Chapter 4
The Valley Guard
Bittersweet pride filled Littlefoot's chest as he watched The Valley Guard roll in: a plethora of shapes and sizes, physicalities and psyches, complementing each other's strengths, compensating for weaknesses. It really did take 'all sorts', didn't it? Their youth was almost ubiquitous, as joining The Valley Guard had become the popular thing to do for adventurous teens and young adults. However, there was a smattering of older members on The Guard, most notably Doc, Mr. Thicknose, Pterano, Big Daddy and Skip. Littlefoot would have loved to have more, but the abundance of youth dissuaded those set in their ways from joining what could be dismissed as an over-glorified club of kids playing hero. Not to mention the daunting different members. Of course, the valley was full of dissimilar dinosaurs who respected and loosely looked out for one another. However, they generally kept to their herds, families and kinds, maintaining friendly relationships with social outsiders without sticking around long enough to go crazy. There was only so much conventional-thinking threehorns and clubtails could stomach from each other before igniting a civil war. Despite their more open mindsets, The Valley Guard youth had their fair share of conflict and shenanigans over the years, but now? For the most part, they were like family: a family that specialised in saving lives and battling sharpteeth; a herd that hunted the hunters when necessary, if such a thing could be called a herd. They'd never failed a mission, never forfeited a fight worth winning. Would their synergy, numbers, skill and might be enough to overcome what was to come? Littlefoot decided the matter was nonnegotiable.
They would have to be.
Dawn cooed at the sight of a gaggle of children blind to their contrasting kinds, darting across Cera's path as the threehorn made her way towards the assembly. A pang of affection struck her as she gazed upon the paradise valley. The rush of flight would never get old, but there was a special sense of being part of it all that she only found in proximity to the ground. In the absence of sharpteeth, she could see herself taking long, leisurely walks through a valley like this. Dawn once held dear the thought that this was the place where people lived in unperturbed bliss and peacefully passed on in a nest full of warm, fuzzy memories.
Now, especially now, she knew she was wrong.
It had its heroes, perpetually perched on the edge of battle; heroes who would soon be put to good use, if the dreams her herd discussed in length meant anything.
Cera raised an eyebrow as a chuckle laced with bitterness bubbled from her flyer passenger.
After all these years, the unthinkable nightmares she'd endured, Dawn was looking forward to settling down. Alas, it was not meant to be. A fate-defying smile congealed on her face. 'Settle down'? Ha! How long would that have lasted? Nightmares were where she did her best work, and there was no breaking point, no breaking Dawn. She'd enjoy the ride and seize what happiness came her way. This wonderful valley was her new home.
And homes were worth fighting for.
The flyer scouts had been first to arrive, patiently perched on the crags of The Great Wall as they awaited the meeting's beginning. For some reason, over half of them seemed to have trouble remaining perched when Cera showed up with Dawn on her back. Several narrowly avoided falling to their doom.
The female flyer smilingly smacked a wing to her face while mumbling something about 'that lousy Dawn Effect'.
Cera snerked a laugh.
"Who's that guy?" asked Dawn, pointing out just about the only male still firmly perched.
"That's Pterano," Cera replied. "You may know him as 'The Daybreaker'."
Dawn almost fell off the threehorn. "Get out! The Daybreaker lives HERE?"
Cera smirked. "Yup. He's Petrie's uncle."
Dawn gaped before manually closing her beak and silently digesting the news. "Well, that's interesting ..."
Cera gave a slow, savoury nod. All the pieces were coming together. Now, if Ducky and Spike would just arrive early enough ... ah, right on time.
Cera smiled. "You guys got here before Petrie! I'm impressed! How'd you do it?"
Ducky shrugged. "I do not know. I guess he was farther when Littlefoot called us ... Is that a problem?"
The threehorn shook her head with a sinister simper. "No, it's perfect! Thanks for grabbing the salt seeds. I wanted those before he showed up ..." Cera's face fell in unsurprised annoyance. "I see the leaf you presumably wrapped them in has a giant bite in it ..."
Ducky shot Spike a glare.
He sheepishly looked away from her, pretending to stare with interest at a feature of The Great Wall that held no interest whatsoever.
