Cole woke to see the sun already up and yawned.
"Well, up and at 'em everyone.", he said.
Littlefoot, Petrie and Ducky slowly woke up and saw Cole stretch himself in ways they didn't quite get.
"What are you doing?", Littlefoot asked.
"Stretching.", Cole answered, "Need to get the body motivated."
Ducy looked at Petrie confused.
"What he getting motivated for?", she asked.
"Me no know.", Petrie answered just as stumped.
After Cole did his stretches, he then looked to notice some greens and low branches from yesterday still around. Just enough for breakfast and when he was gathering it for them, some faint wing flapping was heard and he noticed a couple of prehistoric dragonflies that were flapping nearby. As Cole watched, the dragonflies started to look pretty tasty and when they landed, Cole snapped his head forward which was surprisingly fast and had both dragonflies in his mouth as he started chewing.
"Hmm, tastes like eggs after drinking juice.", he muttered as he brought over the greens for the others.
Littlefoot happened to overhear, but not much.
"What was that?", he asked.
Cole thought fast.
"I said that… it was nice to eat some dragonflies a lot easier than my younger days.", he answered.
The others looked a bit grossed out, but chose not to push it as they ate their breakfast. Once everyone had finished Cole looked around.
"So, guess we just carry on?", he asked.
Littlefoot got up and nodded.
"Guess so. We still need to find…oh, what was it again?"
"A rock that looks like a long neck.", Cole reminded, "While following the sun."
"The sun?", Ducky asked, "What is that?"
Cole pointed up to the "bright circle" as the group headed on. Ducky and Petrie tagged along though Petrie was more insistent on being on Cole's shoulder.
"So if that's the Bright Circle, what is the Night Circle called where you're from?", Littlefoot asked.
"We call that the moon.", Cole answered.
After a while, they came to a pass with walls where Cole heard something coming. Not wanting to take a chance, Cole gestured the others to hide as well which they did. And it was a good thing too cause a full grown Dimetrodon crawled from one of the paths and paused to hiss flick it's forked tongue a few times before turning and heading off down the other path.
"That's odd.", Cole thought to himself, "Those kinds of dinosaurs aren't supposed to be around until a later era. Must be what makes this world its own I guess."
The group stayed hidden until the Dimetrodon was a good distance away and it didn't look like it was stopping so they slowly came out and waited until it was out of sight before moving again. Cole felt Petrie clutch his shoulder and looked the flyer's way.
"Petrie, you okay?", he asked.
Petrie looked a bit scared, but calmed down a bit.
"Petrie okay, but still scared a little."
/
Cole turned over to see Littlefoot look over at the tree star on his back and felt like Littlefoot was still remembering his mother. Petrie noticed too and was about to hop off Cole's shoulder when Cole stopped him.
"What are you doing?", Cole asked.
Petrie looked a bit embarrassed.
"Oh, Petrie still a bit hungry and saw tree star there.", he admitted, "Why hold on to it?"
Littlefoot felt a bit angry, but then dropped it as Cole explained.
"It's very sentimental to him Petrie. She gave it to him before she died."
Petrie suddenly looked apologetic as if he was sorry he had brought up what he did.
"That must make it very special.", Ducky said as she voiced her own point, "It must if his mother gave it to him."
Petrie then looked inspired as he hopped off Cole's shoulder and onto Littlefoot's back where he quickly wrapped up the tree star into a roll.
"Oh, Mother's present.", he said as he placed it on his shoulder, "Petrie keep it safe, let nobody have it."
He then started pacing back and forth like a soldier on duty, but as much as Cole found this amusing, he had a feeling Littlefoot didn't and stepped in.
"That's very thoughtful of you Petrie, but I'm sure we all can watch over it and keep it safe so you don't have to do it all on your own."
Petrie relaxed as he handed the roll to Littlefoot who took it in his mouth and Cole suddenly picked up Petrie gently.
"You know, you won't be able to fly without practice.", Cole told him.
Petrie looked timid.
"Practice?", he asked.
Littlefoot seemed on board also.
"You're a flyer aren't you?", he asked.
Cole gave Littlefoot a look, but only slightly.
