Happy 2023 everybody! Or far later than that, depending on when you read this hahaha.
Just the usuals this time. I always really appreciate favs/follows/reviews/PMs for every chapter regardless of when. Thank you to everyone who leaves these! The Land Before Time belongs to Universal. And be sure to check out Chapter 32's DeviantArt picture when it comes up. As you can imagine from everything that happened in the last chapter, we've got a huge Hidden Canyon roster update!
Chapter 32 – Coming Together
Day 2 – Dusk/Night
Deep in an underground burrow, Skitter and Lizzie had gotten the rest of their herd of ten tiny young longnecks together. After replenishing their burrows with fresh foliage from the Secret Spot and eating until they were fully satiated, they all felt exceptionally grateful and were eager to hear the mission that Skitter and Lizzie had relayed from the junior gang.
"We little guys can't usually do much to solve all the problems above," Skitter explained passionately. "But those kids who showed us that safe place told us something we can do! They told us that these segregated herds have lots of kids, and while a lot of them are jerks, there are some nice ones who don't like what their parents and teachers have been telling them! I know it might be a little risky, but if we can find and identify who these nice kids are, we can try asking them if they want a new life. And for the ones who say yes, we can send them down our burrows and take them to that safe place, where they can all live happily together away from the bad guys!"
"The thing is, we have to be careful about which kids we talk to," Lizzie warned them. "If we talk to the wrong kid, they might tell their parents on us and we and the kids with us would all be in big trouble. So we've got to make sure that any kid we try to talk to won't tell on us before we tell them anything."
"The kids we're looking for should be easy to find," advised Skitter. "They'd be the ones who are crying, injured, bullied, mistreated by their families, or questioning what they've been told. In other words, all the ones who don't look happy."
"Do a lot more watching than talking," added Lizzie. "Only talk to a kid once you're sure they're at the very least unhappy and warmhearted, and that they would promise to keep us a secret. Because if their parents suspect anything, they might put some of their kids up to pretend to be nice to try and stop us."
"Yeah, we need to know what these kids are really like before we try anything," explained Skitter. "Then once a nice kid is on their own, we can try talking to them. We can't save every kid, but every kid that willingly comes with us is a kid we can help … What is it, you two?"
For Skitter had noticed that Rocky and Dusty, the inseparable brother and sister pair who were nearest the outside of their crevice, were both looking very apprehensive as they stared out into the tunnel.
"Footsteps," explained Rocky shortly.
"Outside," Dusty finished.
The tiny longnecks sat still, holding their breaths as they could make out the sound of many loud footsteps aimlessly traipsing through their tunnels. As they did, they could make out a conversation coming from what sounded like a large cluster of kids.
"Hey Gipa, did your mom tell you how to get through here?"
"No. I don't think she knows. She just said to go down this tunnel and we'll be safe."
"I wonder if that's where Cassia and Perri went?"
"They were really awesome today, weren't they Splash?"
"Yeah! Those two really stood up for Garnet and Pearl! And that singing and dancing thing they all did was so cool! Cryaz looked like she was gonna erupt like a smoking mountain!"
"Those guys are amazing! Just like the big kids! They're probably gonna end up just like them someday."
"Were the big kids really that cool too?"
"Oh yeah. They always got into trouble, but they always did what's right. We've all grown up hearing about their adventures."
"I wish I was born to one of your herds. My family is mean to me because I don't like fighting like the rest of them."
"Mine calls me fat and lazy."
"And mine calls me a creepy crawler!"
"Well as the big kids always say, we're a family and you're one of us now!"
"You really don't mind us coming along? Even though we have terrible parents?"
"Not at all! It's who you are inside that counts, not who you were hatched by."
"We can tell you guys are real Great Valley kids inside, just like us!"
"And we're happy to have you!"
"Hey Spring, do you think the big kids might still be alive?"
"I sure hope so. Those guys have always been awesome. I remember when I was just a hatchling when Mom first let me go see them. I was sitting by the heat vents with some other hatchlings, including Cera's cousins. The big kids had just come back from a trip to Saurus Rock and were telling us all these cool stories about the Great Dinosaur. I asked Mom how kids like me could come up with such amazing stories, and she said that they'd know from experience because they were adventurers themselves. But she warned me not to get any ideas! I wish I could be as brave as them though."
"Me too!"
"We're all acting a bit like them now though. Because we're leaving Hiss Head's Valley to stick together and stand up for each other, just like they did!"
"Yeah, I guess you're right! It sure beats staying behind and listening to Crazy Cryaz and Hiss Head! I think …"
But the youthful voice trailed off as the tiny longnecks heard a collective gasp. Whirling around, they saw that standing right outside of their crevice was a large, tightly packed gaggle of twofooter kids, no less than fifty or so, staring at them in disbelief. They were roughly split between boys and girls, and were of many different kinds. Swimmers were very well-represented, with Ducky's kind of swimmer, round, long and tall-crested hollowhorns each making up a large portion of the crowd of kids, with the remaining little twofooters being nesting bigmouths, spikethumbs and boneheads, all of whom were looking at the little longnecks curiously.
"Wow! Tiny longnecks!" exclaimed one of the tall-crested girls.
"I didn't know that longnecks like that existed!" exclaimed a nesting bigmouth boy.
"My parents told me that there were tiny longnecks here," said a long-crested girl. "But I've never seen them for myself before!"
"Maybe they know the way out of here!" suggested a round-crested boy.
The tiny longnecks, meanwhile, also looked at the kids curiously as Rocky cleared his throat. "Hello, what are you guys …"
"Doing down here?" Dusty finished.
"Oh, yeah, right," smiled one of the round-crested girls, bowing politely before them. "We were sent here by our parents to get to somewhere safe."
"Well, those of us with nice parents. We brought some friends with us," added a long-crested girl.
"They came from the bad herds, but they left their families behind! They're now our friends and want to live with us!" explained a long-crested boy, to numerous nods from a good portion of the crowd.
"Yeah!" exclaimed a tall-crested boy brightly. "We never got why leafeaters can't just all be friends!"
"We kept on asking our folks," agreed a spikethumb girl. "They just said our kind's too good to be hanging around with anyone else.
"But it never felt right to us," smiled a round-crested girl. "And we learned the truth today in class!"
"Not from that mean teacher though, from those cool singing and dancing kids!" piped up a bonehead boy eagerly. "They showed us that it's okay to be friends no matter what we look like! And that true friends always stick up for each other!"
"So after class, a lot of us decided not to go home and go live with the nice twofooters instead," explained a spikethumb boy. "Our old families will hate us when they realize what we did. But that's okay, for we've got new families now who'll actually love us!"
"And we'd never go back!" exclaimed a bonehead girl. "Our parents just didn't love us the way nice parents do. They have so many kids that they pick favorites, usually the toughest and meanest ones in our nests, and they try to discipline the rest of us to be just like them. Most of us here were the ones they called weak, the ones they didn't care about, and the ones they didn't love for who we were."
"We always got yelled at," agreed a round-crested boy. "Our folks said we'd never grow up to be tough warriors or carry out their bloodline. They probably don't even care we're gone now. Because we're not like them! We want to be friendly, peaceful dinosaurs who think for ourselves and ask questions! We were just misfits within our families, but now that we're away from them, we feel like we actually belong!"
"We knew our new families might worry that we'd be like our parents," sighed a long-crested girl. "We went on our bellies and promised our loyalty to them, even saying that they could kill us if we betrayed them. But that's okay because we'd never do that!"
"We may not have our birth families anymore, but that's okay, for we've got each other and all these nice grownups that we can be with!" exclaimed a boy spikethumb. "Right?"
And without hesitation, the entire band of twofooter kids, born to friendly Valleydwellers and to segregated herds alike, all struck a pose of triumphant solidarity.
"The nice grownups knew our birth parents might come after us for betraying them," explained a swimmer boy. "So after we promised to keep it a secret, they showed us all this cool tunnel! Does it really lead somewhere safe?"
"Yeah, you guys will love it!" Skitter exclaimed as the friendly twofooter kids oohed in amazement.
"Will there really be tailed, longneck and frilled kids down there with us?" asked a long-crested boy hopefully.
The tiny longnecks looked at each other. "Not yet," said Skitter. "But there will be soon! We're gonna find some other kids who want to live together just like you guys!"
"Rocky, Dusty, you two lead the kids down that tunnel," Lizzie instructed. "We've got to start looking for some other kids."
"I think we've got all the nice twofooter kids with us," smiled a bonehead boy. "So you should try looking for kids from the other herds."
"Great," smiled Skitter appreciatively.
Then Rocky and Dusty turned to the crowd of kids. "So you guys want to follow us …" Rocky asked.
"To the end of our tunnel?" Dusty finished, as the large group of twofooter kids cheered.
So before long, Rocky and Dusty began shepherding the large crowd of kids down the tunnel, while two more of the tiny longnecks followed to make sure none of the kids tried to turn tail, knowing how serious of a consequence any betrayal would be. None of them did however, and this left Skitter and Lizzie with four other members of their herd, all looking incredulously at each other.
"Wow, that was easy," Skitter snickered, to the agreement of the other tiny longnecks, hardly daring to believe just how many kids their tunnels had already brought to safety.
"I guess Cassia and Perri found all the friendly twofooter kids for us," chuckled Lizzie.
"You guys ready to go find some more kids together?" Skitter asked.
So enthused with the success of all the twofooter kids that had been gathered and now having a good idea of just the kind of kids they'd be looking for, the tiny longneck herd ventured their way down their long, winding tunnels, peeping their heads out of all of their numerous holes throughout the longneck, tailed, and frilled zones. They spent the twilight hours just observing and identifying all the kids, with the rest of their herd soon joining them, looking to see just which kids seemed to be both dissatisfied with their lives and kindhearted in nature. They knew too that making a mistake would bring an end to their operation altogether, so they decided to speak to the kids that they felt surest about first and bring them to safety before trying to reach out to those that they felt less sure about.
Out of the hundreds of kids from the segregated herds, the tiny longnecks were soon able to come to an agreement on which kid seemed like the safest bet to reach out to. He was a pudgy, light brown threehorn with green eyes named Gem, and each time they saw him, he was being relentlessly picked on by his well-muscled siblings. As they went to check in on Gem one last time, they saw that yet again, he was being bullied.
"There! Feel it yet, you rockhead?"
"Guys, just stop it!" Gem wailed, his frill bleeding from many horn attacks.
"Not till you prove you have what it takes, sissy. To be a real warrior and a real threehorn and do our kind proud."
"Yeah, how come you didn't hurt that onehorn brat?"
"I … I didn't want to," Gem answered meekly. "Mono seemed nice, I thought we could be friends."
"Friends? That little brat peed on our parents!"
"Yeah, you didn't even try standing up for their honor, dishonoring them in the process!"
"You traitor! Coward! Freak!"
"You're not a real threehorn!"
"Guys, stop!" Gem cried out, but his siblings took running starts at him and horned him on all sides, causing Gem to shout with pain and shed some more tears.
"Hello kids," came a calm voice, and what appeared to be their mother lumbered onto the scene. As Gem looked down into his paw to avoid eye contact, his siblings eagerly approached her.
"We beat him up real good, Mom. He won't dare betray you again."
"Well done. I can tell you'll be fine warriors and egglayers who will keep our bloodline strong and healthy," the mother threehorn purred proudly, before glowering at Gem. "You! Look at me!"
Trying to stop his tears, Gem nervously looked up at his mother, glaring at him.
"Stop being a whiny sissy and dry those tears off your face!" she scolded.
"Sorry, Mom, really, I'm trying! I'll try to be tough for you, honest!" Gem sobbed.
"Trying's not good enough. Real threehorns and future warriors don't cry. You better dry that fat face of yours before you show up at the nest. Understand?"
Frantically, Gem nodded before his mother turned away, his siblings snickering behind her as they turned to sneer at their brother, who once again began to sob into his paw.
The tiny longnecks looked concernedly at each other before Skitter said, "I better go talk to him."
