We Will Hold On Forever

by DaveTheAnalyzer

A chance encounter with old enemies leads Littlefoot and friends to discover a phenomena they can barely comprehend. The answers to that phenomena shall lead to tough choices that will drive them to their very breaking point.

3. Forgotten Lessons

We Will Hold On Forever

by

The Analyzer

Chapter 03: Forgotten Lessons

Chomper tried to stand tall. He and his friends were in a cave, being menaced by a bellydragger the size of a sharptooth. He didn't know how or why they got there, he only knew he had to protect his friends. Despite his fear, he gave a mighty roar and charged in, only for the bellydragger to smack him into a wall. Dazed, Chomper could only watch in horror as the monstrous bellydragger bore down on Littlefoot and the others with its mighty jaws…

He shot up from his sleeping spot, eyes wide, breathing hard. Ruby walked from where she slept, rubbing her eyes.

"Bad sleep story?" she said gently.

Chomper nodded, rubbing at his eyes. "Sorry I woke you."

"Hey, you didn't wake me." Ruby put a supportive hand on his shoulder. "I had some bad sleep stories too. Let's eat together so we can banish those bad sleep stories together."

He smiled thankfully at her. Even if he wasn't having a good morning, at least he had some company.

Chomper and Ruby had breakfast while they walked to meet with Littlefoot and the others. The bright circle was in its early morning shine, bringing out the best of the grub. While Ruby occasionally paused to pluck berries and sweet bubbles, Chomper nosed around for bugs. He snapped up a couple of crawlies, chomped on buzzers before they could ascend too high, and even slurped up a few worms hidden beneath the dirt. The effort required much of his concentration, and was almost fun. He didn't have much brain space to think about yesterday's scary adventure. By the time his stomach felt full, Chomper patted it proudly.

"Ah, that was good. Are you full, Ruby?"

"I sure am." Ruby eyed some of the remaining sweet bubbles speculatively, also in higher sprits. "I sure want to save some of these for lunch, though. They would go well with snapping shells."

Chomper chuckled. "I wish I can save for lunch too, but my food likes to crawl off."

"Then we have something sticky that might be helpful for you!"

The pair looked up but several small purple fruits were already sailing toward them, splatting upon their faces. The fruits left behind gooey globs connecting their heads to their arms and shoulders, like thick, colorful versions of spider threads. Chomper and Ruby uttered cries of dismay.

"Hyp, what do you think you're doing?" Chomper said indignantly.

Hyp, along with his cronies Nod and Mutt, emerged from a set of bushes a bit far off, guffawing.

"Just demonstrating how to use those Tree Sweets." Hyp said. "You don't need to look so indignant. You can wrestle out of that goop, can't you?"

Chomper glared, and wrenched his arms out. That stretched the goop into thin poles but they didn't break. Some of the fruity remains had got into his mouth and he spat hard, almost gagging from a taste not fit for carnivores.

"Come on, Chomper." Ruby said. "Let's find somewhere to wash up."

Hyp snickered. "Oh, need your nanny to save you? Wimp."

"Yeah, wimp." Nod laughed. "He's not so tough."

"Who knew there were sharpteeth who could be such little weenies?" Mutt chuckled.

Chomper gave a wounded look. "How can you say that, Mutt? I thought we were friends."

"Friends?" Mutt repeated. He blinked with confusion. "Uh, when did that happen?"

Ruby smoothly stepped in front of Chomper.

"What are you three trying to accomplish?" she said calmly.

"He's going to become big and try to eat us someday." Hyp shrugged innocently. "We must teach him to know his place while we can."

"Hyp, if he's going to become as dangerous as you claim, why do you want to give him an excuse to go after you first when he does become big?"

Hyp and his friends' amused, cocky expressions faltered. There was a long pause in which they appeared unsure and wary of the wisdom of their actions. Then Nod scowled.

"Don't think you're smarter than us just because you're from the Mysterious Beyond," he said.

Ruby blinked, thrown. "Huh?"

"Yeah," Hyp said, "just because you have some special knowledge from there doesn't mean you're right all the time. Your plans must be imperfect if you still don't know how to deal with that Redclaw yet."

Ruby winced. "That – that's not the point. The point is…" But words escaped her as she remembered the close calls of her plan against Dil when Littlefoot's tail got bitten and the slow underbelly of guilt that she spent many cold times within the Great Valley's safe walls without finding the secret in this community to taking down Redclaw.

Hyp and his friends' ugly laughter filled the air.

"See?" Hyp smirked. "You're knowledge isn't so special after all, so stop trying to act better than us."

"Oh, she doesn't need any special knowledge to be better than you."

To Chomper and Ruby's relief, Cera led the rest of the gang through a set of bushes to stand in front of the pair, glaring at Hyp and his posse. The five had apparently grown bored of waiting and went to see what kept up their friends.

"Move along, Hyp." Cera said. "Isn't there a rock you should be having a quiz with? Guess not, since the rock would win."

"Watch it, hatchling." Hyp growled. "You're not starting on the right foot with us."

"You rarely on right foot to begin with." Petrie said, crossing his arms from his perch on Cera. "You bullies."

