and Cera are," she sighed.
However, Spike insistently shook his head, grunting more assertively.
"Please stop, Spike," Ducky sighed. "Stop trying to give me false hope."
Once again though, Spike shook his head, nodding at Ducky while retaining perfect eye contact.
Ducky stared at Spike in disbelief. Somehow, she didn't think Spike would stick to a story this doggedly, even if it was out of the best intentions. As she forced herself to dry her eyes and squinted through the remaining tears, she looked closely at his feet, only to gasp. Even though he, Littlefoot and Cera fought the same horned sharpteeth and received similar injuries to their feet, compared to them, Spike looked remarkably unblemished. She shook her head, trying to see if maybe she was imagining things. But a second look only confirmed what the first had revealed. Spike was clearly less injured than her other friends were.
Standing bolt upright, Ducky felt a jolt of energy rush through her. "Spike … You really are feeling better now?"
Happily, Spike nodded, and Ducky could see that there was no deception in his pure, innocent eyes.
Ducky stared at Spike, still barely able to believe it, before she crouched down once again to give Spike a big hug. "Spike, that is so great!" she exclaimed as he cooed happily as he patted her back. "I am so happy for you, yep yep yep! You really are feeling better! But why? I do not understand … Why are you feeling better, yet everyone else is still hurting? What did you do different than …"
And then a thought came to her. A wild, crazy thought, which didn't seem to make any logical sense. But it was a thought nonetheless, and as time passed, it slowly began to gnaw more and more at her. It would explain everything ... But how could it? Still, there was another way to check ...
At once, Ducky scrambled to her feet, leaving Spike totally bewildered as Ducky crossed over and crouched down to closely investigate Light's front leg, expecting to see that it was still bleeding. Remembering how sensitive Light's injury was when Littlefoot bumped into it, she was very careful not to provoke it. However, while she could barely make out the red color in the Night Circle's dim light, upon closer inspection, she realized that it was all one color of red ... The natural color of Light's skin … And nervously, she reached out to gingerly touch Light's leg, which felt remarkably smooth. Cautiously, she threw caution to the wind and stroked his leg, and remarkably, he did not wake up from any sort of pain.
Ducky gasped, her heart pounding, unable to fully believe it. This did not make any kind of sense … Yet it seemed to be the only possible explanation as to why Spike and Light could have recovered so quickly, while everyone else remained injured. But could it really be true? Could it really be that powerful of an antidote? Sighing, Ducky gritted her teeth determinedly. Her current injuries had been solved with mere healing flowers, which had no effect on the others and their considerably worse injuries. And she wasn't going to allow the others to feel any false hope in case of a failure. She would have to determine if this would work for herself, and in order to do so, she would need to be in just as much pain as her new friends were. It was the only way to find out for sure, and no matter what, she knew she had to go through with it.
Checking to see that Etta was still gone and that everyone else was asleep, she turned to her little brother. "Spike," she whispered seriously. "I need you to do something for me. I know it might not any make sense and I know you will not want to do it ... I know it will even hurt you to do it ... But you have got to trust me ... Okay?"
Hesitantly, Spike nodded, wondering just what she was up to. It was unlike Ducky to ask something of him in such a solemn voice.
With a heavy sigh, Ducky said in a low, hollow voice, "Spike ... Spike me."
Spike looked at her in stunned, horror-stricken bewilderment. Surely she was not asking what he thought she was?
Ducky sighed again. "I am sorry Spike, I am ... But if I am going to help the others feel better, I need to know that this will work … And I cannot know unless I am hurting just as badly as they are."
Spike gasped in horror, rapidly shaking his head and grunting in protest. He looked at Ducky pleadingly, his eyes beginning to well up. She just couldn't be asking him, her loving brother, to be doing this!
"Please Spike, it is the only way!" Ducky insisted, her eyes watering, unable to stand looking at her brother's pain-stricken face anymore. "I need to find out, Spike … Just trust me on this, please! Please, Spike! Hit me with your best shot! Hit me until I am bleeding as badly as everyone else!"
Frantically, Spike shook his head, closing his eyes as he furiously protested. Backing away from Ducky as best as he could, he kept going until he reached the tree sweet trees, when he realized he was cornered. Ducky however kept on approaching him. His eyes wide and begging as the tears began to fall, he stubbornly looked at Ducky, clenching his teeth resolutely. He was never going to hurt her, not if he could help it.