Cera noted the large leaf dangling from his mouth as a water pouch. "Maybe you should've gotten the seeds after his mouth was full."
"I did," Ducky replied. "That was the point of having him carry the water."
Cera squinted at him. "Huh ... sooo ... how did he ...?"
"I do not know!" Ducky pouted before sighing in resignation. "And we probably never will. Spike is really smart when he puts his mind to it."
Spike drew back indignantly. ~What do you mean, 'when he puts his mind to it'?~
Ducky turned to her longneck friend. "Anyway, here is the water you asked for, Littlefoot."
"Thanks," Littlefoot replied. "Could you hang onto it for a bit? It's not for me."
Cera spotted Petrie soaring in. She snatched what remained of Ducky's salt seed package ("Yikes! You almost bit my paw!"), stepped in front of Dawn so as to obscure the flyer from view ("Cera, what are you doing?" "You'll find out when you find out. Whatever you do, stay right there, Dawn."), laid it open and took a bite of the contents.
"Hey, guys. What did I miss?" Petrie asked as he touched down. "Oooh! Salt seeds! I was worried about bad news, but now I know you're expecting a spectacle!"
Cera belted a demented laugh that triggered Petrie's fight or flight instincts. Mostly flight. He seriously considered heading for the hills without a moment to lose. Actually, forget the hills. More like clouds.
"We haven't started the meeting yet, Petrie," assured Cera.
"Why'd you stress my name like that?" he asked.
"So there'd be no question as to who you are," Cera answered cryptically. "By the way, this is Dawn. She's a ten."
Cera stepped out of the way to unveil said flyer.
Petrie tilted his head. "W-what are you talking abou-? AAAUUGGH!"
Dawn tilted her head as well, staring into his soul with iridescent, marmalade eyes that threatened to stop his heart. An agonising fraction of a moment passed, her expression unreadable. Finally, she smiled, having reached some kind of conclusion.
"Hiya, Petrie!" Dawn chirped.
"H-h-hi ... m-m-m-me Petrie," he replied with a quavering wave.
She giggled. "I know."
"... Oh ..." Petrie answered.
Cera watched with an open-mouthed grin, as though feasting on some unknown airborne delicacy.
Petrie forced a smile as he staggered backwards, scarcely able to stand. "Um ... Ex-excuse me for second. CERA, SHE NOT TEN! Me HANDLE ten! She FIFTY EIGHT!"
"Well, that's strangely specific!" Cera guffawed.
"Why you not WARN me?" demanded Petrie.
"I just did!"
"IT NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE!"
"I KNOW, BAHAHAHAAA!" belted the unrepentant threehorn.
"How me gonna focus on ANYTHING with ... with ... THAT?!" Petrie shrieked, pointing wildly at Dawn.
A pleasantly surprised Dawn paced around him like a water sharptooth circling prey. "I have never seen this before. You're still trying to focus? That shows character!" Now behind him, she placed possessive wings on his shoulders. Despite the light touch, there was no mistaking the feel of talons sharper than any flyer he'd ever met. "I think I'mma keep this one!"
Petrie's eyes rolled back and he passed out with a heavy thud.
Littlefoot didn't even need to look. "Ducky, water."
Engrossed by the scene, Ducky almost didn't hear him. She jolted to attention when the words caught up with her, dashed for the water pouch in Spike's mouth and doused it on Petrie. He awoke with sputtering gasps.
Dawn gave him a little wave.
He scrambled behind Ducky. Only his wing emerged as he waved back in the most bashful way imaginable.
Cera was rolling.
Littlefoot failed to fully stifle his smirk. Okay, that was enough.
"Hey Dawn, could you help me with this?" he called.
"Sure thing," she agreed. "Later, Petrie!"
The poor guy couldn't muster a response.
All the Valley Guard stared in horror. Among them, two swimmers exchanged glances.
"Ebb, she turned matchmaking into a nightmare scenario ... for fun!" one whispered.
"I know, I know, Tyde," Ebb replied.
"How far would she go if it weren't for fun."
Ebb gulped.
"We must never breathe a word about 'The Mud Bath Incident'."
Ebb's blood ran cold as he squeezed Tyde's beak shut.
The threehorn's laughter ceased. Her smile faded. Her head slowly turned in the direction grudge-attuned ears led her.