"And we should take you seriously because you're so well spoken." Hyp said sarcastically.

"It's not about speaking, it's about not being mean." Ducky said. "And right now, you're being very mean to Ruby and Chomper, you are."

"We don't even meet you guys much, Hyp." Littlefoot asked. "Why are you so fixed on bothering us?"

Hyp rolled his eyes. "Geez, do we have to go through this again? We're bigger, we're smarter, so we have the right to order others around and show them their place. Duh. Isn't that the natural thing to do?"

"It sounds pointless to me." Cera said. "Why don't you go back to kicking around big rocks and other weird games? When you're doing that, at least you're stupidly likable."

Hyp bared his fists. "You're really asking for a pounding now, threehorn. Are you ready for it?"

"I'm ready if you're ready for a jab from my horn." Cera scraped a foot in the grass. "Do you want to risk the scars? I've broken many boulders with my horn, so you won't come out unscathed."

Hyp rolled his eyes. "Stop bragging. I doubt someone like you can slice me up. Geez, with how much you threehorns bang on about hating sharpteeth, you do like to brag about doing stuff those meat eaters usually do."

Nod and Mutt laughed, but a few members of the gang couldn't stop themselves from making a few amused breaths and squeaks. Littlefoot felt guilty that he had to resist the temptation to smile, but he couldn't deny that Hyp's observation wasn't that far off the mark. Glaring at her friends, Cera lowered her head and gave the grass another scrape.

"Well, one thing we threehorns can brag about that we have ourselves is that we have hardy heads," she said. "I can hit that small noggin of yours pretty hard. Do you want to risk the headache?"

"Oh, I'll give you a headache." Hyp said, incensed by the 'small' remark. He swung an arm demonstratively. "With a good right hook!"

"You think you can do that much damage?"

"Yeah, you'll not be able to think for days!"

"Bring it on, I can't wait to hear you whimper and cry after I fill your hand with-"

"What is all this racket?"

The children squealed and ducked as several rocks were thrown at them, narrowly missing their heads and arms. A few nicked Hyp's cheek and arms, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Hey, are you okay Hyp?" Nod asked.

"Don't baby me." Hyp said impatiently. "This is far from the worst scratches I – hey!"

A few more rocks came flying in, forcing them to dodge again. An elderly flyer was perched on a tall rock formation not that far off, still holding a handful of stones and glaring angrily with all the years he wore.

"You kids have no respect for the rest your elders need!" The elderly flyer shouted. "For Wing Father's sake, when it's morning, you keep your voices down. If you can't even do that simple courtesy, you'll face our wrath!"

"Pop it, old man!" Hyp snapped. "What flyer uses the phrase 'Wing Father' anyway? Why should anyone respect such a weirdo?"

"Oh, giving me lip will have consequences, boy!" The elderly flyer said. "I hear you're scared of flying rocks. Well, here come some more of them!"

The elderly flyer lobbed several more stones at the youths, unconcerned about whether they hit Hyp or not. The children yelped and cried out in dismay as they dodged. Hyp tripped and fell flat on his face while scrambling away. Mutt grabbed his hand to attempt to pull him up but Hyp wrenched his arm out with annoyance.

"Hey, I can get myself up," he said.

Hyp indeed got himself back on his feet but in the rain of stones, it was hard to stay balanced and uninjured for long. Eventually, they scattered from the area to get out of the line of fire. Hyp lingered long enough to point angrily at elderly flyer.

"Ah, who cares about a crazy coot anyway? Let's get out of here, gang!"

Littlefoot and the others eventually regrouped nearby a small pond, panting and sweaty. Littlefoot's tail tip twitched. Since yesterday, a bit of visible bruising had come in from its encounter with Dil's jaws. He now examined the tail tip with concern that it got additional damage from the elderly flyer's onslaught. But he shrugged with relief as he saw no new cuts or bruises. In the chaos, Chomper had almost forgotten how messy he was, but now he looked over himself and grimaced. In addition to the goopy strands being more spread around after running, some pebbles and small rocks have attached themselves to him.

"How am I going to get this stuff off me now?" Chomper muttered.

"We have some water to help wash it off, Chomper." Ruby said. "Here, let me help."

Ruby reached out, but Chomper stepped away to dab himself with water.

"I can do some of it myself," he muttered.

"I didn't say you couldn't." Ruby replied, wilting a bit. She sighed. "I know my suggestions aren't always good but we are both goopy, so I was suggesting we could become clean together."

Chomper stopped and gazed at Ruby's face, wincing guiltily before gently touching her hand. "Sorry."

Ruby smiled appreciatively. While the pair stood and helped wipe the goop off each other, Littlefoot sat down with the others and sighed.

"What's with them lately? I thought they really got better this time."

"Wait, you mean they went back to being mean before?" Chomper asked.

"Remember that story about when the Thundering Falls got blocked up?" Littlefoot asked. "Hyp and his gang were bothering us during that time but they became nicer after we unblocked the water and we did our first Time of Great Giving. I thought they learned their lesson but at some point they just went back to their old ways. It's confusing."