"Spike … I am not going to rest until I am hurt," Ducky told him firmly as she trapped him right by the tree sweet trees. "I promise, I will be okay. But if you do not hurt me, I will go out and find a sharptooth to hurt me instead. For I am getting hurt tonight, no matter what."
Spike looked at Ducky in disbelief. How could she be asking him to do this? He loved her so much … And this was how he was supposed to show his love in return? Yet the look in her eyes was one of unmistakable determination, and as crazy as this request sounded, she wasn't leaving any room for doubt …
Kneeling beside him, Ducky hugged onto Spike's chin as he looked at her tearfully. "I know you do not want to do this because you love me so much … Just like I love you ... And to tell you the truth, I do not want to do this either. But sometimes, we must do things we are afraid of. I do not want to promise, Spike, for I do not know myself ... But if this works like I think it will ... Just like you got better from your injuries … So will I …"
And with her bulbous, pleading, watery eyes, Ducky stared at Spike imploringly, her firm expression never once wavering. Spike sighed. It felt so wrong inside, but he could see just how much Ducky wanted him to do this seemingly heartless act. Ever since he saw her when he hatched, he knew he could always trust her. She had always been there for him, no matter how many swamp sticks he had eaten that day. And in a moment when she was so plainly passionate, was he really going to stand in the way of what she wanted? Even if it seemed to not make any sense? He closed his eyes, moaning grievously. She really wanted him to do this ... And with a soft whimper, Spike closed his eyes in self-revulsion and slowly nodded.
"Thank you Spike," Ducky said in a warm, quiet, voice, trying her best to conceal the fear she held inside. "I … I will tell you when to stop."
Not able to bear looking at Spike's pained expression, Ducky held her hands to her eyes and stood still, waiting for it to happen. For a little while, she wondered if he wasn't going to go through with it. But then she felt the spikes, cold and merciless as sharptooth teeth, leaving a stabbing pain, burning her skin like fire, penetrating deep into her skin. She gritted her teeth as she focused all her energy on not reacting as she felt a second swing hit her right on the knee. Gasping with pain, Ducky clenched her knee as she dropped lower to the ground. Shaking but undeterred, she hissed, "Do it, Spike … One more time …"
Spike made a long, mournful moan of protest, but Ducky gasped, "Please Spike … I know you can do it ... Yep, yep, yep ... Just one more time."
With a pained cry of deepest self-loathing, Spike took in a deep breath, before landing the final blow.
Ducky collapsed onto her hands and knees, unable to avoid a sharp cry of pain from escaping her mouth. As she did, Spike hurriedly bent down right beside her, pressing his face as close as it would get to hers. His deep purple eyes were coated in pure, unbridled agony as he looked on in horror at what he had done, seeing Ducky suffering with a bout of shaking, shivering chills. However, as Ducky turned to look at him, a tearful gentle smile appeared on her face as she reached over to pet his head. "Great job, Spike …" she cooed softly. "You are the best, most loving brother I could have … Thank you ... I love you so much ... Yep yep yep."
Sniffling, sighing sadly, and staring at her with disbelief, Spike watched as Ducky scooched herself away from the tree sweets and toward the bunch of green stems towering over her. Swallowing, she felt a sense of dread. Spike had done his part better than she could have possibly hoped for. All that was left was for her to put her theory to the test …
"You … Traitor!" came a furious, shocked voice.
Ducky and Spike looked up, and there was Keeter, with Jada, Seth, Light, and Gara right by his side. All five of them were looking at Spike with deepest shock and anger, horrified with and barely believing what they had seen with their own eyes. Feeling much more than merely ashamed, Spike hung his head and sighed despairingly. He certainly deserved whatever hostilities they would throw his way.
"You think we should attack him?" Gara asked, livid with rage as the others nodded.
Ducky however, looked up at them. "No guys," she said quietly but firmly. "I asked Spike to do it!"
The silence couldn't have been more profound as the five newcomers stared at each other, in complete disbelief with what they were hearing. This was beyond the pale of anything they thought possible. Yet at the same time, Ducky and her friends had proven them wrong so many times before. Could this be yet another example of their seeming madness actually being a stroke of genius?
"Please," Ducky begged. "I will explain everything."
Mystified, they looked at each other, before quietly coming around to sit by the prone Ducky's side. "What do you mean?" Jada asked in stunned disbelief.
Ducky smiled tearfully at them. "You guys were all hurting really bad."