"Littlefoot, let's not pressure the poor guy, he just needs encouragement and support."
Petrie looked a little better as Cole held him out.
"Okay, here we go.", Cole stated, "As I'm running Petrie, I want you to hold your wings out and practice flapping okay?"
Petrie suddenly looked timid again.
"You sure?", he asked, "Petrie not sure he should."
"Then how will you learn?", Cole countered, "Practice makes better."
And before Petrie could object, Cole started running while holding him out in the open. Littlefoot and Ducky followed.
"Come on Petrie, just open your wings.", Littlefoot encouraged.
"Higher Petrie, higher like a flyer!", Ducky called out as she flapped her own arms as if to show Petrie how it was done.
Petrie had his wings out, but was screaming in fear even though Cole knew he was perfectly safe. Still, the young flyer flew out of Cole's hands and into Littlefoot's face just as Cole tripped over a rock and landed flat on the ground. Littlefoot tripped over Cole and rolled right into a skeleton of something though it was beyond recognition which only freaked out the duo just as Ducky hopped on Littlefoot's tail making him thrash about getting the skeleton loose though it stayed on him as the trio dashed off.
"Great, now what?", Cole asked before getting to his feet.
/
As if to answer him, he heard a very loud scream as he was about to hurry to catch up with the others. He looked around and didn't see anything, but he did run after the rest and caught up to them just in time to see Cera just over the horizon and running toward the rest looking over her shoulder now and then and the look on her face told Cole that she was scared to death.
"Wow, look who it is.", Cole said in surprise.
Cera didn't seem to hear him as she suddenly saw the skeleton that the other three were under and screamed even louder as she skidded to try and avoid them and do so only to get caught by some vines and launched backward and over a log while the others landed hard on the ground smashing the skeleton to bits.
"Well, that happened.", Cole stated as he came over, "Everyone okay?"
Littlefoot, Ducky, and Petrie looked alright so Cole turned to Cera who still looked pretty spooked.
"Oh Ms. Cera, it's you again.", Cole said looking a little concerned, "What happened to you? You look like you've been scared silly."
Cera suddenly changed her expression to one of arrogance as she rudely pushed past him.
"Scared, me?!", she countered confidently before letting out a small laugh.
"Well, you were running and screaming so I'd call that being scared.", Cole countered though calmly.
Cera paused and turned to Cole while giving him a mean look as Littlefoot, Ducky, and Petrie came over.
"So why were you running?", she asked in turn, "You scared?"
"We were just trying to help a new friend and got a little carried away.", Cole admitted.
"We weren't being scared.", Ducky added, "Nope, nope, nope."
Cera clearly didn't seem to agree.
"Well you should be.", she snapped, though Cole noticed a tinge of fear in her tone.
Cera must have noticed Cole's unbelieving look cause she changed tones to a slightly mischievous one.
"I could be with the other three-horns, but I chose to come back to warn you.", she said with a grin.
Cole just raised an eyebrow.
"In what way?", he asked calmly.
Cera clearly didn't take kindly to it cause she then decided to add the last part more dramatically.
"I…met…the Sharptooth!"
Cole didn't seem to be bewildered, but the others were another story.
"Sharptooth!", Petrie screamed.
Littlefoot clearly didn't believe Cera either, but Cole beat him to the punch.
"Are you sure it was who you said it was and not another t-rex that looked like him?"
Cera saw that Cole wasn't convinced so she backed up what she said.
"I know what I saw. It was him and down there, he met me."
Cole could see that Ducky and Petrie were in awe, but Littlefoot clearly wasn't.
"So, how exactly did it go down?", Cole asked keeping his tone.
/
Cera then started speaking about her encounter though Cole could tell she was making it up.
"I was all alone in the dark. I could feel him near me, I could hear him breathing."
She paused a minute to breathe a couple times which frightened Ducky, but she kept coming.
"And he had one big ugly eye looking for me."
Cole rolled his eyes.
"You know, you're not the only one who survived an encounter with him you know."
Ducky and Petrie suddenly looked to Cole just as in awe as they did Cera which Cera clearly didn't like, but pretended not to notice.