"It is." Petrie nodded. "Me thought they really changed after they help us with fast biter eggs, but it not stick either. Me thought when you grow up, you become better person, but it not happening for them."

"That is strange." Ruby murmured. "Then again, it isn't so strange for people to slide back as they grow up."

"That's kind of sad." Ducky said. "I mean, I kind of like them when they aren't being mean. Right, Spike?"

Spike nodded, looking morose Hyp and his friends couldn't just kick back and enjoy life in a manner that didn't hurt anyone but made others happy as well. Chomper also appeared faintly sad, as though letdown that his fledgling friendship with the trio, especially Mutt, didn't live up to its potential. Cera's surveyed the depressed reactions from the others and scowled.

"Look, maybe they will change for good, maybe they won't. I have my bets on won't. But being moody about it isn't going to make them turn over a new leaf any faster. Let's just have some fun today, okay?"

"That right." Petrie said. "This is job for their parents."

"And as we learned from Chomper, we're too young to be parents." Ducky chuckled. "So what do we play now?"

Chomper and Ruby cleaned up the last of the goop and walked over from the pond, a bit wet but otherwise clean. Chomper actually smiled at Ducky's silly comment while Ruby considered the question.

"How about something relaxing, like hide and seek?" Ruby said. "Okay, the seeker might not do much relaxing and the hider mightn't find hiding a relaxing thing to do but after all the running we did yesterday, I think we deserve the break."

"That sounds good to me." Cera said.

"Me second it." Petrie said.

"Eh, eh." Spike nodded, obviously eager for a game with the thrill of adventure minus all of the dangers that were usually packaged with it.

"I don't want to be the seeker, here." Chomper said. "I'm still tired. So who else should play?"

They considered the problem for a second. As one, everyone slowly turned toward Littlefoot with knowing smiles. Littlefoot stepped back.

"You want me to be seeker?" he asked. "But I'm tired too."

"You're the one with the clever brain though." Cera said. "If you're the seeker, hiding will be a lot more challenging."

Despite knowing he was being flattered, Littlefoot couldn't help perking up. "Oh…really."

"You help us outwit sharpteeth and all sorts of bad guys." Petrie said. "If you seeker, it be more fun. Scary…but fun."

"We'd have to find really good hiding places for you to find us." Ruby said.

"You would have fun too, Littlefoot." Ducky said. "C'mon, please? Please?"

"Please, please, please?" Chomper said.

The others walked toward him with wide pleading eyes. Littlefoot's resolve held until Spike gave his shoulder a few expansive licks, and he laughed.

"Alright, alright, I give up," he chuckled. "You sure know how to flatter. Now I know what Ducky felt when we asked her to lure that sharptooth into the pond."

"That's exactly where we got the idea to persuade you." Ducky teased. "Now go and start counting."

Littlefoot shook his head but smiled as he turned to press his nose against a tree.

"One treestar, two treestar, three treestar – I don't hear you running! – four treestar, five treestar…"

He heard the others hastily scramble away, the sound of their footsteps disappearing with the rustle of shrubbery and tumble of pebbles. He was surrounded by nothing but silence in the last ten treestars he counted down yet when he turned around, he was nothing but high spirits.

"Ready or not," he said with playful menace, "I'm going to find you!"

---

Ducky wasn't that far away when she heard Littlefoot's declaration. She stifled her giggles as she patted through bushes, attempting to find an opportune earthy nook or tree cubby to squeeze herself into. She loved the image of Littlefoot walking unsuspectingly by and getting startled by a "boo!" That would be a good laugh for everyone. She was so distracted by her mission, she didn't notice one of her sisters walking in from the perpendicular direction until she nearly bumped into her.

"Oh, hello." Ducky said, stepping back. "Nice to see you here. What are you doing?"

"Trying to find berries." Ducky's sister replied. Ducky recalled her name was Bitty. "They're going to be used to teach the younger set how to swim. I can't wait to be done with this."

"I know that feeling. Teaching others to swim is fun, but not as much fun as swimming with them without worrying if they flipped in the water or made funny faces because it was fun or because they don't know what they're doing."

There were giggles of agreement and Ducky found her spirits rising. She gave Bitty a considering look. Now that she thought about it, she remembered Bitty was a sibling from the second batch, particularly from her favored speckled egg that got taken by egg stealers and ultimately led them to hatching and becoming friends with Chomper. Ducky had enjoyed being with Bitty and her other new brothers and sisters but at some point she fell out of close contact with them in her many adventures with her friends. For most of the time, Ducky hadn't thought enough about it to be bothered by this arrangement with her family, simply enjoying the time she had with them. But her memory of her close brush of death with Ichy yesterday and her sad thoughts about the siblings she didn't get close too rose to prominence in her mind. Suppressing a wince, Ducky shook her head and forced a smile at Bitty.

"Hey, speaking of fun, maybe you can join me and my friends in hide and seek," she said eagerly. "Littlefoot is the seeker and we look enough alike that we can confuse him. Spike is also playing. It would be fun, it would."

Some of the energy left Bitty. "Uh, that does sound fun. But…" She hesitated, gazing around, suddenly unable to meet Ducky's eye. "As I said, we need to teach the younger ones how to swim and that'll take a while. Not to mention Cen promised to teach me to whistle another funny tune today and I don't want to break his promise. Sorry."