"No we weren't," Keeter tried to reassure her, but Ducky shook her head. "I saw how bad each of those injuries of yours were. So bad that unlike mine, not even healing flowers and painkiller plants could cure them. You all were really injured, a lot more than you were willing to tell me. But I am not mad at you, for I know the only reason you were keeping your injuries from me was that you were trying to make me feel better."
A wave of silence fell upon the newcomers as they looked at Ducky crestfallenly. "When I saw that the healing flowers did not work, I knew I had to do something to help out the five of you," she giggled playfully before saying. "Well, actually the four of you. For Cricket was not the only one without an injury when I was treating you."
Then Ducky looked at Light and smiled. "You told me you were feeling better, Light. But because I would not listen to anyone ... I did not realize that you were actually telling me how you really felt, you did."
The others gasped.
"You mean ... You're not bleeding?" Seth asked as Light shook his head.
"He was, but he is not anymore," Ducky smiled. "Just like Spike. Because the two of you found the most powerful healing plant I have ever seen … And it is sitting right in front of us!"
The others looked blankly at Ducky as Spike and Light finally looked at Ducky with comprehension. "I'm ... sorry?" Keeter asked slowly.
"What are you talking about?" Jada asked.
Ducky looked at them, before beaming brightly up at the plants around them, her eyes watering in passion. "Everyone says that these prickly plants are bad and invasive. But they must be here for some reason. There must be some good about them that comes along with the bad. And only now that I am hurting just as badly as you are … We can find out just what these prickly plants can really do together."
Taking a deep breath, Ducky looked up at the tall, imposing mass of prickly plants. She couldn't but gulp as she looked at them. Having heard so much about these prickly plants, was there really a way that she could eat them?
But then, she felt a soothing presence, and turning, she saw Spike was standing loyally by her side, looking at Ducky encouragingly, with a warm smile on his face, giving her an encouraging grunt and soft lick on the face.
"You are right, Spike," Ducky said quietly. "I must eat these prickly plants just like you if I hope to get better, yep yep yep. Do you want to eat with me, Spike?"
Spike nodded as Ducky beamed at him. "Okay Spike ... This is it, yep yep yep!"
And pretending as though she was a spiketail just like her little brother, Ducky followed Spike's lead in making a lunge for the prickly plants, taking in one great big bite.
A harsh, sharp pain instantly flooded the inside of Ducky's mouth, causing her eyes to water and her taste buds to sting. Uncontrollably, she felt some gargling in the back of her throat as the partly chewed up prickly plant fought its way out of Ducky's protesting mouth, the aftertaste of which was so strong that she continued to pant as if she had been for the swim of her life. But she felt a supportive paw on her back and heard a reassuring grunt.
"You are right Spike," Ducky smiled. "I can do this, I can."
And taking a deep breath, trying to take her mind off any bodily pain, Ducky tried again. Cramming the head of the plant with its multiple white flowers in her mouth, she chewed it up as fast as she can as she resisted any urge to spit it out. The pain continued to well up inside her mouth, but she thought of her friends ... Not only her brother Spike, her mate Petrie, her best friends Littlefoot and Cera, and all their other friends back home, but also the new friends sitting by her side ... Seth, Jada, Light, Keeter and Gara ... And as she did, she could hear some voices, just barely audible through all the mouth pain, but discernible nonetheless ...
"Hey Jada?"
"Yes ... Gara?"
"I'm sorry, uh ... For earlier today ... I just got startled ... That is, uh ... But I shouldn't have reacted like that."
"I was kinda scared of you too, to be honest ... You know, considering my past."
"Well I promise I'll never be anything like that. I, uh ... Wanna be your friend, just like we are with Ducky and the others. Sorry if that came out awkward."
"No it didn't ... And I'd like to be your friend too!"
"Hey Gara? Sorry for picking a fight with you before."
"That's okay Keeter. I was being a jerk."
"Yeah, but I made it worse."
"It's my fault, I had a stupid grudge against threehorns ... But knowing you and Cera now ... I know I was wrong. I'm sorry ..."
"I'm sorry too. Want to start over as friends?"
"Friends."
Hearing the three dinosaurs who had started off their relationships so badly with another apologize and become friends without any prompting warmed her heart, and before she knew it, the long stem of the prickly plant finally fit into her mouth. Feeling the Night Circle's rays shining down upon her with their encouragement, she exclaimed, "I ate a prickly plant, I did!"
Spike and their new friends cheered excitedly.