The abrupt absence of Ebb and Tyde was marked by a small dust cloud where they once stood. It was funny just how quickly legs could carry those racked with terror.
She searched among The Guard. They averted their eyes, hoping to avoid the monster prankster's attention.
A loud snore drew Cera's focus to a pair of swimmers approaching, one carrying the other. Targets acquired. It took a scary few heartbeats for her to storm up to them. Thankfully, she realised her mistake before vengence could be enacted.
Nona blinked at the three horns suddenly before her. "Um ... hi, Cera ... What's the occasion?"
Cera relaxed. "False alarm. I thought you two were Ebb and Tyde. How's it going, Nona?"
Nona perked up, even as she strained under the weight of a sleeping Ca on her back. "You can tell us apart so quickly? That's a nice change of pace!"
Cera fidgeted. "Actually, I can't. Not all the time, at least. You two act and kinda talk differently, but it's all guesswork unless you do or say something specific. For instance, I know you'd never get Ca to carry you."
Nona huffed. "She didn't 'get' me to do anything. Ca was napping and wouldn't wake up, so I had to carry her here. After all, I'm the responsible twin."
"I was more thinking 'sucker', but thanks for the lift, Sis," came a voice much like Nona's, save the calm, confident, sassy attitude.
Nona unceremoniously dropped her sister. Ca landed on her feet and casually stretched - not quite what Nona was hoping for.
"Y ... y-you!" Nona stuttered.
Ca placed a self-important paw on her chest. "Me. I needed a little extra shut eye."
A flustered Nona sputtered. "And I didn't?"
Ca yawned. "It's not like I asked you to carry me."
"But you didn't stop me either!" Nona countered. "You knew I'd do it, didn't you?"
Ca lifted an eyebrow over her half-lidded gaze as though it were the dumbest question ever. "Yeah. Like, duh. Wouldn't life be easier if you'd just accept that I'm the smart one and you're ... umm ... I'm trying real hard to come up with a nice way to say it ..."
"The compassionate one?" suggested Nona.
Ca patted her on the head. "Whatever floats your bubbles, knucklehead."
Nona's eye twitched. That did it. It was officially time for Ca's hourly dose of clobbering.
When the ensuing tumbleweed of twins rolled by, Littlefoot barely spared a look.
"Why are those two trying to kill each other?" asked Dawn.
"Don't worry. This is perfectly normal," Littlefoot assured.
Dawn winced at Nona's frantic attempt to bite Ca, who had managed to get the upper paw.
"I see ..." the flyer replied.
Littlefoot tapped a spot on the ground with his tail. "So, your herd is here, right?"
Dawn examined Littlefoot's handiwork. She could easily recognise representations of regions beyond the valley. Landmarks were portrayed by pebbles, leafy twigs, heaps of dirt, furrowed earth and other miscellaneous modifications of floor patches big enough to occupy one of her wings. In a world where nests were generally the most complex constructs a creature would build, this was ... pretty impressive. For someone without a bird's eye view? His depictions were uncannily accurate, even by flyer standards. So simple, so brilliant... Dawn wondered why she hadn't come up with this navigation technique before; why any flyer hadn't come up with it. Even so, she might have dismissed it as a waste of time in this urgent context, but Littlefoot had been quick about it. Each representation took less than a minute to complete, each new one zooming in further so that he could pinpoint the herd's position with greater accuracy.
"Yes, that's exactly where they are," Dawn reaffirmed, before pointing. "Except there's a rockslide and a pond there and there, so that path's a no-go. Must be new since you last visited the area."
Littlefoot's tail worked rapidly, updating the depiction and tracing a new path within seconds. "What about this one?"
She blinked in amazement. The way he traced her point so accurately ... it was almost as if he could see from her perspective.
"Yeah. That'd work," she approved. "Do you guys always do this before a mission?"
Littlefoot shrugged. "If we have the time."
"Never seen anything like it ..." she mused. "Whose idea was this?"
"Mine," Littlefoot answered simply.
She tilted her head. "Huh ..." So, the Valley Guard alpha was a mountain of brawn crested with genius? Rare. How could sharpteeth compete with that? It was a comforting thought.
"So, what do you call it?" she asked.