In spite of herself, Ducky deflated. "Oh." A brief second of awkward silence. Then, with an effort of cheer, she added. "Well, it's okay. Promises are important, so you should keep them with your brothers and sisters, you should, you should. Say hi to them for me. Maybe we can play some other time. You'll at least have excitement, oh you will."

Bitty perked up, buoyed by Ducky's encouragement. "Um…just as long as the only sharptooth that comes around to bring excitement is Chomper," she said with a giggle. "He's cute. Anyway, see you!"

Waving, she cheerily bounded off. Ducky watched her leave, feeling an unpleasant stinging in her stomach. It was understandable, she told herself. Bitty and her siblings had their own social lives, of course they wouldn't be available right off the bat and that didn't change how they still loved each other. Nevertheless, Bitty's hesitant reaction when Ducky brought the suggestion up hovered in her mind…

Ducky threw her concentration back to finding a hiding place. She poked around prospective plants, holes, and rocks in the area until she eventually chose a narrow tree with plenty of branches to get a good grip on. That would be a good place to scare Littlefoot, get the jump on him or go "boo," an undistracted part of her mind thought. She scaled the tree easily, almost like a lizard. It was a good workout, and she was making much progress. She was a swimmer by heart, but spending time with her friends had taught her how to climb with nearly as much skill.

But not perfect skill. She missed her next grab of a branch and shrieked as her balance on a lower tree limb wobbled. Before she could fall, a three-fingered hand grabbed her. With a great amount of effort, Petrie helped tug her up to the branch he was perched on.

"There you go," he gasped. "That close one. You should be more careful."

"Thank you Petrie." Ducky said.

She settled beside him. Normally, she would find something to say, especially since she really liked Petrie, but all she could think to do was kick the air distractedly. As the silence stretched on, Petrie glanced at her and fidgeted.

"You know, you not have to climb far. You could sit in leaves on branch above Littlefoot's head and he won't see you. Great place to give him a good scare. Me would find it funny."

"I know," she said mournfully. "I just kept climbing and before I knew it, I was high up. I wouldn't think to jump on him now, oh no, no, no."

Petrie hesitated, facing forward as his eyes darted to her. "Did – did something happen that make you want to be quite high?"

"I met one of my sisters." Ducky said. "I invited her to join the game, but she was busy."

"Ah, okay. That too bad but why it make you sad?"

"Because it's another sign my brothers and sisters don't seem willing to play with me when I'm with you guys."

"She say that?" Petrie said, surprised.

"She didn't say anything," Ducky sighed, "but she had the same expression my other brothers and sisters get when they do say something about it."

"Strange." Petrie murmured. "You all seem to get along. They don't look like they hate us."

"It's not that they hate you guys." Ducky said quickly. "They admire what we do, they do, they do. And they love being with me and Spike. We talk and play a lot when we're together. They find Spike so much fun to be with. It's just… they don't want to risk joining us just before we get involved in dangers."

"What? But we don't get involved in danger that often." Petrie protested. On further consideration, he sheepishly added. "Well, it sometime feel like we get in danger often…"

Ducky giggled. "Yeah, I feel like that sometimes too," she sobered up a bit. "But, well, all of that…the caves, the Mysterious Beyond, the sharpteeth…they don't think they could put up with that stuff. It's too scary and weird. So to avoid that, they don't hang out with us."

"Huh." Petrie scratched his head. He then admitted. "It is really scary to go on adventures with us. But me brothers and sisters like to talk about adventury things they do with friends after they get back to nest. That not like our adventures but…maybe your brothers and sisters only like to have adventures with friends. "

"That's just it." Ducky waved helplessly. "Many of them have friends but they don't wander far from home. It's always me and Spike that run off to be with you guys wherever you go. They don't always understand why we get involved in weird and dangerous things. Since it can be hard to talk about," she blew out a breath, "sometimes it feels like my family is only me, Spike, and Mama. I like all of them but I wish they can be closer to us, I do, I do."

"Oh." Petrie said. "Me never knew about this. It didn't seem to bother you before."

"It actually didn't." Ducky admitted. "I thought their refusal to join us was kind of funny at first and it was just silly preferences. But after that sharpbeak nearly got me yesterday, it made me think I really didn't get to know them."

"That is sad." Petrie said comfortingly. "You no need to stay with us all the time. You can have family time too."

Ducky welled up a smile. "Thank you, Petrie, but…when you have a lot of siblings, you need a lot of time to get to know them and that might mean me and Spike mightn't be with guys as much. We want to be with both our family and friends, but there isn't enough time and I don't want to have to ignore you guys, oh no, no, no."

"I see." Petrie said. He considered a thought. "How does Spike feel about this?"

Ducky shrugged, with flickers of fondness. "Oh, you know Spike. It does bother him a bit but he doesn't linger on his worries, oh no. He uses the time we have our brothers and sisters to play with them to the fullest. He doesn't much like the dangers we get into either, but he likes adventuring so long as it doesn't worry Mama too much."