"But Skitter! We're not allowed out there!" Lizzie told him.
"He can't hear us from in here, he's crying too loud," he reasoned.
Knowing that he was most likely right, the others reluctantly nodded before Skitter ventured out of the hole. Using the darkness to his advantage, Skitter was able to conceal himself within the grass as he crept over to approach Gem's head, which was bigger than Skitter's entire body. Climbing on Gem's leg to reach his forehead, Skitter softly asked, "Hey Gem?"
Gem feebly lifted his head up as he stared at Skitter. "Don't you know anything? Threehorns don't talk to little longnecks," he mumbled.
Skitter looked at Gem sympathetically. "Is that really you talking, or are you just repeating what was said to you?"
Gem didn't answer and instead stared at Skitter confusedly. "What do you want?" he sniffled. "Can't you just leave me alone? Why do you want to see me, anyway?"
"I just want to talk with you," Skitter smiled.
Gem snorted. "Yeah right. No one would want to talk with me. I'm the fat softhearted weakling of my family. Everyone knows that. It's amazing I haven't been eaten by sharpteeth yet."
Skitter looked at Gem thoughtfully. "Why'd you say that?
"Because I'm worthless, duh," Gem sighed. "My whole family keeps telling me that. They always have, ever since I hatched."
Skitter gently stroked the threehorn kid. "Gem, you're not worthless. I've been watching you, and you know what I think? I think you're a kind, open-minded, friendly dinosaur who's got a good sense of right and wrong."
"So yeah, like you just said, I'm worthless," Gem said despondently.
"No Gem, you're just in a herd that doesn't appreciate you for who you are," Skitter told him firmly. "And maybe you'd be better off living somewhere else."
As Gem stared in perplexment, Skitter asked, "Gem, can you promise to keep me and what I'm about to tell you a secret, no matter what?"
Gem sighed before shaking his head. "No one would believe someone would want to see me, anyway."
"Okay then," Skitter smiled. "Well … What would you think about starting over? Leaving your herd and meeting a bunch of kids who live a whole different kind of life?"
Gem looked surprised. "Me? Betray my own family? I … I don't know if I can do that."
"I know it's hard to go against your family," Skitter soothed. "But I've seen the way they treat you, and that's no way a kid like you should live. Besides, do you really want to become like the rest of your family?"
"I … I … I … No, I don't," Gem whispered quietly, gasping as he realized what he just said, then frantically looking around to make sure he wasn't overheard. "Oh no … I shouldn't have said that."
"It's okay Gem, it really is," Skitter said soothingly.
Gem gulped, before looking at Skitter passionately. "If I can keep your secret … Can you keep a secret for me? I just don't know who else I can talk to."
"Sure Gem, I promise," Skitter soothed.
"Well," Gem mumbled, looking around again to make sure there were no eavesdroppers. "I don't really see what's wrong with having friends who are other kinds. Sure, it's not the way we do things, but it's who you are inside that really counts, right? I thought that Mono kid was really brave for standing up for his friends while that teacher made us horn him. I didn't want to do it, I just knew I'd get beaten up myself if I didn't … I just don't have the guts that he does."
Skitter smiled understandingly. "You're not alone, Gem. In fact, if you come along with me, I can take you to a place where there are a whole bunch of kids who want to live together, even though they're all different kinds. They treat each other like a real family should, and I promise, you'll feel like a whole different threehorn there."
Gem stared. "You're not serious," he muttered.
"I promise Gem, I am," Skitter smiled. "But if you want me to show you, you have to follow me before any of your herd shows up!"
And looking around him to make sure he wasn't being watched, Gem closed his eyes and nodded. "Okay …"
And hurriedly, Skitter scampered to the tiny longneck burrow as Gem listlessly followed him. Gem could barely fit through the hole, but Skitter and the other tiny longnecks tugged on his paws, pulling him through, before they all greeted him friendlily, even giving him tiny little hugs. Gem could only stare at them in bewilderment, never having been treated with such warmth in his life.
"This isn't real," Gem muttered blankly.
"It is," Rocky smiled.
"Really!" Dusty agreed.
"Just follow us, we'll take you there," Skitter told him.
So Gem followed them down the burrow, frequently looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was tailing him. At last, they finally reached the other end of the burrow.
"Well? Wanna go inside?" Skitter asked encouragingly.
Gem nodded hesitantly, before slowly squeezing through the hole and making it out to the other end.
What he saw made his jaw drop. There, in a lushly forested area with a nice waterfall and all kinds of beautiful flowers, a whole gaggle of twofooter kids were running, laughing, singing, rolling in the grass, and despite being of many different kinds, freely intermingling with one another. Confusedly, he stared in bewilderment. This was the kind of play that would have been deemed frivolous and worthy of a scolding in his herd, not being worthwhile training for a future warrior. Yet here these kids were, playing with one another, seemingly without a care in the world. Before long however, he was lifted up in the air, and brought face to face with a small elderly twofooter, who despite looking cranky and irritable, did not seem to give him any personal animosity.
"Hey there," the twofooter, who was Hyp's father, said. "You promise you're not gonna go back and tell on us?"
Gem shook his head. "N … no," he said nervously.
"Good," Hyp's father said, before softening his voice. "Then you can go play with all the other kids. Just don't get too close to me. I'm far too old for playing."
And in disbelief, Gem just stared at Hyp's father as he gently placed him back on the ground. Hardly daring to believe he wasn't being punished, Gem just saw Hyp's father staring back at him.
"Well? Run along and play, kid. I've got to keep an eye on the entrance and make sure no one here tries betraying us."
Nodding confusedly, Gem hesitantly headed over toward the other kids. Hyp's father meanwhile, turned to the tiny longnecks, still watching Gem, who had just gotten startled by a tall-crested hollowhorn running over to greet him. "Guys!" the hollowhorn boy called out. "We've got our first threehorn playmate!"
And Gem could only gasp and close his eyes as all the twofooter kids started running over to him, expecting to face a massive beatdown. However, his gaping mouth slowly turned to a smile as he realized the twofooter kids only wanted to hug and greet him as they welcomed him into their big group, causing him to think that this may perhaps be where he really belonged …
"Everything's going well here," Hyp's father said, bringing the tiny longnecks' focus back. "Mutt's father and Mr. Spikethumb are watching over the kids, and I'm here to work the entrance. Now go and join your friend. She's off to get another one, Tiff I think she said her name was."
Turning, the tiny longneck herd turned, realizing that Lizzie had disappeared from their midst.
"Wow, she's in a hurry," Skitter chuckled. "Come on guys, follow me."
But by the time they had reached the longneck zone, they could hear Lizzie's voice coming from down the tunnel, along with a younger, tearful voice which they presumed to be Tiff.
"My daddy didn't care that my sisters were picking on me," Tiff sniffed.
"Yeah," Lizzie sympathized. "When I was your age, I thought my dad was way too overprotective. But at least he cared about me, not like your dad."
As Skitter and the others turned around the corner, they saw that Lizzie was hurrying down the tunnel, with a little tall boxhead just like Shorty but bluish-grey in color with tearful blue eyes in her wake. "Hi guys, I've got Tiff with me."
"Great," Skitter said, before turning to Tiff. "You ready to see our place?"
Tiff nodded. "Yeah, sure, I guess. I wasn't really loved with my folks. Is it really true I can be friends with dinosaurs who aren't boxheads like me?"
"Sure it is," smiled Lizzie. "Just wait and see."
And before long, they returned with Tiff to the Secret Spot. As Tiff squeezed through the entry hole, she was surprised, for at once, she was greeted by Gem.
"Hi!" he exclaimed. "I'm new here just like you, and I wanted to see if other kids were really coming! I'm so happy to see you, uh …"
"Tiff," she said shyly.
"My name's Gem," Gem said as the tiny longnecks beamed at each other, seeing how much the little threehorn had already thawed in the warm atmosphere of the Secret Spot. "Now come on! Let's meet the others!"
And after Hyp's father quickly lay down the rules for Tiff, the two kids went back to join the others as the tiny longnecks looked at each other.
"Two down," Skitter smiled at Lizzie, before the two exchanged a paw bump and went out in search of their next kids to rescue.
The second dinner in the Hidden Canyon, the first for most of the herd, was a hearty affair from the moment it started. With Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky and Spike breaking down the Hidden Canyon's northern wall, there was plenty of room for the herd, including the newly inducted flyers and noteeth, to dig into their tree sweets and big leaves. As they planned out their dinner however, Ruby had an idea which she shared with the rest of the gang.
"You know," she reasoned, "Now that we know my parents' herd can be trusted … We don't really need to restrict their diet and look at their poop anymore, do we? I know some of you leafeaters may be uncomfortable with it … But not having any snapping shells for a while, I think my parents' herd would really appreciate it."
Littlefoot smiled. "I don't see anything wrong with them eating some snapping shells."
"Oh no no no," Ducky smiled. "You do not need to be a leafeater to be good inside, you do not."
"Yeah, and we know way too well how bad some leafeaters are," Cera snarked.
"Me ask Mama," Petrie suggested. "See what she think."
So Petrie flew over to his mother, who was just laying out some berries on her big leaf.
"Hey Mama?" Petrie asked hesitantly.
Petrie's mother turned. "What is it, Petrie?"
"Well, me and friends just wondering … We know Ruby parent herd not allowed to eat snapping shells and scaly swimmers in Great Valley. But me wonder if you mind if we change that rule here."
Petrie's mother smiled. "No, not at all. It's just fine with me, just as it was when Ruby was able to eat snapping shells before her parents' herd came. But you don't need to ask me, Petrie. Sometimes it's better if you don't try to do what we did back home."
"But you guys do great job leading herd!" Petrie exclaimed.
"We did our best," Mama Flyer smiled appreciatively. "But you have your own herd here, and sometimes, you should do things differently than how we did."
"What you mean?" Petrie asked curiously.
"Well, how is the herd you're hoping to build here different from the herd back home?" Petrie's mother asked wisely.
Petrie thought. "Well … We have new herdmates here," he said thoughtfully. "We a lot younger I guess, with all them. Everybody integrated here too, nobody here believe in herd segregation. Everyone here also accept Chomper and Ruby no problem."
"Right," Mama Flyer smiled. "You've got a young, diverse herd founded on full integration and free of the traditionalists we had back home that didn't want Ruby's parents' herd or even Ruby and Chomper even in the Valley. Our diet restriction policy was meant to be a compromise between us reformists who were open to having noteeth and friendly sharpteeth in the Valley and the traditionalists who did not want a herd of red food eaters to live in the Valley, and this policy was our best effort to welcome the noteeth while quelling the fears of the traditionalists. However, you don't have those traditionalists in your herd, so you don't have to compromise with them like we did. With me?"
Petrie nodded in understanding. "Me guess so. So you think we just ask herd … And see what they think?"
His mother nodded. "Right … Thank you Mama," Petrie said, before going to talk to the others.
Soon, the herd gathered together as the gang proposed their new policy.
"Hi everyone," Littlefoot greeted them friendlily. "We just thought of an idea that would help the noteeth feel more at home in the herd, if everyone's okay with it."
The noteeth looked at each other curiously as the others nodded with intrigue. Ruby decided to go next and explain the situation.
"Back in the Great Valley," she said, "We had several dinosaurs who didn't trust my parents' herd, and so the elders had to work out a compromise where we noteeth had to remain on a strict green food diet."
"But since we know these guys are obviously trustworthy," Cera nodded to the notooth herd, who smiled modestly, "We propose revising that rule if it's okay with everyone here."
"Yes yes yes," Ducky beamed. "We suggest that so long as our noteeth herdmates do not eat any eggs or live dinosaurs like they already promised, that they can feel free to eat as many scaly swimmers and snapping shells as they want."
"That okay with everyone?" Petrie asked tentatively.
But to his relief, the entire group of teens happily expressed their agreement, as did all of his family and everyone else, and just like that, their herd had effortlessly adopted their first reform from Great Valley policy. The noteeth were very surprised with this development, especially the fast runners, to whom snapping shells were a delicacy.