"'Marking Appropriate Paths', but that's not much of a name," Littlefoot admitted. "Bit of a mouthful too."
"How 'bout a 'map'?" Dawn asked.
Littlefoot stared in surprise. "That feels ... right. How'd you come up with it?"
"Marking Appropriate Paths," she explained. "I just squished together the beginning of each word."
"No faaaaaiiiiir!" Nona shrieked petulantly, pinned by Ca. "I was supposed to beat YOU this tiiiiime! Why do you have to win so muuuuch? Why are you ten times HEAVIER than you have ANY RIGHT TO BE?!"
Dawn stifled a laugh.
Ca's eyes widened.
It didn't help when a number of dinosaurs failed to withhold their chuckles.
"H-hey!" Ca protested. "Let's get this straight: I win 'cause I've got bigger brains and muscles!"
"To go with everything else ..." Nona mumbled.
The surrounding dinosaurs burst into laughter.
Dawn let the ensuing argument fade into the background as she returned her attention to Littlefoot. "So, are we heading out now, or ...?"
"Just a little longer," Littlefoot stated. "I'd like more of The Guard to be here before we set off. Based on your description, your herd is in a good position for now, so we should have a little time to prepare."
Dawn nodded. "I suppose so. I flew myself ragged 'cause I knew finding you guys might take time, which it didn't. Sharptooth night vision is better than ours, though. So long as we save them before nightfall, we should be fine."
Littlefoot's flashback came fast and hard.
The night sky bent around itself like ripples on a waterhole, its black maw consuming clouds that once traversed the heavens without fear.
Breathing quickened, muscles tensed, Littlefoot forced himself to relax. It wasn't even a real 'memory'. It hadn't happened ... yet.
"I suggest we- What's wrong?" asked Dawn.
"'Get to them by nightfall', got it," he replied, evading the question. "I'll share 'what's wrong' when everyone gets here, but thanks."
She stared at him a moment longer before shrugging off her concerns. "You're welcome. Of course, we have to account for unexpected complications."
"When do those ever pop up?" Littlefoot asked sarcastically with an eye roll.
"Ah, a fellow victim of Murfy's Law such as I?" Dawn jested.
He inclined his head. "Who's 'Murfy'?"
"He's this klutzy longneck from my herd who often gets the bad end of the stick," Dawn explained. "Associating his name with misfortune became an inside joke. Anyhoo, I suggest we move in a small, swift team of your most capable fighters. That should limit the potential for what could go wrong or slow us down. The night might be on our heels by the time we get back. It could be close ..."
Littlefoot nodded slowly, soberly. "My thoughts exactly. I don't think you should go. Given that we've established where your herd is, you could stay here and catch your breath."
Dawn firmly shook her head. "My herd, my responsibility, and my breath is 'caught'."
Littlefoot hesitated before exhaling in defeat. "Alright. Your herd. Your right to choose. Good thing you've recovered your stamina. Our best flyers would still be winded after traveling that distance at a reasonable speed. Musta taken at least half a nap ..."
"Closer to a quarter, maybe less," Dawn corrected. "I flew top speed."
The longneck stared at her. Her movements were effortless, her breathing steady, as though she hadn't flown a nigh impossible distance in record time. Petrie would have at least been a bit sluggish. She looked to be almost restlessly raring to go. Had it been age appropriate, Dawn might have been bouncing.
"What are you?" Littlefoot asked with a humourous grin.
Dawn smirked proudly. "Awesome. You'll get used to it."
"Shut it, Nona!" Ca snapped.
The flyer flinched. Well, so much for ignoring the twins. At least they were entertaining enough to pass the time.
"It's all muscle, and I'm barely bigger than you!" Ca argued. "You know what? Just for that, I'm giving you an extra squishing, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Nona opened her mouth to retort. Instead, out came a contagious yawn that quickly spread across the group, hitting Ca point blank. The yawn had scarcely begun to depart Ca's mouth when her victim seized the opportunity. In an instant, she found herself subdued in the same position to which Nona had been subjected.
"Wait, did I just win?" Nona asked incredulously. "HA! I won! In your face, Sis!"
"That was pure, opportunistic luck!" Ca protested.