"Me don't want to worry Mama much either." Petrie giggled a bit. Then he calmed and looked down sadly. "And about that ignoring thing. Well…uh…me do not want you or Spike to be away either."

"Exactly." Ducky gave another sigh. "Though it might be tough to get closer to them if I do spend more time with them anyway. Not all of them stay with Mama. Many of them stay with Papa. Mama seems sometimes sad that all of us aren't together but she also seems happy when only a few of my siblings are around. It's pretty rare when all of my brothers and sisters are together in one place. And whenever the two of us bring up our adventures with you guys, talking can become awkward. I know they all love me and Spike, and we love them, but that they aren't always interested in what we do…sometimes, family can be confusing. It is, it is."

"Yeah, it can be." Petrie then sighed. "Sorry."

Ducky blinked. "For what?"

"You having hard time with this brothers and sister issue, and me not know what to say to help. Me not doing good job at being friend."

"Oh, don't say that Petrie." Ducky said quickly, putting a companionable arm around him. "You're being a very good friend, you are. These issues are hard. I don't expect them to be fixed quickly. Just having someone to talk to about it helps a lot."

"Oh. Okay, then." Petrie said. "Me wish me can help you make it right so it won't make you sad."

"Don't worry," she patted his back. "It's sad but I can deal with it. I'm sure we'll find a solution at some point. It just takes time. I can still have fun before it's solved. I still have a lot of fun with my brothers and sisters and some of the best fun I have is with my friends, yep, yep, yep."

Petrie cautiously smiled. "Okay. If you sure."

Ducky leaned against Petrie, already feeling in higher spirits. She hadn't been lying to Petrie when she said merely talking about the problem made her feel better. As she learned from her tiff with Spike that terrible cold time, just being angry and not directly talking about the problem only made it worse. As she settled, though, she noticed he wasn't so at ease in ways that couldn't be attributed to his usual nervous nature.

"Uh Petrie, is something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it. Uh-" Remembering how Cera snapped at her when prodded too many times, Ducky hastened to add. "Not that you need to talk about it, you don't, but I'll try to help you like you tried to help me."

"It nothing." Petrie said hastily. He looked down. "Me was just thinking…at least you see them more often."

Ducky glanced at him curiously. "What do you mean? You see your brother and sisters a lot too. Do they still bother you?"

"No, they don't," he waved his hands with emphasis. "They not nearly as bad as they used to be. No, this more about-"

Just then a crested flyer sailed by high above, making a beeline for one of the distant Great Wall mountains. He was too far way for Ducky to glimpse particular details but Petrie seemed to recognize him. He jerked and quickly averted his eyes from the sky as the adult flyer disappeared out of sight.

"It about him." Petrie continued lowly. "Me Papa and Mama."

"That was your Papa?" Ducky asked, surprised. She eyed the sky, thoughtful. "Huh, I never really heard you talk much about him or even seen him before."

"That because he isn't around much." Petrie sighed. "Well, flyer fathers aren't around much but..."

"They aren't?" Ducky said, confused. "Wait, I don't think I've seen many flyer mamas and papas together before. What is up with that?"

"From what Mama says, many papa flyers think their only duty is to help make eggs and not get in way of the mamas. They don't see their duty is to be papa. Some nice about it and some don't care. Uncle Pterano didn't like that. He thought papas should be closer to the kids, and help the mamas." Petrie gave a bit of laugh. "It one of few things he actually wise about. Anyway, Papa not that bad. Me brothers and sisters can visit him a lot and he visits the nest to talk with Mama. He can be nice. But problem he not couple with Mama anymore. They…separated."

"Separated?" Ducky repeated. "You mean, not together, like Cera's Dad and Tria or like Littlefoot's grandparents are together? That separated?"

"Me know, it confusing." Petrie nodded. "Me can understand a new parent like with Cera, or a missing parent like with Littlefoot but a parent who don't want to be with other parent..." he shook his head. "They together before we got to valley. He liked us. But Papa and Mama argued a lot, about everything. He wanted me to practice flying more but Mama said some flyers struggle and need another approach, and Papa said it too dangerous to wait for that approach and…you get idea. By time we get to valley, Papa and Mama said they can't be together no more."

"I see." Ducky said. "I don't know how that feels but my parents aren't together much, even if they're still together, and that sometimes makes me sad. That must mean you're even sadder, but it didn't sound like it bothered you much before."

"It didn't." Petrie admitted. "Me was a bit sad but shrugged it off, as I had you as good friends. Sometimes brothers and sisters stay with him, or visit, but Mama so nice, me happy to just be with her. But few days ago, Papa stayed with us for long time, laughing and having fun. There some arguing but it still fun. By the time he left, me was sad. When me asked why he can't stay, she said it wouldn't be good for anyone."

"Why wouldn't it be good for anyone?" Ducky asked curiously. "If it'd make everyone happy, they could try it again, they could."

"That what me say, but she say there would only be fighting. She try to explain that some couples can't make up and remain couples but they still seem to get along. Me, you, and our friends fight and make up all the time, so why can't they? Me wonder what problem that cause them to split, if it have to do with me going missing but-" he waved in frustration.