"Wow … We haven't had any snapping shells in ages," said Ovie, licking her lips.
"You really don't mind?" asked Kitty.
Spike happily grunted in the negative as everyone else agreed. "We're a new herd that can feel free to do things differently," Ruby explained happily.
And with that, many of the noteeth dug in the Hidden Canyon's stream to remove some scaly swimmers and snapping shells. While many of the young herd looked a little uncomfortable at first, they quickly got over their initial misgivings and soon felt happy just seeing their herdmates so happy. The noteeth too looked to be in very good spirits, and soon, Ruby's parents went up to thank the gang.
"Thank you all," Ruby's mother smiled. "We didn't want to say anything … But we were really beginning to miss a good snapping shell every now and then. Not to mention you've really helped us feel more included as part of your herd."
"Yeah, plus, you leafeaters wouldn't know this, but a little red food gives us a lot of energy and stamina," Ruby's father smiled. "It will help us all in becoming better scouts, caretakers and guardians for the herd."
"Great! Just so long as you don't ask us to try it," Cera snarked, to which everyone within earshot laughed.
Meanwhile, through all the hustle of making final preparations for dinner and herdmates happily chatting with one another, Ruby had slipped out upon hearing Guido's word that they had many friends waiting for them from within the Secret Spot. Knowing that many of their new visitors, especially Tricia's gang, would love for their arrival to be kept a surprise, and knowing in turn just how excited the teens would get with the sudden deluge of new herdmates, Ruby decided to keep the news to herself as she went off to collect them. By the time the rest of the gang realized she had gone missing, Ruby had reappeared at the entrance, standing patiently with a playful smirk on her face. The others saw this, and slowly, the entire herd began to quiet down, until everyone started staring at her expectantly.
"Hello everyone, everyone hello," she greeted, waving at them. "I know you are all getting hungry, but … It looks like we might have a few new herdmates who dropped in on us."
As everyone stared, Ruby turned to the left and asked, "Why don't you two come in first?"
And nervously, two young domeheads sidled in, one grey and one purple. They stood there awkwardly, as the rest of the gang stared at them in disbelief. The teens, noticing the gang's befuddlement, looked just as confused as well.
"You two?" Cera asked in disbelief, as Kirt and Naz looked at each other and gulped.
"These two are Kirt and Naz, a brother and sister pair from our home," Ruby introduced. "They've not always been on good terms with us. But well, they're with us now, I saw them talking in the Valley before they made their escape. Why don't you two explain why you're here?"
And the gang gasped as at once, Kirt and Naz prostrated themselves in front of them.
"The thing is, we're a brother and sister pair who have a special relationship with each other," Kirt explained. "Where you'll find me, you'll find Naz at my side. We've always had each other since we were eggs, and well, we always want to be together. Unfortunately, the regime doesn't like that. They say males and females can't just be friends and hang out with each other … And we don't want to wait until they try splitting us up."
"That's right," Naz agreed. "We may have been bullies once … But now we know what it's like to be bullied by the regime trying to split us up. We've heard so many of you have changed your ways upon coming here, and we would like to do the same. If you promise that we can stay together, we will declare our full loyalty to your herd."
"We may resort to playing dirty," Kirt snickered. "Like how we dirtied Hiss Head's pool."
The herd, having all learned who "Hiss Head" was by this point, began to snicker as Naz said, "But now when we play dirty, we're gonna play dirty on behalf of our herd."
Littlefoot smiled. "Of course you two can stay together, and we'll be more than happy to have you in the herd!"
"I would like to induct you two, yep yep yep!" Ducky smiled knowingly. Kirt and Naz stared, looking at the once little swimmer they had bullied so long ago.
"You'd … induct us?" Kirt asked in disbelief.
"After what we did to you?" Naz finished.
"Sure. We forgive each other here!" Ducky smiled.
"So long as you are really sorry," Cera added teasingly.
"We are," Kirt agreed, and with that, Ducky inducted each of the two domeheads, who hugged the gang as they received their song and cheers as they entered the Hidden Canyon, surprised yet grateful that they had been welcomed into the big group so easily, the sixty-fifth and sixty-sixth members of the herd.
Then Ruby turned to Petrie's siblings, siblings-in-law, and Brara. "Why don't you guys come help welcome our next new friends?"
The young flyers happily looked at one another as they glided to the entrance before Ruby made a beckoning motion. Then the herd gasped as eleven swimmer siblings, seven young adults and four younger children, strolled into view, happily prostrating themselves before the young flyers. The older swimmers, all about Ducky's size or slightly bigger, were noticeably larger than most of the teens, causing them to gasp at the sheer amount of dino power that the new swimmers would provide to their herd. The four little swimmers in contrast made all their hearts melt, feeling delighted to be taking in some younger kids within their culture of love, affection, and friendship. But as the teens contemplated this, seeing all eleven swimmers smiling warmly at them, their eyes brimming happily, they realized just how much resemblance they had with their swimmer herd leader.
"Um … Ducky?" Gabriel asked eagerly. "Are these your siblings?"
"Yep yep yep! And Spike's siblings too!" Ducky exclaimed, before turning to them. "Day, Kiri, Azul, Loph, Delphine, Lena, Clive, Sam, Lily, Shine, Sally, you are all here, you are!" she cheered as Spike grunted happily.
"Um …" Ducky turned back to the herd. "You guys mind if we go hug each of them and tell everyone who is who? I know we will have herd hugs later, but we just miss these guys so much, right Spike?" she asked as Spike nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
So happily, the herd watched Ducky and Spike hug each of their siblings in turn as Ducky introduced them to the herd, before each of the swimmers got back into their prostrations.
"We're Ducky and Spike's siblings and we love them so much," Loph began. "But we're also here because we believe in our combined Great Valley herd. A herd where we're all in harmony together, no matter what we are on the outside!"
"We're not ordinarily troublemakers like Ducky and Spike," snickered Lena as Ducky and Spike chuckled back. "We usually stay with Mom while they're getting in trouble. But this time, bad leafeaters are trying to separate our Great Valley family, and even our own family if they knew that Spike was alive! So it is personal for us now!"
"The Valley is not like the Valley was before, and so we wanted to leave the Valley even before we found out about this herd," Clive told them. "We hoped to find our notooth and flyer friends … But imagine our surprise when we found out that not only were they with Ducky, Spike and their friends who we all thought didn't make it, but that all of you guys exist!"
"You're a cool herd, and we'd love to join up with you!" exclaimed Delphine, turning to the teens. "We may not be tough orphans like you guys, having grown up in the Valley for most of our lives and not going on adventures like Ducky and Spike. But we will still be glad to help in any way we can!"
"I know we're gonna feel right at home in this herd," Kiri smiled. "Sometimes, the elders of the Valley didn't seem open-minded enough for us. No offense," she chuckled to Mama Flyer, who smiled understandingly. "But here in this herd, we feel we can do anything! Things we'd never even have thought of in our sleep stories!"
"We heard you guys have some defensive training," Azul chuckled. "Needless to say, we're gonna need some if we hope to help you guys. But we in turn can help all of you learn how to swim better and become the best swimming longnecks, frilled or tailed dinosaurs out there!"
"We believe there is nothing this herd cannot do if we all work together and help each other," grinned Day. "We sat out so many of your adventures, Ducky, Spike … But this time, we're not going to let you leave without us!"
So happily, with Petrie's siblings closely witnessing the inductions, Spike placed his paw on each of his siblings while Ducky verbally officially welcomed them each into the herd, after which they had their hugs with the gang and Petrie's siblings, as well as their songs.
Then it was time for the little swimmers to talk.
"We love being some of the very first kids here!" Lily exclaimed. "But we know we won't be the last. The tiny longnecks are organizing a big rescue from the Great Valley, where we hope to meet many more friends our own age!"
"They've got some really mean parents back there, and teachers too!" Shine agreed. "But with you guys, we can all be happy, playful kids, free to have fun with each other no matter what we look like, and be like the little brothers and sisters of your Great Valley family!"
"There might not be that much we can do being so little, especially since we're not the biggest daredevils," Sally said, as they pointedly looked away from Sam, who looked down to hide his guilty grin. "But we'll still try to do our bit to help the herd! Like take care of the babies!"
And with the mention of the word babies, seven little clubtails strolled in.
"Hi, clubtail babies!" Ducky gasped, but before she could bend down to touch them, they hurriedly wandered inside, as the herd felt themselves smitten by their adorable faces, with many of the teens and noteeth giving them hugs as they walked inside.
"Too slow, Ducky," Petrie good-naturedly teased, "Baby clubtails induct themselves!"
"Hey, you are my eye in the sky, Petrie! You were supposed to stop them!" Ducky playfully retorted as they all began to laugh.
"Oh well," Littlefoot laughed. "These guys are too little to really understand, anyway."
"We hatched them," Ducky explained. "We saved them from eggstealers!"
"Yeah, and you better be careful, they're real troublemakers … But they're not nearly as bad as you and your friends," Cera playfully glared at Sam, who mischievously snickered.
"Want to say something, Sam?" Ducky asked, but he shook his head, still smiling. "My sibs can go first," he smirked.
"Okay then, you three," Ducky smiled, before inducting and welcoming her three little siblings as they went to hug their big sister, big brother, and the other herd leaders to their songs and cheers before Sam was standing alone outside, grinning mischievously.
"Hi!" he piped up. "I'm Sam, one of Ducky's little brothers. But I'm also part of the Valley's naughtiest little crew of all … Who've caused tons of trouble to come here and team up with you big kids!"
"Oh no …" Cera playfully groaned as the teens murmured excitedly, and sure enough, following Sam beckoning them, the other nine members of Tricia's gang strolled in, snickering triumphantly. However, as their eyes met those of the gang and the bigger kids, they stopped laughing at once and looked up at them in awe, their eyes sparkling with adoration, reverence, and excitement. Then with deepest admiration, the ten kids all placed a paw or hand against their forehead in a respectful salute, grinning madly. The gang smiled fondly back at the younger kids, who they had already missed so much, and they could feel at once just how badly they had been waiting for this moment.
The teens too felt warmed by the younger kids, for while they could tell that most of the kids' affection and respect was directed toward their herd leaders, they also felt some going their way as well for being their leaders' personally trained students, fellow creators of the herd, and soon, their future older teammates. It was a new feeling for them, for they had never been looked at with such high regard, as if they were the coolest dinos to have ever walked the earth, causing them all to feel very flattered. Indeed, it almost seemed as if they were reuniting with their long-lost little siblings that they had never met, and they were eager to get to know them further.
Then at once, the ten kids threw themselves onto the ground and lay prostrated, their backs quavering as they stared up at the herd, their eyes brimming with excitement.
"Well, I better take care of you guys I suppose," Cera smirked, trying but not fully being able to disguise just how delighted she was that Tricia and her friends had made it to safety. "I know you've got tons to say first though."
"Boy, do we ever!" Mono exclaimed, and at once, they hurriedly launched into introducing themselves.
"Hi! I'm Tricia, Cera's little sis, and these are my friends Cassia, Mono, Rachelle, Oplax, Perri, Pearl, Garnet, Sam and Destiny! We may be little, but we're a real tight group of friends who will do anything for each other and won't take any nonsense from anybody!" Tricia exclaimed fierily, to the enthusiastic nods of all the others. "And we've all come here to team up with and become part of your herd!"
"That's right! We're a true-blue gang of friends who will always be together and stand up for what's right, just like you guys!" Destiny added. "And just like our heroes when they were our age, what we lack in power, we make up for with attitude, love, and determination!"
"We're a group who really loves each other for who we are inside!" Pearl explained. "Like our big sister Ruby, my brother Garnet and I are fast runners who've faced a lot of prejudice growing up. But we've always felt special in our group of friends, for we're a bunch of kindred spirits who felt a real connection with each other almost as soon as we met! And now that we have met one another, we know that we will always be together!"