"You know what? I'm still the 'compassionate one', so I'll let you live," Nona released her sister and surveyed the still-yawning dinosaurs. "Is it possible that we weren't the only ones having nightmares?"
Ca frowned as she got up and dusted herself off. "'Possible', but unlikely to the point where that's a silly question. And 'Nightmares'? What's a 'nightmare'?"
Nona massaged her temple. "Okay, here we go. It means 'scary sleep story'."
"Why not just call it that?" persisted Ca.
"You knew what I meant!"
"I inferred what you meant. Have you ever heard anyone use the word 'nightmare'?"
"I dunno ... maybe? Or it just came to me?"
"If it 'just came to you', it's probably not a word."
"Oh yeah?" Nona snapped. "Then how come we say 'berries' sometimes when folks always used to call them 'sweet bubbles'? How come every now and then we wind up saying 'The Sun' when we were brought up calling it 'The Bright Circle'? 'Sun' isn't even a description, but everyone knows what it means! The way we talk is constantly changing, and words 'just come to us' all the time!"
"The important part being 'us'. No one says 'nightmare'," Ca calmly countered.
"Who cares? You know what it means!"
Ca placed a patronisingly placatory paw on her sister's shoulder.
"You're sleepy, Sis," Ca 'empathised' with a belittling smirk. "Why don't you calm down, count to ten, and you'll be back to your-"
"Oh, I get it!" Nona interrupted. "You're jelly, aren't you? You don't like that I've learnt a new word before you!"
Ca's paw winced away at the implication. Folding her forelimbs, she cleared her throat. "I just don't want my sister running around, getting sidelong glances for some weird, made-up word."
( ( To be fair, all words are weird and probably made up, ) ) came an earth whisper no one expected.
The twins' eyes (all eyes, for that matter) snapped to Spike. He looked about uncomfortably. Why did people always react like that? It wasn't like he'd used his actual voice!
Littlefoot cleared his throat. Everyone turned their attention to the longneck and approached for a better view of his maps.
"This is Dawn," he introduced, gesturing the flyer with his head. "She's here on behalf of a herd that was intercepted by sharpteeth about three naps' walk from the valley." He tapped corresponding spots on each map. "They are here, atop an elevated area difficult for the sharpteeth to reach. The easiest way to reach them is a choke point they're guarding carefully. For now, they should be safe, but the risk will rise when night falls, giving the sharpteeth the advantage. Based on Dawn's description, this massive sharptooth pack is made of fast biters." He paused in thought. "Speed is vital here. The bigger the group, the slower we'll move, notwithstanding complications prolonging the mission. Dawn will lead the way. As for ground forces, I'm going alone."
The ambient shock was palpable. Silence broke when Cera's sharp demand encapsulated everyone's thoughts: "WHAT?!"
"Hang on a sec!" Dawn exclaimed, shooting into the air to confront Littlefoot at eye level. "When I said 'a small group', I did not mean 'go rogue and get yourself killed along with my herd in some crazily unnecessary heroic sacrifice'!"
She was hovering. Why did that strike him as strange? He'd seen grown flyers do it before, right? ... No, not really. Not for more than a brief moment. The irrelevance of the observation earned it a quick shove to the back of his mind.
"The Lone Dinosaur always came out on top, no matter the odds," Littlefoot argued.
"What's The Lone Dinosaur got to do with you?"Dawn demanded.
"He trained me."
She looked skeptical. "Oh? Really? Then where is he?"
"Behind you," Littlefoot answered nonchalantly.
Dawn turned to see an old, battle-scarred longneck among The Valley Guard, whose intense gaze practically oozed the stuff of a legend.
"The Lone Dinosaur lives here too?" she gawked, before shaking off the awe. "Good!Since your valley is apparently chock full of legends, just throw 'em all out there to save my herd!"
"We have two legends," Cera interrupted as she stepped up to Littlefoot: "The Lone Dinosaur and The Daybreaker. The first one isn't that good at working in a team. No offense, Doc."
"None taken," Doc replied. "I'll go alone. Reckon it's the same as sendin' Littlefoot."
"I shall go as well," Pterano stated. "We can't trip over each other if I stick to the sky."
Trepidation was evident in Littlefoot's eyes as he turned to Doc. "That's not necessary."