"What would you going missing have to do with them…?" Ducky trailed off and then covered her mouth, "Oh, Petrie! Do you think it's your fault?"

Petrie shook his head. "Mama say me going missing only made them realize they can't work. Even Papa say not to blame myself. But that only more confusing. And all that confusion only remind me...me don't understand so many things. Me get scared and confused so easily. While on adventures me panic, you guys think of way out of dangers or show they aren't dangers at all. At home, if something weird or scary happen, me get scared while Mama keeps good head. She make mistakes like other parents but she make lots of smart decisions too, which helps me calm down so much. Me wish not to bother her with my stupid fears and be more like her, but me have hard time, especially with Papa issue. They seem more like bickering friends than couple, and with all of this being too sad and confusing…" he sighed. "This happen two days ago. Me thought that scary ghost thing would make me forget about it, but it won't go away."

Ducky stared at him thoughtfully. "Is that why you were so into exploring those caves yesterday? You seemed very interested in it – and tried to give ideas to escape when that sharpbeak found us."

"Yeah. Me was trying to not think about those problems and show me can have good ideas. It only made things worse though. It might have been better to not say anything at all. Me wish me can be smart and understand things like Mama and everyone does but sometimes I'm scared that'll never happen."

"Oh, Petrie, it will." Ducky said, patting him assuredly. "Don't put yourself down like that. You had a hard time learning to fly, but you fly so well now. You still get very scared but now you don't let that stop you from doing very brave things, including save me so many times. You'll get smarter too. We all will. We're smarter than we were when we first met, yep, yep, yep, and I'm sure we'll be smarterer when we grow up. I don't think you bother your parents as much as you think, but I'm sure one day you'll understand them and make them happy. Count on it."

Petrie welled up a smiled. "Thanks, Ducky. Me still not sure but…maybe we can both figure out our family issues."

"No problem." Ducky said. "If there's a way I can help a friend, I'm going to do it, I am, I am. I hope we can find a way to understand our families so we can have them understand our thoughts."

The pair remained silent for a moment, a bit higher in spirits but wondering how to resolve their problems involving families they so dearly valued. Then there was the distant sound of bushes being rustled and Littlefoot's voice called out.

"Are you there, Petrie? I know you're somewhere high, but I'll find you eventually."

Petrie gasped but quickly grabbed his beak. Ducky also covered her mouth. They stayed that away until the distant rustling quieted and uncovered their mouths with quiet giggles.

"Me forget we play hide and seek." Petrie said.

"We better be quiet or we would be founded, yes we will." Ducky then smiled. "Thanks for listening, Petrie. I do feel much better now, I do, I do."

"Me too. Talking to someone about problems can make you feel better. Anyway, let remember to play the game."

With that, Ducky and Petrie waited for Littlefoot to track them down, keeping a close watch of the ground or looking around at the skies, content to be in each other's presence and enjoy the nice day.

---

"No Spike there. Okay, then. Let's look for a bush with his teeth marks…"

Littlefoot swept his gaze around speculatively, attempting to see any green that was slightly off from the rest of his surroundings. By some unspoken agreement, the group usually only went so far before finding a hiding place. Not only would it be unfair for the seeker to have to trawl the whole valley for six of their friends, but having to run that far was a bother for the hiders too. Littlefoot had some confidence he could track them down. He vaguely heard the directions their feet disappeared off to and he was sure Spike went this way. Littlefoot's eyes settled on a big clearing in the distance.

"Maybe he's somewhere around there." Littlefoot said.

Littlefoot slinked there, keeping his ears peeled for any telltale chomping of a hungry spiketail. He already decided he didn't want to be out in the open where Spike could see him, so he searched around the clearing's edges. He was so focused on his query that he didn't realize there were people in the clearing until a stern voice came out.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to harass others, Hyp? Do you have any idea how this is making us look?"

Littlefoot froze for a moment and darted behind a particularly thick tree. He had no doubt what the argument was about and he had no intention of inflaming the matter any further by getting spotted by Hyp and his family.

"What – what are you talking about?" Hyp said with a bit of a tremor, intimidated by his father's tone.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Hyp's father snapped. "I heard about it all from that elder flyer Don. He was raving about it even before he landed to tell your mother and I. Bullying children…have you no shame?"

"Why should you believe him?" Hyp said hastily. "He's old, you know, he might be going senile. Not to mention he likes to say 'Wing Father' all the time. Can you really trust someone weird like that?"

"I don't care how weird he is." Hyp's father retorted. "He might be so curmudgeon he would only speak to us from a distance, but he was put together enough to tell an accurate tale about what you might be up to. Judging by your reaction now, he's right on the mark. You can't lie yourself out of trouble, Hyp. Why are you doing this to Littlefoot and those other kids? They have gone through enough without you adding more pain to their lives."

"I was just having fun." There was the surly sound of a pebble being kicked. "We only threw goopy Tree Sweets at them. Me and my friends do that sort of stupid stuff all the time. If we really wanted to mess with him, I'd pretend to be a sharptooth and snort up bones in front of him, that squirt really loves sniffing all the time."