"They tried breaking us up back there," Rachelle snickered. "But we wouldn't let them! We've been fighting the segregation order from the moment it started! Swimming, pranking, digging, running, singing, sneaking, hiding … We did it all, and we'd stop at nothing! Whatever it took to be together!"
"And we beat them!" Perri cheered. "We got out of the Great Valley as a big team, without needing to be rescued or getting caught by the bad guys! We are now free to be together, and after all we've been through, we'll never be apart again!"
"But we're only just getting started!" grinned Mono, as the rest of his gang mischievously grinned with him. "'Cause we know there's so much more we can do as members of your herd! Like helping to break everyone out of that stupid prison for starters!" he said, to vigorous cheers from the herd.
"Yeah, and there's so much we can learn from you guys!" Sam added. "The teachers back there tried to teach us hate, bullying and violence. But we know that you guys can teach us stuff actually worth learning!"
"You guys can teach and mentor us to do anything," Oplax beamed. "I even learned to swim thanks to you! Which is how some of us even escaped! We've got enough willpower to know that there's nothing we can't do if you guys are there to teach us and we can all do it together!"
"Yes, because this is the herd of our sleep stories!" exclaimed Garnet. "A herd where everyone is a friend and loves one another, yet also seeks out broad horizons and endless possibilities! A herd where we can all become more awesome, and by all of us becoming more awesome, we can become even more awesome together!"
"We may be little, but we'll do whatever it takes to truly become part of your herd!" Cassia cheered. "For when we set our hearts to it, nothing can stop us, and we will help you guys make an even better team, right Trish?"
"Right!" Tricia exclaimed as she readied their closing pitch. "Our gang wants to join your herd so bad! To not only be your friends and companions, but also teammates worthy of you guys!" she said, beaming at them excitedly. "We know you're a bunch of cool big kids and we're still little. But we're ready to be with you, every step of the way until you can proudly call us your herdmates! We're all ready to join … If you'll have us!"
And with their well-practiced pleading eyes, Tricia's gang looked up at their idols in reverence. Cera meanwhile smirked to the others, knowing just how to handle this. "Hmm … Maybe we will, and maybe we won't …" she said, eyeing them in apparent sternness, as many of the junior gang's faces wilted a little.
"Okay, if we're just kids …" Tricia sighed disappointedly.
But then Cera burst out laughing. "Gotcha! Gotcha! You guys didn't really think we wouldn't take you, did you? You guys'll fit right in and make an awesome part of our herd …That is, if you're ready to keep up with us!" she daringly teased.
"We will!" Tricia exclaimed delightedly, and as she and her gang whooped and hollered in celebration, Cera turned to face the herd. "Hey, I'm gonna need some help welcoming these guys! They'll need a ton of hugs to get them to be quiet!"
So happily, Felix, Anndi, Candy, Aria, Welbie, Tilden, Emery, Newcomb and Chantal, all among the younger and smaller teens in the herd, moved to the front to join Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie, Spike and Ruby in the hugging line. So did Kirt and Naz, eager to apologize for their mistreatment of the kids earlier, as did Cricket, who seemed delighted to finally meet the full group of crazy kids his age in their element. Then Cera put her paw on Tricia's shoulder, who fidgeted in restless anticipation as she struggled to remain prostrated.
"I just hope I don't regret this," Cera teased, before smiling, "Welcome to our Great Valley family, Tricia!"
Tricia's eyes lit up dramatically as she sprang up and at once, gave Cera a huge hug before with a big smirk, planted a sneaky kiss on her leg.
"Hey! I never said anything about kissing!" Cera roared as everyone laughed, but Tricia had already scampered off to start in the hugging line, thoroughly enjoying each hug from start to finish as she reveled in her song and cheers. Cera then went down the line of prostrated kids, inducting each of Tricia's friends one by one, each of whom was almost as enthusiastic as she was, and they too all grinned manically as they each opted to hug every member of the hugging line to their rousing songs and cheers. Cricket meanwhile, had jumped onto Tricia's frill, something which she just loved feeling the little tickle of.
To everyone's surprise however, Tricia's gang did not go into the Hidden Canyon when they finished, and instead, turned to grin at the herd excitedly.
"So, you've met us, and you've met the big kids," Rachelle snickered. "But there's a whole 'nother youth gang in the Great Valley, just like us!"
"They're kinda old and cranky," Perri teased.
"I still feel my spanking," Garnet snickered.
"But just like the rest of us, they too are a great group of friends!" Destiny smiled. "With us on the side of good!"
"Yeah!" Mono exclaimed. "They kinda come across as bullies if you don't know them … But they helped keep our Secret Spot secret with us!"
"And they didn't like the segregation order any more than we did!" Pearl exclaimed.
"So along with my big brothers and sisters, they broke into the Secret Spot to make their escape!" cheered Sam.
"And we're so glad we know that they'll always be our friends, just like they are great friends of each other!" Oplax beamed.
"Okay guys, let's welcome … The old-timer gang!" Tricia teased cheekily as Cassia bent down laughing beside her.
The eight older dinosaurs walked in front of the Hidden Canyon. "Uh, Hyp, are we really that old?" Mutt asked.
"No! They're just hatchlings!" Hyp shot back.
Then Ann saw something that made her eyes melt. "Willow! Saska! Creek!" she exclaimed. "You guys are here!"
"Yep yep yep, they are Ann, and they are ready to be with their mama!" Ducky exclaimed as the whole group cheered, and Ann blushed as she felt all the positive attention directed toward her. No one truly cared that she had her babies out of wedlock, they were just proud of and happy for her. And for any help she'd need in helping raise them, there was a nice, loving community all around her, which she had only just begun to appreciate.
"You three in too?" Petrie asked Weald, Rana and Ceph. Indeed, the gang was surprised to see them, for they had never gotten the chance to really meet with them with like they had the others.
"Oh yeah," said Rana. "We're true pals of Hyp and the others, and we don't like the bad guys any more than they do."
"Hey guys, enough chitchat," Hyp snorted. "Let's get down and tell them what big kids like us will bring to this herd of hatchlings."
And chortling, Hyp and his friends prostrated themselves before them. The gang couldn't help but feel amazed. It would've been unthinkable before to imagine Hyp and his friends ever allowing themselves to be seen in such a gesture of respect. But between everything that happened in the Secret Spot and under the regime, they had come to understand just how valuable their friendship truly was, and in turn, come to appreciate how close the two younger gangs were to one another, and how the three gangs could all feel one common kinship together, first as Secret Spot sharers, and now as Great Valley rebels …
"Okay guys, playtime's over now that we've arrived," Hyp snickered. Nodding to the two younger gangs, he explained, "These guys are just starting to learn how to play nasty. But we've been showing who's boss since they've been in their eggs. And these guys in the Valley really need to be shown a lesson. Right?"
"Right!" Mutt chuckled. "We've learned to be nice to our friends, which means you guys. But not the bad guys!"
"Yeah," Nod agreed. "You guys are part of our crew now. Partners in crime, one Great Valley family who always stands together!"
"We once thought we were way too cool for you guys," Ann smiled. "But that was before we really got to know you!"
"We thought you were just kids, but now we've come to see just how awesome you are!" Dispo agreed. "You're way more like us than we thought!"
"When the five of them talked to the three of us, we thought they had gone soft and crazy. But in truth, they've got more guts than ever," Rana explained as Weald and Ceph nodded in agreement.
"We're gonna join you guys in not standing for any more crap!" Weald agreed. "For like everyone here, we believe in a combined Great Valley herd where no one has to be segregated, and if those jerks think they can stop us, they've got another thought coming!"
"So though Rana, Weald and I don't know you like Hyp, Mutt, Nod, Ann and Dispo do, we're just as ready to become part of an awesome herd with them," Ceph announced. "Where we will do our part in making our herd come across as bigger, meaner, and better!"
And as Hyp's gang let out a triumphant yell of solidarity, Hyp then smirked to the others. "All right, just so you guys know we're on your side, we can do your cutesy-poo thing. But just don't make us join the hugging line!"
So eagerly, Tricia's gang decided to work together to induct Hyp and his friends one by one, each putting their little paws and hands upon the oldest gang's shoulders. And though their demeanor would suggest they didn't want it, Littlefoot could tell that each of them was moved when they too received their hugs from the six herd leaders, and the songs and cheers from the rest of the herd.
"Is that everyone?" Littlefoot asked happily as he looked over the now huge combined herd.
The other newcomers began to murmur to one another, while Hyp looked uneasily at Nod and Mutt. "Uh … Littlefoot, Ducky, Petrie, you come with us."
"What about me, Spike and Ruby?" Cera asked in annoyance as the murmuring continued.
"You weren't there," Hyp said simply. "It's something only the six of us really know about."
And bewildered, Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie said goodbye to the rest of the herd as they left the Hidden Canyon.
When they got outside, they could only gasp. Three little fast biters, even smaller than Tricia's gang, were patiently sitting outside of the Hidden Canyon's walls. The gang stared in astonishment. Judging by their proportions, they looked to be kids, probably about nine cold times old like Sam or Perri at the younger end of Tricia's gang. They were mauve, blue-gray and olive in color with lighter bellies and darker stripes on their back, as was typical for fast biters. But their eye sclera was startlingly white rather than the red or yellow of most fast biters, and their iris, rather than being the usual black, was differently colored in each of them, green for the mauve, brown for the blue-gray, and blue for the olive, which all looked unusually bright. Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie stared at each other in surprise. Their eyes looked to be unusually similar to those of leafeaters, and out of all the sharpteeth they had seen on their adventures, only one of them had eyes that looked this similar to their own …
"Grrreetings," hissed the mauve one softly, in a raspy, heavily accented voice that sounded like a girl's.
The gang just stared in shock. Since when were there sharpteeth who did not just have eyes that resembled Chomper's, but could also talk? What was more, despite these sharpteeth not seeming overtly friendly, they also did not show any sign of wanting to attack them. It then occurred to them that they most likely had been sitting there in wait during the whole induction proceedings, during which time there would have been ample opportunity to attack all those little leafeaters, including Tricia's gang, Ducky's other little siblings and the baby clubtails, yet they somehow resisted the temptation to attack any of them. And besides, what were they doing wanting to see Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie, fully grown leafeaters who could easily kill them if they put a jaw out of line?
"Weeerrrr smerrr yourrr firrrstt," hissed the olive green one, a boy.
It was not a question, but a demand. The leafeaters however, knowing that the little sharpteeth were a lot more vulnerable than they were, obliged as they sniffed their feet thoroughly, as if investigating for something. They then hissed to each other in sharptooth for a little bit before looking at the towering leafeaters impassively.
"Yourrrr arrre oneerrrs," slowly hissed the blue-gray one, also a boy. "Yourrrr herrrppp saarrrvvv urrrs."
"The … ones?" Littlefoot asked slowly as the little fast biters nodded. "We helped save …"
Then Littlefoot gasped as a stunning realization came to him. It was an incident which he had hardly given a thought to since it happened. Indeed, Cera, Spike and Ruby weren't even there, so it wouldn't even be one that the seven of them would have reminisced about. Nevertheless, it seemed as though going on this adventure had created aftereffects that were standing right before their eyes …
"Wait a minute … You are those three fast biter kids," Littlefoot said as Ducky and Petrie gasped, looking at one another. "Those three eggs that we saved."
"Rrright," answered the blue-gray biter, before turning on Hyp, Mutt, and Nod, snarling threateningly. "Yourrr warrnnted ussss dearrrrd."
Mutt and Nod trembled, while Hyp bared his fists warningly. "Well, we let you live in the end, right?" Nod asked timidly.
"Uh … Yeah!" Mutt added desperately.
"Thankkkrsss torrr ressst orrrf yourrr … Arrrrnddd Arrpharrr," glared the mauve biter.
"And …" Ducky began.
"Alpha?" Petrie finished.
The blue-gray nodded, before talking very slowly, as if explaining a very simple concept.