"You survived an encounter with Sharptooth?", Ducky asked, "You must be very brave. You must, you must."
Before Cole could explain, Cera beat him too it.
"Yeah, we did and after that lesson I taught him down underground-"
"Oh please.", Cole said cutting her off, "Very unlikely."
Cera's confident smile dissolved into an angry sneer.
"Are you calling me a liar?", she challenged.
Littlefoot could see the tension building, but kept his distance as it seemed Cera would charge at any second.
"Call it a hunch.", Cole answered, "If you really did what you said you did, then how do you explain the fact you were running and screaming like he was right behind you?"
Cera growled as she was clearly fuming and Ducky clutched one end of a board that was seated across a rock like a seesaw though Cera hardly noticed.
"And why didn't you teach him a lesson before when he first attacked us?", Cole continued with his eyes narrowing as if to accuse Cera of something, "You ran and screamed like Littlefoot and I did. You were scared and that is something I know for a fact."
Well, Cera couldn't let that slide! Even though Cole was much bigger than she was, she charged, but that caused the other side of the board to shoot up and launch Ducky like a boulder from a catapult into the vines and branches overhead screaming blue murder. Cole turned to Cera firmly.
"I rest my case.", he said sounding bored before turning to the others, "Well, let's go find her."
Cera seemed less angry, but didn't like the fact Cole wasn't believing her.
"My father told me that-"
"Well I don't see Mr. Big, Loud, and Dim around here, do you?", Cole countered, "And since you caused our friend to get launched, it's only fair that you help us find her."
Cera looked firm and turned her head away.
"No.", she insisted.
Cole shrugged.
"Well, it's your death that's waiting. Sharpteeth are quite abundant in these woods."
He started walking off with the rest before giving them a sly wink while Cera's expression slightly broke.
"Sharpteeth?", she asked.
"Oh yeah.", Cole answered, "I hear that there are others that can devour a three-horn as big as your daddy in a few bites, but since you want to take your chances, then we'll be on our way and leave you to meet them."
Cera tried to act brave, but the moment Cole and the others were out of sight, something big sounded off nearby and Cera's nerve failed.
"Wait up!", she called as she dashed after them.
/
It didn't take long for her to catch up as Cole noticed and looked content.
"Oh, you chose to come after all."
Cera tried to slap on an arrogant face.
"I'm not coming because I'm scared or anything.", she insisted, "And three-horns don't travel with-"
She was cut off cause she suddenly crashed into a nearby tree which Cole found amusing while the other two chuckled.
"I ment to do that.", she insisted but Cole could tell her pride was hurt.
Just as they made their way into a clearing, Ducky had been backing up and into Cole's leg which she paused and looked up to see Cole looking down at her a little worried.
"You okay Ms. Ducky?", he asked.
"I'm okay.", Ducky answered, "This is good cause I told Spike he can come with us."
Cole raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
A small Stegosaurus came out of the brush munching on a bunch of dried grass with a dreamy look in his eyes like he was in his own little world barely acknowledging anyone or anything else. "Where'd he come from?", Cera asked clearly not liking the fact another dinosaur was with them.
"He just hatched. He did, he did.", Ducky explained, "I told him he could come with us to-"
"Oh, no!", Cera insisted, "It's bad enough that I'm stuck with all of you, but I'm not travelling with a-"
"If he helps you take on another Sharptooth you get to brag better.", Cole said cutting her off.
Cera changed tunes instantly, but only slightly.
"Fine, he can come.", she said irritably, "But I'm not sharing my green food with him."
Cole rolled his eyes before he saw some berries on a branch nearby. He took one and handed it to Ducky after he put her on Littlefoot's tail.
"Ducky, maybe we can use these to help Spike learn to follow us."
Ducky waved the branch a bit and Spike's expression brightened as he saw the berries and tired to bite them off. The group started out west as the sun started setting.
"Well, off we go.", Cole said as if they were embarking on a grand expedition.
Cera kept a distance away, but after she hit another rock, Cole felt amused. Cera certainly didn't seem very nice, but as long as she got her just desserts now and again, he could let it slide.