"Now go for another one!" Seth said.
"You can do it!" exclaimed Light.
Nodding determinedly, Ducky ripped out another one, and keeping her mind squarely focused on her friends, she was able to consume the second prickly plant. The third went down even quicker, and by the time she downed the fourth, she had familiarized herself with the prickly plant's shape to the point where she could cram them more and more easily into her mouth. Before she knew it, the Bright Circle had begun to rise, and she had eaten all the prickly plants within reach of her prone position. Her heart beating in anticipation, she knew it was time to see if they really worked.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Ducky gave a great heave as she tried to stand up. Her muscles ached furiously from being splayed on the ground for so long, but with a big push, she managed to get up … And remarkably felt no pain at all.
Looking at herself, Ducky gasped. All her wounds from Spike's tail spikes had completely healed up, and both physically and emotionally, she began to feel newly revitalized. At last, she had succeeded in doing something that would not just limit the damage they might face, but could potentially reverse the damage altogether ...
"I … I do not believe it," Ducky exclaimed, tears of joy streaming down her face as Spike happily cheered. "The prickly plants … They really do work! Guys!"
"They can't hear you," came a knowing voice, and looking at her other side, Ducky saw Light relaxedly sitting beside her.
"What do you ..." Ducky began, but she stopped, for the reason why became apparent. Following her lead, Gara, Seth, Jada and Keeter had dived into the prickly plants just like she had, and as Ducky examined their bodies, her eyes couldn't help but well up with joy. Jada's side injuries, even her deepest scars, were vanishing before her eyes. The once grotesque amount of blood around Seth's mouth was rapidly shrinking. Keeter's eye injury was diminishing with an outline that grew only more subtle as the alarming bright red faded into a soothing dark blue, and while Gara's spikes remained broken, only to grow back with time, her multiple stab wounds were also disappearing …
"The prickly plants are working guys, they are!" she told Spike and Light happily, jumping up and down, unable to restrain herself, and upon finally stopping, proceeded to hug Spike and Light, one spiketail in each arm. "They … They are really healing everybody's injuries! Yep, yep, yep!"
"Yeah!" Light smiled. "Congratulations, Ducky! Now I bet you'd like to get that taste out of your mouth, huh? Come and have some tree sweets."
Gratefully, Ducky licked her lips as she rushed over to the yellow tree sweet trees, where she happily savored each tree sweet she had. But even though Ducky had replaced the extremely bitter, pungent, peppery taste of the prickly plants with the sweet, fresh juiciness of the tree sweets, she knew that nothing could possibly remove the sweet taste of triumph she felt inside.
"Hey Ducky," came a voice, and turning, Ducky saw Jada, Seth, Keeter and Gara approach her. All four of them looked better than ever, with all signs of their bleeding completely gone, being replaced with fully cleared, smooth skin.
"Are you feeling all better?" she asked hopefully, looking at each of them in turn.
"We really are this time," Keeter smiled.
"Better than ever," Jada beamed.
"Can we have some tree sweets too?" Seth asked.
"Oh yes yes yes," Ducky said, and happily, they all began to gorge on the tree sweet trees.
As she, Spike, and the newcomers happily ate the tree sweets for a little while, Ducky heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw that Cera must have just woken up as she dozily strolled over to them.
"Hi Cera!" Ducky exclaimed, waving brightly. "Come have some tree sweets!"
Cera nodded appreciatively, hurriedly wolfing down some tree sweets before she turned to her squad leaders. "So you guys ready for some training?" she asked excitedly.
Jada, Keeter, Light, Gara and Seth all hurriedly nodded.
"We're ready to start now," Seth exclaimed.
"That's just the answer I was looking for," Cera grinned. Then she turned to Spike. "Hey Spike, how about you get back to eating those prickly plants? We need to get those stupid things out of here if we want anything else to grow."
The five new recruits however, looked at each other shiftily. "What?" Cera asked.
"N … nothing," Jada said as they all struggled to hold in their giggles.
"All right then, I'll start counting the others' treestars," Cera sighed. "Spike, I'd like to see those useless prickly plants gone by the time I get back," she huffed as she headed out.
Once she was out of sight, they all began to snicker. "Spike," Ducky said, quietly but barely being able to control her laughter. "Whatever you do, do not listen to a word Cera says … Because I have never heard her this wrong before, I have not!"
Keeter looked at Ducky with a knowing smirk. "You're gonna give them to the others, right?"