"Arrrpharrr sharrrptoorthhh sayrrrve usss. Heeeerrr sppeeearrrk frrrattoorrthhh wherrrnnn werrrr irrrnn errrgggg. Whhhyyyyrrr weerrrr spearrrrkkk torrrngue. Arrrpharrr girrrve urrrss barrrck tooorrr mooorrrrmmm. Weeerrr rrraiissed by mooorrrrmmm, burrrrt sheeerrrrr gorrrrnn nowrrrr. Weeerrrr rrraissse ourrrseervees iirrrrnnn carrrrvve."
Pausing, Littlefoot tried repeating back what he had heard. "Your alpha? Saved you as eggs, and you learned leafeater from him in the egg. Your alpha gave you back to your mom, who raised you until she died, and now you raise yourselves in a cave."
As the fast biter kids nodded, Littlefoot turned to Ducky and Petrie, trying to process all this information. "Guys … I think their "Alpha" is Chomper."
"Make sense … Chomper speak leafeater," Petrie said. "And before these guys, Chomper only sharptooth who can speak leafeater."
"And it was their hatching day when we were with them," Ducky added. "They would have memories before hatching, just like we did … And they would have heard us talking from in the egg."
"We probably teach them leafeater, just like we must have done Chomper when he in egg," Petrie said thoughtfully. "No wonder he always speak perfect leafeater."
The fastbiter kids meanwhile were looking at each other with great annoyance, as though the leafeaters were very slow and very stupid. "Burrrttt toorrrdaayyyrrr … Weerrr heearrr Arrrpharr carrr forrr parrrk. Heeeerrr sssayyyrrr weeerrrr parrrk arrrrrnddd weeerrrr orrrnnee orrrfff hirrrmmm nowrrrr. Wirrrrttthhh mooorrrrmmm gorrrnn, allphharr irrrrsss masssterrr … Arrrnnnddd weeerrr murrrssstt orrrbeyrrrr tyrrraanntt kirrrnnnggg."
Littlefoot slowly tried repeating for them again. "But today, we heard … Alpha call for pack?"
"He say we pack and we one of him now …" Petrie continued, but then trailed off as he, Ducky and Littlefoot stared at each other in amazement, not daring to say a word as they finally began to feel like they understood the unbelievable situation. Because he was surrounded by guards, Chomper could not sing along to their welcoming song in leafeater, so he had to sing it in sharptooth. However, the song must have been lost in translation and ended up coming out with an entirely different meaning. Staring at each other in incredulity, they realized that Chomper had inadvertently recruited a pack of little fast biters who had owed their lives to him from their adventure long ago, and because of the death of their mother, he had now become their guardian, pack leader, or "alpha". Realizing this, Ducky tried finishing the translation.
"With your mother gone … Alpha is master … And we must obey him, he is your tyrant king?" Ducky said hesitantly.
"What's a tyrant king?" Mutt whispered to Nod.
"Dunno," Nod shrugged.
Ignoring this, the three fast biter kids nodded. "Weeerrr Deerrryyyaa, Nyyyrrrko, and Churrrrsss," the olive sharptooth said, pointing to the mauve first, the blue-gray second, and himself last, which the leafeaters could roughly translate as Deya, Nyko and Chuss. "Arrrpharrr'ss parrrk. Ennurrrf. Wherr Arrrpharr?"
Uneasily, Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie looked at each other, not knowing how they were going to explain the situation. "In Great Valley," Littlefoot said slowly.
The fast biters growled angrily. "Rrriiiiieeesss," said Nyko as he, Deya and Chuss menacingly bared their teeth.
"But he is," Ducky insisted to more growls. "He is trapped by bad guys in the Great Valley."
"Weeerrr norrrr berrreive yourr," Deya hissed.
"You want speak to him? Follow us," Petrie explained.
"It's not a trap," Littlefoot said wisely, understanding that as natural as it was for them to mistrust sharpteeth, it was just as natural for sharpteeth to mistrust leafeaters. "We promise, we won't hurt you. But we spoke to Chomper … I mean Alpha before, and you can try yourselves."
Hesitantly, the three fast biters looked at each other, with deep misgivings in their eyes. But reluctantly, Chuss warned, "Nooorrrr trrrick urrrsss," as Deya and Nyko nodded in agreement.
"We won't," Littlefoot promised, as he, Ducky and Petrie led the way into the Hidden Canyon. Looking behind them, they could see that reluctantly, the three tiny fast biters were tagging along, with a bewildered Hyp, Mutt and Nod following in their wake.
By now, everyone in the Hidden Canyon had heard about the mysterious fast biter kids. Seeing that they had not attacked the younger leafeaters when they had the chance and knowing that the three little biters were no match for the full might of the herd, none of the herd's members were downright hostile to them, but many of them were very apprehensive as Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie led them inside. The three sharpteeth however, couldn't look more indifferent to the leafeaters as they followed Littlefoot, Ducky, and Petrie expectantly. "Ruby," Littlefoot said uncertainly. "These are Deya, Nyko, and Chuss … They say that Chomper is their pack alpha, and they want to talk to him."
Ruby gasped, a flicker of understanding coming to her eyes as she hurriedly nodded in understanding, and she led the three fast biter kids to the same spot where she had tried talking to Chomper before.
"Right here," she said, but without even waiting for Ruby to say something to Chomper first, the three fast biter kids began to loudly hiss in sharptooth.
Everyone stared at the fast biters as they seemed to completely ignore all the eyes upon them. Then however, deep rumbling growls began to penetrate through the Hidden Canyon's walls. Staring in amazement, not even the gang heard Chomper actually speaking sharptooth like this before. It wasn't like his friendly chatter in leafeater, his happy, rhythmic singing, his negotiating with would-be attackers, or even his menacing warnings to enemies. Rather, it was the clear sound of a commander speaking to his subordinates, effortlessly giving out orders in low rumbles. Littlefoot wondered if Chomper even meant to sound so stern and authoritative. But upon hearing his voice, the three sharptooth kids fell into a kneel at once, putting a claw to their heart as they looked to the ground respectfully …
"Shut up, you corrupted filth!"
The deafening bellow of an angry prison guard rang out, and before anyone else knew it, the whack of a clubtail's tail could be heard, followed by a roar, more like a scream, of pain from the friendly sharptooth.
The whole herd watched in horror as the three fast biter kids' jaws dropped in astonishment. Then however, they turned to face the herd, their expressions hardened with anger.
"Yoorrr sayrrr trrruthh … Arrrpharrr in danngggerrr," Deya began, her fists balled.
"Weerrrr murrrssst kirrr …" Nyko continued.
"Evirrr frrratteeth!" Chuss growled, and the three roared in a surprisingly threatening way for such little sharpteeth as the herd looked at each other uneasily.
"No!" Ruby stood in front of them, arms out and hands on her hips. "You kids are not strong enough," she ordered authoritatively. "You will be killed."
For a moment, everyone wondered if the sharptooth kids were going to try to attack Ruby. But then to everyone's surprise, they bowed down before her. "Arrrpharrr sayrrr obeyrrr rrrunnerrr Rrruby," Nyko muttered as Deya and Chuss nodded.
"Right," Ruby said understandingly. "Because I am Alpha's alpha. The one who watched over him since he was your age."
As the three sharptooth kids nodded in understanding and regarded Ruby with some respect, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike looked at Ruby expectantly, who beckoned them over. Knowing they had to speak very slowly and clearly with Chomper unable to help with the introductions, Littlefoot proceeded to start picking every word carefully.
"I am Littlefoot. This is Cera, Ducky, Petrie, and Spike. We hatched Alpha. We're his first pack. We also call each other herd, family, and friends."
As the three little biters nodded in understanding, Cera continued. "Ch … I mean Alpha speaks leafeater because pack speaks leafeater. Because pack is leafeaters."
"But pack always works together," Ducky explained. "And pack always helps each other."
"We all part of pack here," Petrie explained, to numerous murmurs and nods from everyone else. "Pack members loyal to everyone in pack. And pack no leave Alpha behind."
"And tomorrow night, we all rescue Alpha as big pack together," Littlefoot explained to fervent, excited murmurs of agreement.
Slowly, Deya, Nyko and Chuss began to nod, as they began to realize the full extent of what the gang was saying. Then without warning, the three sharptooth kids lay prostrated right before them with their palms exposed, leaving absolutely no doubt as to what they wanted.
"Weeerrr joyrrnn Arrrpharrr parrkkk," said Deya. "Indurrrcttt urrrs. Murrrst worrrk arrrsss parrkkk torrr sayrrrve hirrrm."
As everyone watched with bated breath, Ruby knelt down beside them. "Okay, we will induct you, on one promise. Ready?"
The three fast biter kids nodded, before Ruby said slowly, "Always remember whole pack is big family. You take care of us, we take care of you. We don't eat our own. All flatteeth and halfteeth here are us. We are all pack members," she said, waving her hand to cover the entire Hidden Canyon. "We are all on same team. You can eat snapping shells and scaly swimmers. You can eat dead bodies. Alpha can show you how to water hunt once we save him. But no hurting pack members under any circumstances. Pack members share blood. All right?"
Again, Deya, Nyko and Chuss nodded solemnly, their eyes hardened with determination. Then Ruby knelt down beside the prostrated little biters. "You want to join our pack?" she asked.
Deya nodded as she growled, "Deyyarrr joirrrnn."
Ruby then placed her hand on Deya's shoulder. "Okay … Um … Well … Welcome to our pack, Deya!"
Deya then looked at Nyko and Chuss quizzically, before turning to Ruby. "Arrrpharrr sayrrrss parrrkk sirrrnngg arrrndd weeerrr hurrrgg."
"Oh, yeah, right," Ruby said, doing her best to stifle a snicker. Ordering a pack to hug leafeaters and listen to them singing must have been the strangest command a pack leader had ever given to their fellow sharpteeth, but it was just the type of command that Chomper would give. Still, there were the obvious impracticalities of fast biters with their sickle-sharp, long claws trying to hug leafeaters but accidentally hurting them in the process …
"Let's make it a cheek rub for you guys," Ruby reasoned, as she put her cheek right next to the little fast biter for her to nuzzle. "Then you can go and do it to the others."
And to everyone's amazement, the little fast biter girl instantly understood this gesture and unhesitatingly rubbed cheeks with Ruby.
"Yourrr prrrommisse parrrkk sayrrrvv Arrrpharrr?" Deya asked, in a surprisingly vulnerable voice.
"Pack saves Alpha tomorrow night," Ruby said reassuringly. "Right?"
And as everyone else agreed, they slowly and quietly began to sing the song, getting louder throughout. By the end, they were singing just as they had before, and Deya, Nyko and Chuss looked at all these leafeaters and halfteeth singing to them in wonder, even smiling a little at the gesture. Ruby then went to induct Nyko and Chuss just as she had done Deya, and before anyone knew it, the herd had inducted its first three sharptooth members.
Upon Chuss' induction having been finished, Ruby turned to the three fast biter kids. "You may not be able to hug us," Ruby told them. "But I can hug you. Would that be all right?"
The three kids looked at each other. "Weeerrr honnorrred," answered Nyko, and everyone just watched in amazement as Ruby hugged each of Deya, Nyko and Chuss in turn, the fast biter kids making sure they kept their sharp claws far away from Ruby's skin. And as she finished, they actually looked up at Ruby with affection, as though she had just become a surrogate mother, or at the very least a big sister.
"Weeerrr warrnna smerrr arrr orrrff parrrkk," explained Chuss. "Sorrr weerrr knowrrr whorrr parrrkk arrrnd whorrr foerrr."
"Is that okay with everyone?" Ruby asked as the herd nodded.
And so Deya, Nyko and Chuss made the rounds as everyone sat, waiting to be sniffed by the little biters. There was a profound silence as everyone watched the little biters sniff everyone carefully before nuzzling each of their packmates and then moving on to the next pack member. While Ann tensed up, preparing to react in case the sharpteeth hurt her babies, Oplax protectively stood over the baby clubtails, and Avie, Guido and Cricket all felt a little apprehensive being even smaller than the little fast biters, the kids managed to sniff and nuzzle the entire herd without flashing a moment of predatory instinct. As the three fast biters finished their complete sniffing of their new packmates without a hitch, with everyone in the herd eyeing them in amazement, they wandered over to the notooth herd as Ruby's mother offered them a scaly swimmer. The three of them nodded at the gesture before ravenously tearing into it, and after eating two more, rubbed their bellies and licked their lips with satiation. And the herd could just feel their collective amazement as just like that, the three little fast biters had been fully integrated into the herd.