"Yeah, 'cause Ducky, Petrie, Spike and I are plenty," Cera asserted.
"You guys always have to be the heroes, don't you?" argued a teenaged clubtail. "I get that you're the founding five, but what's the point of The Valley Guard if you keep leaning on your inner circle?"
Cera took a calming breath and let it out with a sigh. More like a huff, or something in between. She liked the guy, but dealing with clubtails was often huff-worthy.
"Look, Tosh, you're really good at being Valley Guard," Cera began. "Most of you are, but Littlefoot and I had a few years' head start. The five of us have been adventuring since we met. Our teamwork is fast and fluid, like a pack of sharpteeth, only better. We're not just good. We're the best. It's not a matter of pride, preference or self-importance. It's a fact." She turned to Littlefoot without leaving room for argument. "Alright, let's head out."
"That's. Not. Necessary," Littlefoot firmly emphasised.
Cera frowned. "Seriously, what's wrong with you? We do this sort of thing all the time!"
"It's survivor's guilt, isn't it?" Dawn quietly asked.
That question was enough to throw off-balance. "... What do you mean ...?"
"You lived through something that someone else didn't, someone you cared about," she went on. "You can't bear the thought of anyone dying in your stead. You and your friends live dangerous lives. You've gotten used to it, but if something goes far beyond the dangerous 'norm', you want to be the only one putting your life on the line."
Littlefoot stared unreadably.
Dawn's eyes softened as she landed and looked up at him. "I've been there. Frankly, I'm still there, but this isn't about sharpteeth, is it? You handle sharpteeth all the time. This is something bigger."
"Is it the nightmares?" Cera asked. "'Cause there's literally nothing to say we should be worried about them right now now, even if they're more than nightmares."
Nona gasped and elbowed Ca. "Cera said 'nightmares'!"
Ca rolled her eyes. "Yes. I have ears."
Littlefoot closed his eyes and exhaled. "You haven't seen it yet, have you?"
"Seen what?" asked Ducky.
He opened his eyes. "Try looking up."
Everyone exchanged glances before turning their eyes to the sky.
Moments passed.
Nothing happened.
Cera impatiently tapped the ground. She froze mid-tap. Her eyes widened, breath quickened.
Screams broke out amid harrowed gasps.
Petrie's jaw slackened, quavering soundlessly.
Ducky's paws clapped to her mouth as she dropped to her knees.
Spike grunted in distress and did his best to shield her from the all-encompassing sky.
Dawn didn't move, didn't flinch. Her calmness struck Littlefoot as unnerving. Then he took a closer look and realised she wasn't calm. She was ... something else. An unnamable, undeniable, unsettling intensity emanated from her expressionless eyes. Tranquil terror? Furtive fury? Placid pain? Silent sorrow? All? Something else? Even as enigmatic tears streamed down her face, he couldn't fully place the emotions he was observing.
All at once, the crowd seemed to snap out of the nightmare, breathless, confused and effervescing questions.
"What WAS that?"
"That black thing was bending the sky!"
"No, not just bending, EATING it!"
"Where'd it go? It was right there?"
"Did you hear that voice? 'Stay in the valley'?"
"Who didn't hear that voice? It was like a sky roar!"
"Dawn, do you recognise that thing?" Littlefoot asked.
"... Yes ..." she answered tonelessly.
He waited for further explanation. None came.
"Well? Speak up already!" Cera pressed before checking herself. "... Please. Just ... Can you tell us what it is?"
"... No ..." Dawn finally replied, before blinking to force herself from the prior moment. "Last night, everyone in my herd had sleep stories about that thing ... among other things."
"So did I," chimed in someone from the crowd, joined by unanimous murmurs of agreement.
Cera silently stared at the ground, a near-imperceptible quaver in her legs.
"The last time a lot of longnecks had the same sleep story, it came to pass," Littlefoot reasoned. "If The Voice is to be trusted, this thing, this ... Bending Black, will be a danger to anyone who leaves the valley. In all the sleep stories I've had, it never occurred during the day, so I'd say we have at least until nightfall before The Bending Black appears." Something niggled at the edge of his mind. Was he missing something? Some crucial detail? He shook away the feeling. He could ponder it later. "We can't stop something like this, but we can preempt the other details of the sleep stories. I presume you all saw the part where sharpteeth invaded the valley?"