"Oh yes yes yes," Ducky laughed, her eyes flickering mischievously. "But you guys are going to prove to Cera what you can do first."
Chortling, the squad leaders said goodbye to Ducky as they followed Cera's footprints out of the Hidden Canyon.
Soon, Petrie and Littlefoot woke up. They both noticed at once how cheerful Ducky was as she was happily hummed to herself as she picked prickly plants, placing them on Spike's back.
"Morning Ducky," Littlefoot smiled. "Sleep well?"
Ducky giggled. "I guess you could say that."
"Hey," Petrie observed. "Why Spike not eating prickly plants?"
"Because," Ducky grinned. "Prickly plants are not bad plants at all … I will now be calling them … The Pretty Flower Curative!" she said cheekily.
Littlefoot, Petrie and Spike couldn't help but laugh. "Sound like Cross-Strength Cohesive!" smirked Petrie.
"Except it is even better!" Ducky exclaimed, looking at each of them with excited eyes. "While Cera's cohesive keeps us safe, my curative can do actually do some saving!"
Littlefoot sniggered. "Cera's not gonna like it if you put it like that," he teased.
"Oh no no no," Ducky giggled, a trace of fiery mischief flashing in her eyes.
"Wait a minute," Littlefoot said, catching on. "You fed these guys prickly … Er, your curative … Right?"
Cheerfully, Ducky nodded. "And they are all better, yep yep yep!"
"And you didn't tell Cera, did you?"
Ducky smirked. "She did not ask, so … Nope nope nope!" she giggled, her eyes twinkling. "She will have to see for herself … Just the way she likes it!"
And they all burst out laughing.
"Well good for you Ducky," exclaimed Littlefoot, before looking at her belly as he gasped, "Hey … All your scars from the sharpteeth are gone!"
"Oh yes yes yes, all of them and more, right Spike?" she cheekily asked Spike, chortling heartily.
"Me no even ask what that about," Petrie sighed, before smiling at Ducky. "But me knew you could do it!"
"I could not have done it without any of you guys," Ducky said, smiling at them each in turn. "Your quick thinking, Littlefoot … Your faith in me, Petrie … And of course you too Spike," Ducky winked. "And just a touch of Cera's stubbornness."
They all laughed before Ducky smiled, "Now I know I will never feel useless again, nope nope nope!" Ducky said as she picked up some curative and hugged it. "It is not even that prickly, it is not!"
"Hey, you guys talking about a healing plant?" Etta asked hopefully.
Ducky beamed. "Oh yes! Actually you and Littlefoot should have some … Spike and I will not have anymore though," she giggled as Spike happily shook his head.
"Me look out for sharpteeth while you eat plant," the uninjured Petrie said, so Littlefoot and Etta ate.
"Pleh! How could you eat this stuff?" Etta asked as Littlefoot struggled to hide a look of disgust.
"Just wait, you will feel better!" Ducky exclaimed.
Sure enough, Littlefoot's scars vanished as did Etta's injury. "Wow Ducky, this stuff is incredible!" he told her. "It's like I wasn't ever bitten!"
Ducky beamed. "That is my curative, it is!"
Just then, Petrie flew back, a big smirk across his face. "Cera not happy! All students pass test, and she in big trouble!"
"Oh dear … I should go help her, I should," Ducky smiled. And so while Littlefoot finished placing as much curative onto Spike's back as he could carry, Ducky picked an armful of treesweets and saying goodbye to Littlefoot, Petrie and Etta, she and Spike headed off to find the class.
"You want to see the curative work on everyone, right Spike?" Ducky asked excitedly. Spike eagerly grunted as they trudged onward.
They could hear Cera's fuming long before they got anywhere close to the class.
"No! The point of this method is to cohese! Five longnecks would hit each other with their tails! Five frilled dinosaurs would bang their heads! Five twofooters have no defense! Five flyers don't have any muscle power! Five tailed dinosaurs have no front defense! You need balance! You can't do that if there's not one of you in each group! How many times do I have to say this?"
Sighing with exasperation, Cera saw Ducky and Spike out of the corner of her eye. "Squad leaders, straighten them out. I'll be back." and approached them wearily.
"Cera! They all passed the test!" Ducky exclaimed.
"Yeah! And apart from the squad leaders, the rest of them aren't trying!" Cera hissed. "They don't know what a cohesive is!"
Then she stared at the plants on Spike's back. "Spike," Cera ranted, shaking in anger. "I thought I told you to eat those stupid prickly plants!"