Just as everyone was finally ready to start eating however, they began to hear the repeated sound of muscle meeting rock just to their east. Everyone stared apprehensively at the herd's leaders, who looked at each other in dread. Judging by how near the sound was coming from, it had to be right at the edge of the Great Valley, right by the entrance to the Hidden Canyon. Was it the sound of the rock safeguarding them being pushed aside, and was their hiding spot about to be under siege by their enemies?
"I'll go check it out," Guido said nervously, as he glided up to the top of the Hidden Canyon's walls, knowing exactly where he had to go to get a good view of the Valley. However, as soon as he reached the top, he started turning back, any trace of apprehension replaced with deep relief.
"Cera, Ducky, Spike," Guido told them excitedly. "You've got some visitors at the entrance!"
And to tumultuous muttering from the herd, Cera, Ducky and Spike instantly got up and ran over to where the Great Valley met the Hidden Canyon. They could barely all fit in the tunnel now, and as they waited with bated breath, they could hear two sounds. One was the sound of the rock guarding the Hidden Canyon getting pushed as slowly, more and more light filtered in through the small crack on the righthand side. However, as the cavity grew larger, they could also hear the voices of many females and children from a distance, bellowing in a furious, rhythmic, determined chant.
"Race traitors! Race traitors! Race traitors! Race traitors!"
And even further away, they heard an ominously charismatic voice spouting indiscernible heated, inflammatory rhetoric, alongside which was the low, loud bellicose hollers of the males. Just as they began to feel uneasy from hearing all this however, the crack grew large enough to where they could see the rock being pushed. And it wasn't long after that until they saw a sight that caused them all to gasp. Three very familiar adults, a male threehorn, a female swimmer, and a female spiketail, were pushing away at the rock determinedly, while directly behind them, a familiar male longneck stood, blocking the three pushing dinosaurs from view.
Unfettered joy radiating from their eyes Cera, Ducky, and Spike looked at each other in sheer delight. Not only were Littlefoot's dad and Cera's dad still alive and well, but Ducky and Spike's mom and Tippy's mother were as well. As the crevice got just wide enough to where a single dinosaur could file through, Cera playfully nudged Ducky and Spike, and whispered to them, and the three of them hurriedly crouched down, pretending to be rocks just as Topps stuck his frill inside.
"Well, this is the place," Topps muttered. "Now let's go and make sure they're hanging in there."
Then rapidly, Cera, Ducky and Spike sprang up. "Boo!" they all shouted, and laughing madly as their voices talk-backed through the tunnel, Topps just chuckled and shook his head, before he gazed into his beloved daughter's beautiful bright green eyes.
"Cera," he said hoarsely. "It's really you … You're here …"
"Well yeah," Cera snickered. "Who else would it be, Hiss Head?"
Mr. Threehorn paused as he stared at her in incomprehension. Then his eyes softened and with a hearty laugh, he reached out to give Cera a big hug. "I was so worried," he muttered softly. "But I'm also so proud of you, my precious daughter."
"Daddy," Cera smiled as she stroked her father, petting him as he began to shed a few tears. The two continued standing in a tight embrace for a long while, until they could hear another familiar teasing voice.
"I know you don't usually feel this sentimental, Topsy. But you really should make room for the rest of us."
"Only Tria can call me that, Beakface," Topps retorted as they both began to laugh. But as Topps tried taking a step forward, Ducky moved to block his way, grinning teasingly at him.
"Nope nope nope! Only those who are inducted can come in!" she snickered.
"Oh yeah!" Cera sniggered as she, Ducky and Spike grinned mischievously at each other. "On your belly, Daddy! Paws out!"
"Huh?" Topps asked bewilderedly.
"We're the herd leaders here, Daddy," Cera smirked. "And no one comes in without an induction!"
"Well Mr. Threehorn," Mama Swimmer snickered. "You heard them, you better do what they say."
And shaking his head with a heavy sigh, Topps obliged, to much snickering from the three kids, for it was so unlike Topps to be in such an embarrassingly subservient posture. "Just don't tell anyone else about this," he grunted as they all laughed.
"All right, do you vow your loyalty to our Great Valley family?" Cera asked mischievously.
Still bewildered, Topps answered, "Well, uh … Yeah."
Smirking, Cera then put her paw on her father's shoulder. "Then welcome to our Great Valley family, Topsy!" she cackled.
"You cheeky rascal," Topps said, but Cera wouldn't budge, still smirking. "Come on Daddy, hugging and singing time."
"What?" Topps gasped as Mama Swimmer and Tippy's mother began quaking with mirth.
"You've got to hug your herd leaders," explained Cera, trying her hardest not to burst out laughing. "While we sing to you."
"Well, I, uh," Topps muttered, getting visibly embarrassed as everyone else started snickering. "Oh fine."
And just like that, Topps received his hugs and song from Cera, Ducky and Spike before they finally let him pass.
"Mama, your turn now!" Ducky exclaimed as Spike grunted happily in excitement.
Mama Swimmer obliged, eagerly stepping into the cave, and at once, went to give Ducky and Spike big hugs, which they happily reciprocated.
"Ducky … Spike … My darling daredevils …" Mama Swimmer lovingly cooed, tears rolling down her eyes as she squeezed them tightly. "You have no idea how much I missed you two."
"We missed you too, Mama," Ducky beamed at her as Spike grunted as he happily embraced her in a big hug, before she nuzzled the two of them repeatedly until at last, her tears dried. "All right, you two. You can induct me if you wish."
And without hesitation, Mama Swimmer prostrated herself before them as Spike placed his paw above her shoulder and Ducky bent down to her. "Do you want to become part of our Great Valley family, Mama?"
Mama Swimmer smiled. "Of course I do, Ducky … But herds treat each other as equals, without titles. So you can just induct me as Marina."
"Okay," Ducky said, an odd feeling in her heart as Spike placed his paw upon Mama Swimmer's shoulder. "Then welcome to our Great Valley family, Marina!"
Mama Swimmer gladly got up, and hugged Ducky and Spike, before looking uncertainly at Cera.
"Don't worry, I've gotten used to being hugged," Cera explained, before Mama Swimmer went to hug her too.
Then at last, Tippy's mother remained. "Well, I guess now that your real parents got their inductions, it's time for your wannabe mother to go," she teased Spike, and happily, she just prostrated herself in front of Ducky and Spike, who chuckled to one another, before Ducky bent down to speak to Tippy's mother as Spike put his paw on her shoulder.
"You want to become part of our Great Valley family, um …"
"Stella," Tippy's mother nodded encouragingly. "And yes, I do."
"Okay," Ducky smiled, before saying, "Welcome to our Great Valley family, Stella!"
And bemusedly, Tippy's mother hugged Cera, Ducky and Spike.
"So wanna go in now?" Cera asked.
"Not yet," Topps smirked. "We've got some more recruits for you guys."
And as everyone backed up, Spike gasped as first, Tippy and Sophie appeared, alongside their little herdmates Amber, Laker and Lyra, all prostrated on the ground.
Grunting in delight, Spike rushed over to give Tippy a big playful hug who reciprocated it back, and then he and Sophie shared a soft, loving nuzzle.
"We want to be in herd with Spike Spike Spike!" Tippy declared to eager nods from the others. "It gonna be fun fun fun!"
Spike grunted enthusiastically back, before putting his paw on each of the five spiketails as Ducky verbally inducted them one by one.
Next came the surprise of the group, the normally grouchy and reclusive clubtail Veno, who smiled genteelly as he respectfully prostrated himself before Ducky and Spike.
"I know I first appeared to be a jerk," Veno said regretfully. "But it was only in a failed attempt to trip up Hiss Head. I knew that guy was sharptooth dirt from before but couldn't prove it, so I tried to pretend to be bigoted to get him to show his true colors. Unfortunately, Hiss Head didn't fall for it, and I knew no one would believe me after my failed gambit." Sighing, he said, "I will gladly offer my services however I can to help your herd."
"We are happy to have you Veno," Ducky said, before she and Spike inducted him.
"Cera, you should probably do these guys," Topps advised, before Monty stepped in and prostrated himself, alongside threehorn teens Calem, Karla and Gaven.
"Like Veno, I know I made a bad impression," said Monty solemnly. "Not to mention I'll be forever ashamed that in my quest to help Mr. Threehorn gain power, I failed both to protect my ward and investigate that double-crosser I was responsible for. But now I come to you as a humble servant of the herd, willing to do whatever I can to make up for my actions."
"The three of us will gladly help you too," said Calem respectfully. "We know we're younger than you Cera, but we've been trained by your dad to become valuable herd members."
"Yes, and we will all help you in bringing some threehorn thinking and attitude into your herd," agreed Gaven.
"We come to you as loyal servants of the herd, but look forward to becoming your friends as well," added Karla as her two fellow threehorn teens nodded.
Cera then smiled. "Well, we can always use some more tough threehorns! You're all in guys," she said before inducting each of them into the herd.
With that, the entire party made their way through the tunnel and into the Hidden Canyon.
"We have just inducted some new herdmates!" called out Ducky, before at once, most of the herd, apart from the little sharpteeth still hanging back cautiously but watching curiously, ran to greet them. The new inductees were amazed to see this many dinosaurs waiting for them on the other side, but none were more stunned than Mr. Threehorn and Mama Swimmer, looking at them all thoughtfully. Through determination, cleverness and sheer bravery, a huge gathering of the younger generation had all managed to assemble here – not just the gang of adventurers leading the charge, but also among them Hyp's gang of older troublemakers, Tricia's gang of young daredevils, the normally unadventurous young swimmers and flyers, and a whole bunch of vibrant, enthusiastic new faces who they realized must have been the gang's personally groomed trainees. Along with the elder flyers and noteeth, they had made a truly impressive big team. And as Mama Swimmer and Mr. Threehorn looked at each other, they realized that the future of their Valley had never looked so bright.
"Well done, everyone," Topps said proudly. "I know you all must have demonstrated great character and resolve to get here. For those of you who don't know, I am Mr. Threehorn, Cera and Tricia's father. And these are my close colleagues Mrs. Swimmer and Mrs. Spiketail. Like Mrs. Flyer, the three of us are members of the Circle of Elders in the Great Valley … Yes, you too Stella," he beamed admiringly at Tippy's mother, who smiled back. "And because of a clever maneuver Longneck has made, I am now de facto leader of the dinosaurs who remain loyal to the true spirit of the Great Valley. No need to worry, I understand that you already have herd leaders here, and we will act merely in advisory roles … I have already done enough lusting for power," Topps grinned embarrassedly. "But I'm sure no one will argue with me in what I have to say next."
Clearing his throat, Mr. Threehorn said, "As those of you who live here may know, I can be very selective with my trust. However, I have no such reservations here. I would like all the trainees of my daughter and her friends to come forward, please."
Nervously, the twenty-five teens all approached, before Cera rushed over. "Daddy, watch this!"
Then Cera grinned at her students. "All right guys, let's show him what we can do!"
And at once, the twofooters ran to collect some large rocks before the teens split into their teams of five, with the five frilleds proudly standing in front, the five twofooters with rocks at the ready, the five flyers soaring above them, Candy and the four longnecks standing by their twofooter's side, and Anndi and the four tailed dinosaurs standing to guard the rear. "This is our Cross-Strength Cohesive," she exclaimed proudly. "Perfect for knocking out all enemies while keeping every one of us safe!"
Topps inspected the five teams in silence. "Well, well," he finally said proudly. "I can see an awesome group of fully trained promising young ones. Well let me tell you this. Once we remove this regime from power, each of you, along with everyone else new to the Valley in this herd, will officially become full and immediate Great Valley citizens, no questions asked, and we as elders are honored to have you as part of our Great Valley family. Right?"