The response was hesitant. Soon, most of The Guard gave positive answers.
"We can do something about that. We can be ready," Littlefoot asserted. "Remain on high alert. Flyers, take shifts. Make sure at least thirty of you are always patrolling, with emphasis on the edge of the valley and the main entrance. Monitor other potential entrances and stay mindful of those we might have missed."
"How would the sharpteeth even find such 'entrances'?" Tosh challenged. "They've never done it before."
"They've haven't tried to enter, for the most part," Littlefoot argued. "When my friends and I first came to the valley, we just walked over a hill, and there it was! If it were that easy for a couple of kids, how easy would it be for a sharptooth?"
Dark, dawning realisation sobered Tosh's face. "B ... but Screech and Thud came in through Hidden Canyon when you guys ate the tree sweets keeping them out! Then there's the pair that followed the tiny longnecks in here, and Chomper's parents who came when a landslide made an entrance. Sharpteeth only invaded under specific circumstances. If they could come in any time, why don't they?"
"... I don't know," Littlefoot admitted. "Sharptooth society is mostly a mystery to us. Even Chomper couldn't tell me too much because his parents were rogues who raised him apart from the others. In any event, we can't be caught off guard because we underestimated them."
Tosh exhaled heavily and nodded. "Fair enough."
"Shadow Watchers, stay safe and vigilant," Littlefoot instructed.
The oldest of the tiny longnecks stepped forward. His baritone voice betrayed his size. "That goes without saying. I joined The Guard to keep my kids safe when they did."
"We know, Big Daddy," stated an amber female with an eyeroll. "This isn't the first time you've said that."
Dawn suppressed a snicker. ~Big Daddy? He's the smallest of them all!~
"You can bet it won't be the last, Lizzie," he replied before returning his attention to Littlefoot. "If all our years of sticking to the shadows fail, we'll ..." he deadpan glanced a purple tiny longneck "... we'll do that foolhardy but effective thing you came up with, Serg."
"We'll Serg Rush 'em!" Serg cheered with a concerning level of enthusiasm.
Shouts of agreement erupted from the tiny longnecks and an action-starved tickly fuzzy, Skip. Big Daddy puffed a resigned sigh.
Dawn wrinkled her brow cluelessly.
"Just picture dozens of tiny longnecks ... and Skip ... swarming a sharptooth with bites and tickles," Littlefoot explained.
Her brow scrunched all the more. "... 'Tickles'?"
"Earth Shakers, Wind Racers, River Masters, have teams strategically dispersed throughout the valley so as to respond quickly to any emergency," Littlefoot continued. "Keep at least one team close to each herd, especially the less battle-capable. You probably won't need to fuss over threehorns and clubtails too much."
Tosh straighened with a touch of pride.
"Still, keep an eye on them, eggs and kids especially. Have five teams near the main entrance. If you can't seal up a minor entrance, be sure to guard it."
"You can count on us," Tosh affirmed.
"Do not underestimate the sharpteeth," Littlefoot warned. "They are intelligent, efficient hunters whose survival is a testament of the countless lives they've taken, yet we've never lost a member, never failed a mission. Do not underestimate yourselves. You are mighty, you are clever, you were trained for such a time as this. Fight hard, fight smart, protect each other with everything you've got. If you hold on together, this valley will never fall!"
The Valley Guard resounded with battle cries. Threehorns bumped heads. Clubtails and spiketails clacked namesakes in a reaffirmation of brotherhood. Petrie took to the air with a triumphant screech, echoed by the flyers who followed. Ducky pumped a fist. Even Doc thundered agreement with a crack of his tail, chorussed by the other longnecks. Cera, silent though she was, couldn't help but crack a half smile.
The pride swelled in Littlefoot's chest as he looked upon his friends, his brothers, his sisters. On that high note, he turned to leave while Dawn took to the air after him. Despite the clamour, he felt footsteps behind him and looked back to see Cera stop when he stopped.
A shadow of a smirk briefly tugged at her beak.
He shook his head before continuing to depart. More footsteps, and the sound of beating wings besides Dawn's.