"No," Ducky smiled, her eyes twinkling. "You will do that."
Cera looked at Ducky, a look of disgusted incredulity on her face. "What did you say?"
"I said you and the class should eat my Pretty Flower Curative!" Ducky grinned.
"Your what?"
"My Pretty Flower Curative," Ducky beamed. "Aren't these flowers beautiful?"
Cera was speechless, "Oh no. I know what those things taste like, Ducky. No one can eat them but spiketails, and I've only got two of them, and you're not feeding any of them to Light, he …"
"Already ate them, I know," Ducky smirked. "As did Jada, Seth, Gara and Keeter."
Stone-faced, Cera ragingly quavered, "You fed all my squad leaders prickly plants … WITHOUT TELLING ME?"
"Yep, yep, yep. You would never let me do it otherwise," Ducky laughed as Cera fumed. "But do not worry. These tree sweets will make the taste of the curative all better."
"I don't believe this," Cera snarled, as she headed back over to the class, Ducky and Spike eagerly following in her wake.
"All right," Cera asked impatiently. "Jada, Seth, Keeter, Gara, did you all eat prickly plants?"
Grinning, the four of them all nodded.
Huffing, Cera said, "Let me see your injuries."
Along with Light, they all went up and as Cera examined them, Ducky was hardly able to contain her excitement.
"How did you get so …. Clean?" Cera asked.
"Ducky already told you," Keeter laughed.
"We ate her plants!" Jada exclaimed.
"What do you mean? Those prickly plants are useless!"
While Cera argued with the squad leaders, the other twenty pupils were looking curiously at one another. Seeing how unblemished their formerly wounded peers looked, they looked at the curative with increasing interest. Before Ducky and Spike knew it, they all began taking curative from Spike's body, while Ducky offered them each tree sweets to counter the bitter taste. And all around her, she watched as slowly, every single one of their pupils' injuries faded away …
"Ugh! I've had it!" Cera shouted, looking to see that her class had completely left their posts. Growling, she said, "All right, where's …"
Then she saw each of them munching down the last of their curatives. Shaking her head, she gasped, "You all ate that stuff?"
Happily, every single one of them nodded, admiring their newly healed bodies. Where there had once been bleeding gouges, every last one of their bodies had become refreshingly clean, as they stared at themselves and each other in newfound amazement.
"She did it!" exclaimed the male crested hollowhorn.
"She healed us!" agreed the female clubtailed longneck.
"I feel lots better!" added the male fourhorn.
"Me too!" put in the male spikeless spikethumb.
"These plants really work!" cheered the female spikeside.
Dumbfounded, Cera looked at Ducky. "Well? What are you waiting for? Give me some prickly plants … I mean curative!"
"Here you go Cera," Ducky said as she took the last ones off Spike's back, and Cera hurriedly chomped them down. And sure enough, her scratches vanished too, looking, just like the others, as good as new.
"Well," Cera said, turning to Ducky, shaking her head. "I gotta hand it to you. I never would've thought such a crazy idea would work. But you stuck with it and look at what happened!"
"Oh yes yes yes," Ducky exclaimed, before receiving a sudden inspiration she knew would make Cera very happy. "And you know what? Now you guys can train with your cohesives harder than ever before! Because now whenever you get hurt, you can just have some curative and you will feel all better! Yep, yep, yep!"
Ducky smiled in delight as their pupils looked at her, and then at Cera, who looked at a complete loss for words. Then however, the crowd gasped as Cera wrapped Ducky into a proud hug, beaming at her sisterly friend. "Great job, Ducky!"
Ducky giggled. "That is the second time you hugged me in as many days."
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it," Cera smirked, before turning to her class, this time a broad smile lining her face. "All right guys, back to training!"
So the mystery purpose of the prickly plants has finally been revealed! Fun fact for botanists: the prickly plant/Pretty Flower Curative is heavily based off the real-life yarrow plant - which is also a flowering plant with tiny little white flowers, is very invasive, tends to be odorous, has an extremely bitter tasting root, and like the thistle, is in the Asteraceae family. The real yarrow however is also known as soldier's woundwort, because like the prickly plant, it has a special ability to stop bleeding!
We'll be going back to the Valley next time, where we'll see the full extent of Leigh's regime, more of the culture of the mob, the perspective of our four trapped main characters, and maybe, perhaps, the birth of a dissent movement ...