Mama Flyer, Mama Swimmer, Pterano and Tippy's mother agreed, as Mr. Threehorn watched the teens basking in the rising Night Circle's light before declaring, "Welcome to our Great Valley family, all of you."
The teens stood there, stunned as the full impact of Mr. Threehorn's words officially welcoming them in as Great Valley citizens hit them. Then with tears of delight streaming down their faces, they all ran or flew over to embrace Mr. Threehorn with a barrage of hugs, grinning enthusiastically as they overwhelmed the stunned threehorn.
"Whoa … You really are their trainees," he gasped for breath upon being thoroughly smothered.
"No Daddy," Cera smiled as the teens grinned proudly back. "Our awesome herdmates."
Topps nodded understandingly as he eyed them. "Well let me say this. I am very proud of you all. Just one question though. How did you all come from the Mysterious Beyond with such great conditioning without suffering any bleeding?"
Cera smirked. "Well … You'll have to ask Ducky that," she said, as Ducky took over, the teens all grinning shiftily at Mr. Threehorn.
"These guys were not always this healthy," Ducky said teasingly. "But we have a healing cure that is all around us."
Mr. Threehorn scanned around him, frowning. "I don't see anything but tree sweets, big leaves and stupid prickly plants," he observed.
"You got it, yep yep yep!" Ducky snickered. "Except prickly plants are not stupid. They can stop bleeding, they can!"
"And it was all Ducky's idea," Littlefoot proudly pointed out as Ducky giggled.
Topps stared out, dumbfounded as Mama Swimmer crept up to him.
"Hmm, everyone knows how stupid duckbills are … Isn't that right Mr. Threehorn?" Mama Swimmer teased with a big smirk as everyone began to snicker.
"Oh, you had to bring that one up, didn't you?" Mr. Threehorn shot back, but then he too began to laugh.
"So yeah," Littlefoot beamed. "So far, Cera's been training the herd to defend one another, Ducky with Spike's help discovered the prickly plants, Petrie's brought in some more help and supplies, and Ruby and I have been working on the jailbreak."
"The … jailbreak?" Mama Swimmer asked as the herd began to excitedly mutter.
"Well, you didn't think we're just gonna sit here and let our friends die, did you?" Cera asked with a smirk.
His knee still hurting from where the clubtail guard had whacked him, Chomper tried to take his mind off the pain, trying to ignore the glares of the menacing guards all around him. He could hear Leigh orating what was in everything but name a battle speech to his supporters, with raucous, bellicose call-and-response deliveries to the males of the segregated herds, who were obviously proud warriors salivating for the chance to take part in a gory, ruthless conflict where they could put their massive strength to use and kill as many dinosaurs as possible. Most of the females had stayed at their nests, either monitoring the area to stop more potential dissidents from trying to join Mr. Threehorn's integrated herd or watching over their kids participating in harsh, brutal training, punctuated by many shouts and squeals, though Chomper did notice that the number of kids slowly seemed to decrease and started to smell a population of hatchlings gathering in the Secret Spot. Perhaps most disturbing of all was the verbal abuse at the border between the segregated frilled dinosaurs and the space designated for the integrated herd, where frilled mothers and children relentlessly chanted, "Race traitors," to the combined herd of rebelling adults, especially the threehorns.
He looked to make sure that his fellow prisoners were still all right before he closed his eyes and began to reflect. Every time he found himself on the wrong side of the law, things always seemed to happen rapidly around him. Last time in the short period when he was on the run, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky and Petrie had all managed to confess their feelings for their true love and they had saved the seven clubtail eggs. But the events this time were perhaps even harder to take in. All without him even being present, he had become not only a herd leader along with his friends of an entire herd, with a whole bunch of new herdmates just as eager to meet him as he was to meet them, but also the pack alpha of three little fast biters, who remarkably affiliated themselves with the leafeater herd.
This last development stunned him most of all. Though he never talked to his friends about it, knowing they wouldn't really understand, he had often been wondering about how those fast biter eggs had been doing ever since he helped rescue them. After hearing no word about them since they hatched, he had eventually come to assume that their mother had raised them to be normal sharpteeth, indistinguishable from the other fast biters that had so often attacked his friends. It hadn't even occurred to him that like him, they must have learned how to speak articulate, though very broken, leafeater just from hearing them talk within their eggs, that they would recognize him by his smell and voice despite never actually seeing him, or just who they would turn to if they were to lose their mother.
Nor did he realize that he had inadvertently issued a pack calling. He was just singing along with his friends, but because he couldn't let the jail guards understand him, he had to resort to singing in sharptooth. Because the sharptooth language was much more authoritative, the words of his song could easily be reinterpreted as a pack recruitment call, going from, "We're a family and you're one of us now," as he intended to sing, to, "You're my pack and you're one of me now." And without their mother present, the three fast biter kids would have been lying in wait, able to smell him from far away, just waiting for their pack alpha to issue the call for them to come to him … Their tyrant king.
Chomper shivered. He had asked his parents once what this meant when he heard Screech and Thud address Red Claw as such. They explained it was a rarely used phrase in the sharptooth language, only used by smaller sharpteeth to address large twoclaw pack alphas to whom they had devoted themselves, like Screech and Thud did to Red Claw. And now apparently, little Deya, Nyko and Chuss thought he was their tyrant king. But he didn't want to be anything like Red Claw, and he didn't want them to end up like Screech and Thud …
Then he heard a tiny little voice speak to him from so long ago …
"Say … If I can teach Spike how to use his sniffer, maybe I can teach sharpteeth how to be nice!"
Chomper paused as the talkback in his head had finished, his mouth slightly ajar as his heart began to beat. It was such a disastrous, dangerous idea back then that he had long since dropped it from his mind. But everything about this situation was completely different. Rather than having the structure of most herds where authority was regularly questioned, sharptooth packs were far more hierarchical – if the pack alpha commanded it, the pack members did it. As he was their pack alpha now, he could order Deya, Nyko and Chuss not to harm any leafeaters, and they would not hesitate to comply. But he didn't even need to do that, for out of their desire to rescue their pack alpha, Deya, Nyko and Chuss had already agreed to submit to the authority of the herd, or their pack, and not hurt any of its members. Without his even needing to be present, compliance was already achieved.
But while compliance was a necessary start, it was not what he really wanted from his young packmates. To get there, he had to change who they were from the inside. To even think about this, ensuring that their bodily needs were met was a must. On that front he was not worried, for fast biters required much less to eat than large sharpteeth like himself. They could easily share his kills with him even when all fully grown, and he had gotten good enough at water hunting that he could teach them how to do it as well, though they would have to catch smaller prey than he did.
With their bodily needs met, he'd have to teach them that leafeaters were not stupid, unfeeling brutes meant to be eaten, but that they were just as saurian as they were, not inferiors but equals – a lesson that many leafeaters also sorely needed with regards to how they treated sharpteeth. As he was not only their pack alpha but their sole parental figure now, they wouldn't have parental influences that would try to counter his teachings. They also had considerable proficiency in the leafeater language, allowing them to actually speak to leafeaters, which would really allow them to understand his teachings in a way most sharpteeth couldn't. Of course, respect went both ways, and he couldn't really ask the kids to respect leafeaters if they wouldn't respect them. However, the young herd that they had just aligned themselves with, under the leadership of his friends, could prove to be a remarkable opportunity in this regard, being a collection of generally openminded individuals with a lack of traditionalists who would continually scorn them. But he knew that changing their perspectives on leafeaters would not come easily and this would require a lot of effort.
Then there was the whole socialization aspect. As their pack alpha, it was his responsibility to teach his young pack to not treat their packmates with such coldness. While it might be considered efficient in a sharptooth pack, among the laid-back leafeater culture where food was gathered, not hunted, it would only come across as standoffish at best and threatening at worst. And while they were remarkably fluent in the leafeater tongue, far more than his parents that he had been teaching every now and then, his packmates' heavy accents and aggressive word choice that were inherent to the sharptooth language could only lead to misunderstandings that would not allow them to truly integrate.
Shaking his head, he considered all of this. Raising Deya, Nyko and Chuss to become what he hoped they would be would require a significant amount of effort and dedication. But he had been given an opportunity to help show a few fast biter kids another way to live, just as his friends had with their former trainees, now herdmates ... Which made him all the more determined to escape to freedom and start giving his pack all that he could to give them the chance they deserved.
It wasn't until deep into the night until a blanket of quiet finally covered the Hidden Canyon. The big, chaotic dinner had gone on for what had to have been hours. Blown away by meeting all these other fellow young members of their Great Valley family, the teens had a hard time processing everything at first. However, by the dinner's end, they had started to build relationships with all of the Valley's residents who had just become their herdmates. Ducky's and Petrie's siblings were very friendly towards them and made great listeners as they relayed their personal journeys on how they went from bigoted, cynical orphans to hardworking, ambitious trainees to compassionate, loyal, and brave herd founders. Monty, Brara and Veno were all very friendly and approachable, and poked fun at each other for mistrusting one another so badly when ironically enough, the real schemer of the Great Valley was right in front of them when they had their first argument, undoubtedly getting a kick out of seeing his would-be enemies turning on one another. They found Tricia's gang to be downright adorable as the feisty band of younger kids eagerly and enthusiastically wanted to meet each of them, seemingly wanting an endless number of hugs, with little Cricket getting along especially well with his fellow kids as well. Cricket also seemed to get along relatively well with fellow red food eating kids Deya, Nyko and Chuss, who reservedly ate their scaly swimmers as they watched the others warily. Even Hyp's gang got along well with the teens, for their toughness and conditioning, shared jaded pasts, and determined, can-do attitudes made even Hyp impressed. Mono and Weald, both having been bloodied from their experiences in the Valley, also ate a hefty helping of prickly plants, clearing up their injuries so that their skin became unblemished.
Everyone also enjoyed listening to all the different ways everyone else had escaped, or helped someone escape, from the Valley, culminating with Topps' recounting of the legal showdown, revealing that they also had over sixty elder allies who could join the herd at a moment's notice. This made the young herd erupt in cheers, with the teens having no idea they had so many herd elders on their side and the Valley's residents being surprised at just how many elders were brave enough to stand against the regime or how resourceful they were under pressure. No matter how they got there though, every herd member had gotten to the Hidden Canyon through their own difficult journey, allowing them all to experience a common bond and share a great deal of camaraderie with one another. So much so that as a great big team, they managed to work out a highly ambitious and elaborate jailbreak plan. When combined with all the elders in the Valley who would now be able to help them and outstanding allies who would also soon join them, the jailbreak team would have close to two-hundred members, which while probably not enough to defeat the regime at this point, was enough to potentially create a disturbance massive enough to free all the prisoners from their bondage. Each herd member was thrilled to play a part in the upcoming rescue plan, and with most of the herd never taking part in anything so selflessly courageous, they really appreciated the feeling that they were becoming heroes inside.
With morale and enthusiasm being so high among the young herd, and its members seeming to reach greater and greater potential, Mr. Threehorn, Mama Swimmer and Tippy's mother were very careful not to say anything that would grind their momentum to an abrupt halt. But after the others had gone to bed, their sleeping forms sprawled all over the Hidden Canyon, Mr. Threehorn, Mama Swimmer and Tippy's mother decided to quietly give the herd leaders the most unsettling bit of news that had happened that day, while in the Great Valley, the sounds of Leigh's supporters continued to be heard.
"We thought you should know," Mama Swimmer warned them, "That you must be very careful tomorrow before you even get the chance to rescue the prisoners. You have won many victories today, but Leigh has won the legal right to authorize search parties in the Mysterious Beyond to hunt for wanted criminals. The authorization begins when the Bright Circle rises tomorrow and will continue indefinitely."