Upon turning, he saw Ducky and Spike following as well, with Petrie and Pterano landing on Spike's back in the lull. He looked about ready to argue.
"Ugh," Cera groaned as she stomped past him, though she was smiling. "I don't wanna hear a word from you. You're not The Lone Dinosaur, and you never will be. You have us, and you'll always have us whether you like it or not!"
A smile brightened his conflicted face. What did he do to deserve friends like this?
"I mean, we always win, we hold on together and all that yucky, sweet stuff," Cera continued. "It's not like a little nightmare's gonna stop-"
She stopped.
The others stared. It almost looked like she'd bumped into a solid barrier.
"What is it?" asked Petrie.
Cera's hesitation turned to resolution. "It's in our way."
The threehorn pushed forward, gasping as though immersed in freezing water, straining as if resisted by mighty wind. Her anguished scream was truncated when she fell through the invisible obstacle and collapsed, panting.
"C-come on!" Cera urged. "Whatever it is, you can just push through it! Do it quick before you change your mind and ... ignore whatever it tells you!"
"But what is it?" Petrie stressed.
Cera frowned impatiently. "I don't know, okay? Are we gonna waste time talking about it, or are we gonna save Dawn's herd?"
Pterano flew forward. Upon reaching the invisible threshhold, his wings spasmed and beak whipping open as though in a soundless scream. He nearly fell, but gathered his wits enough to stay airborne.
Littlefoot hurried onward. Pterano was the oldest, the mentor, not to mention his hero complex. He would test the waters long before letting any of them endanger their lives, even if they were young adults. Littlefoot knew this, but he was the leader. If anyone should take the plunge before the others, it was him.
And what a plunge it was.
He wasn't prepared for the icy fear that struck him like a physical wall, congealing into a roar of a command:
{~STAY IN THE VALLEY!~}
Littlefoot had felt terror more times than he could count, but this was different. It was almost enough to hurt, like an unending strike of sky fire.
{~STAY IN THE VALLEY!~}
His heart hammered out of his chest as he forced his body to press on. Suddenly, it subsided to a subdued dread oppressing his soul. It took him a moment to realise he had screamed. The others were watching with raw concern.
{~Return to the valley~} The Voice hissed.
Littlefoot shook his head almost without thinking. "Don't worry, guys. It's like a wall made of fear ... with a voice."
"A voice?" Ducky echoed.
He nodded. "The same one you heard when you saw The Bending Black. The point is it can't hurt us. Let's go!"
Alpha Arrtafiss barely glanced at the flying nibbler flitting off as he bared his teeth, licking his lips in anticipation. The prey was on its way, and this hunt would propel his pack to ranks of legends, rivalling the likes of Black Claw, and for what? Entitled brats who thought survival was their birthright, as though The Circle of Life favoured them? As though a long, happy life and peaceful death were their only acceptable option? The valley had spoilt them, those gluttons of good fortune. Hadn't they realised that their 'luck' was an aberration of nature? That every battle brought them one probability closer to demise? His analysis of their actions suggested something outrageous. They didn't believe in luck. They simply thought they were that good! Somehow, they had forgotten their place in The Circle.
Somehow, they forgot that they were only prey.
Not that they weren't competent. Frankly, they were as competent as leafeaters could be. He had no doubt that among their simple-minded kind, they were legends in the making. They simply weren't old enough or experienced enough to be identified as such. Of course, sharptooth legends would quite literally eat leafeater legends alive.
It was good that the Clever Claws had little reputation among leafeaters. Then again, who had lived to tell of their exploits? Herds disappeared without a trace, feeding the pack for months so that they could focus on sharpening skills and minds. Some shunned them as lazy at best, gluttonous at worst. What business did a sharptooth have keeping large groups of prey alive to devour at leisure? Such short-sighted cretins had no notion of surplus. They neglected their superior minds and thought with their talons, teeth and might. They had yet to learn that cunning was sharper than any claw. Today, they would learn. He would succeed where other sharpteeth failed.
He would remind the leafeaters that The Circle of Life was not their ally.
Thanks for reading!
Next: Littlefoot knew this mission would come with unprecedented danger, but the situation is far more dire than it seems. Join him and his friends as they race against time on the edge of an event that will change their world forever.