There were a few snorts and intakes of breath, followed by a strangled pause.

"That – that's not the point." Hyp's father replied, voice wavering as though trying not to laugh. He forced anger back into his tone. "What you do with your friends is different from what you do to those kids. They don't want your pranks. They don't want your taunts. Yes, Don mentioned the taunts. What you three said to that Chomper child is cruel. I'm disappointed in you, Hyp. Why can't you be good like the other children?"

"Why do I have to be like the others?" Hyp muttered. "I thought growing up means becoming more of your own boss, but I'm still being bossed around like a baby."

"Because you're still acting like a baby." Hyp's father growled. "One day, you'll learn there's more to being an adult than being your own boss. I – we're tired of the complaints from the other parents. We didn't raise you to be this way and if you don't start changing your tune soon…"

The crack of something long and narrow hitting the ground followed, causing Hyp to yelp.

"Don't make me return to the tail." Hyp's father said quietly. "It doesn't fit this peaceful valley."

There was a tense, resentful silence. A third person in the clearing gave a worried, soft gasp and Hyp grunted with the quivering tone of someone unexpectedly massaging his back.

"Listen," said a strained, concerned voice that must be Hyp's mother. "We aren't asking you to change completely. You have positive qualities, ones we love – ones we see your friends adore about you…"

"Sometimes a bit too much." Hyp grumbled. "They're been starting to baby me too, asking if I'm okay or trying to help me up."

"Now that sounds like they want to be better friends to you. They're growing to care about you."

"They're so weird and embarrassed about it, it doesn't help much. It gets kind of suffocating."

"Still, isn't it nice that you're friends care enough to risk embarrassing themselves to try making you feel better? They could try to, erm, give you more room to breathe," The voice of Hyp's mother briefly wavered on the last word, "but at least they don't sound like they'll abandon you in distress.

Hyp reluctantly grunted, as though conceding and even finding some solace in her points. Hyp's mother decided to plow on

"Anyway, you have great positive qualities. Your wit, your energy…even that heart we occasionally get a peak of. We see how it brings joy to you and your friends. Just…leave the kids alone. They don't bother you, so you don't have to bother them. Please, consider our words. I don't know how much more of this we can take."

Hyp was quiet for a moment. "You're saying there are parts of me that are bad."

"Even the best of us have parts of ourselves that are less than favorable." Hyp's mother said hastily. "They only need to be tweaked…fixed. Something like that."

"Fix? Why do I need fixing?" Hyp stamped a foot angrily. "I'm never good enough. There is always something you want tweaked or fixed about me. Why don't you ask for a different son while you're at it, for all you're trying to change me?"

"Asking for you to change doesn't mean we're asking for a different son." Hyp's father said impatiently. "Don't try to twist her words, Hyp. You understand exactly what we're asking and you're being petulant about a reasonable request."

"You're always piling 'reasonable requests' on me." Hyp retorted. "When are you going to stop controlling me? It's like you want me to depend on you two for the rest of your lives. You're still my parents, but I'm not a hatchling to be ordered around anymore. If you refuse to understand that, then you're the petulant ones!"

"But you're not a grownup yet, either." Hyp's mother said. "Even then, you have to compromise and-"

"So what? You never have to compromise with me." After some hesitant silence, there was the grassy rustle of a foot. "Oh, not going to elaborate again? Coward."

"Watch your mouth." Hyp's father growled. "Don't take another step-"

"What, I can't even move without your permission? Fine, I'll be somewhere where you can't see me move!"

There was the stamping of feet in a westerly direction and Hyp left the clearing, his father's voice calling after him.

"Hyp, where are you going? Come back here this second, I mean it!"

"Oh, give it a rest dear." Hyp's mother sighed. "This is just leading to the same ineffective result."

"It used to lead to the effective result of keeping him in line." Hyp's father retorted. Quietly, he added. "Granted, he's still scared, but he didn't talk back like that before. He's getting used to the treatment. I don't want to be get harder on him but if he continues to bully these kids…"

"We shouldn't be going harder and harder in the first place." Hyp's mother said. "You don't mean to, dear, but…he interprets your strict concern as domineering, and since that's most of what he knows, he thinks he should relate to others by dominating them. He – he needs a different approach."

Hyp's father grunted. "What approach? I'm not denying a point is there, but if we go the nice route, he'll only take advantage of us. It's hard to trust him."

"I'm not saying we only do the nice route. I'm only…oh, I don't know. We need some way to teach him where the lessons will stick. I know the current way of doing things is a problem." There was a sound of frustration. "Oh, but I can't think of a solution. Just like always."

"Don't worry, we'll find a way." Hyp's father's tone turned gentle. "In the meantime, we have to be certain about some things when raising a child. Here, I try to follow my instincts. They tell me where I need to go, and now they say our son needs strict boundaries"

"But instincts can be wrong." Hyp's mother said softly. "You can be so certain you're doing the right thing, and then…I mean, Hyp seems certain about his actions. People have got hurt or worse by thinking they are right. I should know, my instincts nearly made me…" There was a shaky pause, and she rushed on as though to suppress an unpleasant memory. "How do we learn to know what to do so he'll learn to know what to do?"