"And make no mistake," cautioned Mr. Threehorn. "The search parties are going to be huge and scouring all over the place. The regime's supporters are absolutely furious with all the escapees and now Mr. Bonehead's ruling in our favor, and they are going to be out in force to find any criminal they can. If they find you, they will immediately report back to Leigh of your presence, who will then have the excuse to declare war and invoke martial powers to execute the prisoners at once, and Mr. Bonehead would most likely be powerless to stop him. Therefore, you must ensure that no matter what, the regime cannot know of your presence until the prisoners have made it to safety. Do you understand me?"
"Apart from the prisoners' safety, there is your own safety to consider as well," agreed Tippy's mother. "These are herds where war and violence are celebrated, and they seem to be readying for conflict as we speak. You do not want to be playing their game, for they will not hesitate to send massive amounts of warriors at you if you are discovered, and they will not hesitate to kill every one of you."
"We realize too that once the jailbreak happens, we too will be in great danger," Mr. Threehorn advised. "The jailbreak itself would most likely provoke enough outrage within the Valley to allow Leigh to claim that the Valley is under siege and that internal saboteurs must be dealt with. Therefore, we will evacuate all of our combined herd elders out of the Great Valley by the time of the jailbreak. Mr. Longneck and I have to stay in the Valley until then as legal representatives, but we will leave during the jailbreak and seal off the Hidden Canyon from both ends so the regime does not find out about it. Hopefully we will rescue Mr. Bonehead too while we're at it. I don't see how he survives if we're not able to save him."
"The rest of us will come out and join you before then," Mama Swimmer said soothingly. "We will leave steadily throughout the day so that we don't attract attention and work with you to practice our roles for the rescue mission. Correct me if I'm wrong Topps, Stella, but I feel confident that I can speak for the rest of us dissident elders in saying that considering all we have done so far, we would be honored to join your herd of outlaws. We would more than understand if you do not want too many old-timers like us in your young herd, but there is safety in numbers, and we would all support you in whatever endeavors you choose to pursue."
"We will be happy to have all of you Mama, we will," Ducky told her mother brightly.
"Your herd has really proven to be part of our Great Valley family," Littlefoot told Stella, who smiled modestly. "We'd be glad to have you come along."
"You don't think we can use your herd of tough threehorns?" Cera told Topps teasingly. "If they wanna come, we'd definitely take them."
"And Thicknose, and Onehorns, and Littlefoot dad too," Petrie finished.
The adults nodded in appreciation, before looking at each other.
"Well, good luck, all of you," Mama Swimmer said. "We'll be seeing you before you know it."
And with that, the three elders slowly made their way back to the tunnel to the Great Valley before quietly returning to their combined herd.
Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike and Ruby listened to hear them making it back to safety before turning to talk to each other.
"Great, they're gonna send these crazies out all over the place," Cera said, shaking her head.
"We've got to keep them away from the Hidden Canyon," Littlefoot said concernedly.
"But how we do that?" Petrie asked. "Hidden Canyon right outside Valley and it easy to find from Mysterious Beyond. No way they not find us if they search Mysterious Beyond!"
"Yes, and we need to keep the Hidden Canyon hidden for later," Ruby observed. "For it is the only hidden way all of us can actually get back into the Great Valley."
"And our parents and all the elders need to use that spot to escape," Ducky added.
"We're gonna have to go on the run to keep the Hidden Canyon hidden," Ruby said thoughtfully. "For if no one is inside of it, they would not have a reason to notice it."
"Yeah," Littlefoot sighed. "Maybe we can put up a big boulder at the entrance to block it off from view but leave an opening just big enough so all the elders can get out."
"Well, if we're going on the run, we better knock down all those trees we have here first," observed Cera. "No use leaving them for bad guys to eat."
"And all those flowers and prickly plants," Ducky added as Spike nodded in firm agreement. "We need all the healing plants we can get, we do. And we have to keep everyone in the Secret Spot safe. All those kids and tiny longnecks would get hurt if the bad guys find them."
"Yeah, and we've got to keep the Secret Spot safe as well," Ruby agreed. "Probably the best way to do that is to vacate it too. Mr. Spikethumb, Mutt's father and Hyp's father can knock down all the trees there, and we can bring the kids and the tiny longnecks over to wherever it is we are going to go."
"Not to mention it would make it a lot easier for Chomper and all the longnecks to fit inside without bumping into each other," Cera smirked. "Between Shorty, Cam and Mia, they're not exactly the most coordinated bunch."
Everyone snickered, feeling a little better with Cera's comment lightening the mood. "You know maybe where we can go to stay hidden?" Petrie asked Littlefoot hopefully.
"Well," Littlefoot thought. "I was thinking maybe Chomper's parents' place, right by the big water? We all saw how quiet it was there, right? The place doesn't have any tree stars near it, so the bad guys would never think to look there, especially since they don't even know that's where Chomper's parents live. Plus, if they get too close, Chomper's parents can smell them coming and tell us to move before they even find us."
"That might work," Ruby said thoughtfully. "Chomper's parents can speak a little leafeater now, and they can talk to Deya, Nyko and Chuss, who can translate what they're saying. The fast biter kids can also smell leafeaters coming, maybe Cricket can too since he eats red food. And the clawhands and rainbow faces can do scout duties for us if needed."
"Still, what are we gonna do when all our food runs out?" Cera asked. "There's no way we can get tough enough to save the whole Valley before then. And where are we gonna go to find more food anyway?"
"Ah, I hear you're asking questions," came a mysterious voice. "It's time for you to figure out some answers."
And with a momentary flash of blinding light that did not wake up anyone else, Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie, Spike and Ruby stared as rainbow faces Neo and Megte appeared, grinning smugly.
"Can you believe it has only been two days?" Neo chuckled.
"In which you young wanderers have inspired potential in others all around you, assuming responsibility over what promises to be a truly remarkable herd," Megte added.
"You know, I think we can fully explain to them the meaning of our long ago clues now, don't you, Megte?" Neo asked hopefully.
"I suppose," Megte sighed. "Now that they're on the verge of solving all of them."
"Fabulous," Neo smiled. "So let's recap. Our first clue, "The stream of changes has only begun. Which if unabated might force your world to split into more than one." Well, that one was more of a warning to inform you of the two drastically different visions of saurian society, where some seek to embrace the changes that have happened and look to undertake further reforms, while others look to undo them and cling to the ways of a bygone era, before the days of herd integration. And indeed, that conflict is playing out right before your eyes, and it has split your Great Valley up, just as we warned you."
Clearing his breath, Neo continued, "Our second clue, "Your path is darkened by your lack of years. But light may come from that of your peers." Well obviously, you are too young to have experienced anything like this before in your lives, which is why your path forward is darkened. However, you are not alone on this journey, as you now have an entire team that will help you provide light as you all make your way forward."
"You even have a spikeside named Light on your team," snickered Megte. "Who let's just say has displayed surprisingly interstellar traits for his kind. Indeed, as I am sure you know, all your teammates are proving themselves to be remarkably capable individuals, and you should never underestimate them or yourselves as you seek to achieve further capabilities, for … That would be telling, wouldn't it?"
"Third," Neo continued. "There was the clue of, "Threads may snap and the web may break. But to keep it together, you must put new threads in their wake." This one too is self-explanatory. You were correct in realizing that the web referred to the Great Valley's stability, and that the threads that had snapped referred to the tensions within it that led to its downfall. But all the while, new threads are being built, and you can see them all around you in this canyon. Not to mention the elders are also working as we speak to heal their broken threads, no doubt spurred along by your positive influence."
"This brings us to our last clue," Neo said after a long pause. "The one of, "When you know what you need, your actions must feed. For a lack of that vision can only lead to division." This clue may be less apparent than the others. But to sum it up, you must act in a way that is consistent with your vision to keep the unity of your herd going strong."
"So ultimately, let's ask ourselves, what is your ultimate goal?" Megte asked mysteriously.
The gang looked at each other, perplexed. "Well duh," Cera said as everyone else nodded. "To save the Great Valley from the bad guys."
Neo and Megte just looked at each other and smirked. "I think you're not thinking hard enough," Megte said simply.
"Yes," Neo agreed. "Think about it. Would any of you really be happy, say, if you managed to rid the Great Valley of bad guys, yet at the same time, you would have a hundred casualties among your herd, and even more with the inevitable sharptooth carnage that would follow? That would be technically saving the Great Valley from the bad guys. But it wouldn't be much of a victory, would it? Yet that is all you are asking for, a beautiful place to not have bad guys inside of it."
As the gang sat there and pondered, Megte continued, "The Great Valley is itself just a place. A very nice place to be sure, but a location just like any other. And a mere location is not driving you to the emotional depths that you all are feeling. Your true goal is something much more deep and profound, am I right? Something far more valuable than a piece of land, because when you look at the big picture, the Great Valley itself is only a means to provide for that end."
"Do you mean … How much we all love and care about one another?" Ducky asked thoughtfully. "I mean, we like the Great Valley, but … We would much rather give up the Great Valley than give up our family and friends. No place is more important than each other."
"Yeah, and it wouldn't really feel like the Great Valley if we didn't have everyone we know or love in it," Littlefoot clarified.
Neo nodded wisely. "See? This is what makes you very different from the dark dinosaurs inside the Valley now. They are motivated by a desire to claim the most fertile land for themselves, cultivating their own power, and exerting it to try and turn it into a cesspool of their reactionary ideology, no matter how many of their own lives they lose. In contrast, while you like your Great Valley and have a great fondness for the place, you would gladly trade it in if it meant that you would be able to keep those you care about safe. For it is your relationships that truly motivate you, and while the Great Valley helps facilitate them, it is not what motivates you itself. Simply put, you are guardians who seek to keep everyone you love safe, happy and at peace, while they are warriors who thrive on battle as a means for power and control."
"Knowing there is no way possible to defeat them without absorbing the heavy losses you want to avoid," Megte said, "It is best to let them win while at the same time you also win. I'll let you figure out what I mean."
And indeed Ruby, for whom this kind of reasoning was natural, was able to quickly answer. "You mean … Let them take over the Valley itself … While we take with us all our loved ones? Our Great Valley family?"
"Right," Neo said slowly.
There was a long silence, before Cera roared, "Oh, come on! You mean we're supposed to just give up our home to those creeps!"
Neo and Megte however, just smirked at one another.
"No, no, no, not at all," Megte said simply. "The problem is right now, you simply do not have the ability to defeat them without suffering the heavy losses that you want to avoid."
"But that is something … That with enough dedication, innovation, and perseverance, you can perhaps change," Neo said thoughtfully. "If you cultivate your herd to their maximum potential."
"To the point where you would not be able just to defeat your enemies, but to the point where you could defeat your enemies so overwhelmingly that you can convince them that it's not even worth fighting," Megte added. "For preventing an actual conflict from happening through deterrence is the surest way you can achieve victory while not losing any lives."
"But how are we supposed to get to that point?" Littlefoot asked.
"You had it right before, through doing the kinds of things you have been doing," Neo smirked. "Just on a bigger, broader scale … Doing all kinds of incredible things that your opposition would never comprehend. The only thing is, you need enough time to allow every member of your team to reach their full potential, to truly become guardians on the side of good in their own right. A place far away enough so that the regime would never be able to find you, and a place where you can stay that can support a population of dinosaurs like yourselves."
"And what's more, we know you know the answer," Megte smirked back.
The gang stared at each other again. The Rainbow Faces were once again giving them another puzzle, as they wracked their brains. A place that they had been to far away from the Great Valley that could potentially support a huge number of dinosaurs … And then it occurred to Littlefoot.
"Do you mean," Littlefoot said slowly. "The crater that we went to? Where I first met Dad?"
Neo nodded, grinning broadly. "Well now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"The place is hardly flawless," Megte warned. "You will see soon enough why the place wasn't settled by other dinosaurs during the migration, and why it won't be when you arrive. But now that you have assembled enough of a herd … You might be up for the challenge ... And reach beyond the Mysterious Beyond."
"If you succeed with your jailbreak, that is," Neo winked.
And with that, the rainbow faces abruptly vanished with their usual flash of light.