Hyp's father grunted. "If we doubt our certainty too much, we won't get anywhere. It's because most of us migrating dinosaurs were so certain as a group that we made it to the Great Valley at all. Those who weren't…well, they followed Pterano. Anyway, let's go after Hyp. The lesson mightn't stick this time, but if we're consistent with him, then maybe someday he'll look back on what we did with understanding."

"I hope we're consistent on the right things. Oh, parenting is such a challenge…"

With a strained yet concurring sigh, Hyp's father led his mate out of the clearing. Littlefoot stayed where he was, listening to their footsteps vanish in the same direction as their son's, absorbing everything he had overheard with a heavy heart.

*I thought Hyp and his parents were getting along better.* Littlefoot thought. *Why are they fighting again?*

With this family conflict on his mind, his enthusiasm for hide and seek waned. He continued searching for his friends but it became little more than rudimentary. He wandered around a collection of boulders and wasn't watching where he was putting his feet. One foot caught on the edge of an oddly shaped large rock, and he stumbled. The rock yelped.

"Ow! Watch where you're going?"

Littlefoot swiveled his head and blinked. "Cera?"

"Littlefoot – oh, I was…"

A brown form rose up on legs and turned around, blinking green eyes at him. Cera stood there, slicked from head to toe with mud, agog that Littlefoot had discovered her. He examined her, confused himself.

"Why are you covered in mud?" he asked.

"Um, only because…" Cera averted her gaze. "Tria told me how she disguised herself as a rock with mud during our trips to the mud pool, so I got the idea to try it out myself with a nearby mud pit. I thought it'd be a good way to trick you and…" she looked up. "What are you smiling for?"

"Oh, nothing." Littlefoot looked away, but his soft smile remained. "I just think it's nice you're so close to Tria now. From how you first reacted to her, I wouldn't have ever thought you'd take up ideas from her."

"She can have her good ideas." Cera said defensively. "She says she almost never got found. You have to admit, the idea was impressive. But…" she trailed off, grumbly.

Littlefoot grinned slowly. "But I still found you."

"What a victory." Cera rolled her eyes. "The great Littlefoot, clever enough to drown a sharptooth, found me by accident because he didn't look where he was going. I'd hold back from bragging if I were you."

Littlefoot laughed. "Alright, you got me there. Let's go find the others. And while we're doing that, I'll tell you what I overheard…"

After Cera washed off the mud, Littlefoot informed her about Hyp's argument with his parents while they searched for their friends. He began to repeat himself when he found Spike but Cera put her foot down and said she refused to have the tale regurgitated five times in a row, so he was compelled to put the story on hold until he found everyone. That forced Littlefoot to work a bit harder on the game, and he began to track down the rest of the others. It took a few hours, but he at last found Ruby hiding among some vines of sweet bubbles, having already helped herself to some of them. The sight of their normally whimsical but insightful friend tangled in vines and with sweet bubble juice around her beak caused a gale of good-natured laughter. After looking confused a bit, Ruby cottoned on and joined in. After that levity, the gang settled in tired but attentive as they listened to Littlefoot's story.

By the time Littlefoot had finished, there was a range of reactions, from fascination to confusion to boredom. Littlefoot rolled over and contemplated how to amend his tale.

"I feel kind of sorry for them." he said. "I mean, they do love each other, but all they seem do is fight, fight, fight. It'd be sad if they'll always be like that."

"Come on Littlefoot, we've been over this." Cera replied. "Some people take forever to change and some never do. We don't need to be everyone's hero."

"Besides, I'm sure Hyp's parents will try to work something out, they will." Ducky said. "We just need to let them."

"Not to mention that people can change in strange ways during the Time of Great Growing." Ruby said. "They don't always want to go with the ways of their parents and that can make relations to those parents difficult. I'm sure Hyp's relations with his family will work out before or just as he becomes a grownup, just as it often happens with other people and their parents."

Littlefoot suppressed a wince. His friends were fortunate. If his grandparents could live on long enough to his first few years of adulthood, it would be a miracle. Even if they did last that long Littlefoot didn't much like the thought of spending their last years clashing with them over this or that disagreement, making them unhappy and potentially spoiling their bond with him. Quickly, he shoved that thought aside.

"I know. I know all of that. It's just…" Littlefoot sighed. "It makes me wonder...if Mother was still around, would I fight with her as much. She just accepted everyone stayed with their own kind. If I hung out with you, maybe she wouldn't like it."

There was an awkward silence.

"I mean, she can't be that bad." Cera said. "She went out of her way to save me. I'm sure she would have been fine with us."

"She also visit you as ghost." Petrie said. "If she have problem, she would have said something."

"Besides, I'm sure you two could have patched things up like me and Spike did during that white sparkly cold time." Ducky said. "We love each other very much and fixed our problems, we did, we did. You and your mother love each other too, so the same thing would have happened."

Spike nodded and bayed at Littlefoot, normally laidback eyes filled with the reassurance that came with that difficult experience. Littlefoot smiled, his chest warmly soothed by his friends' words.

Ruby rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Your grandparents parent you. Don't you sometimes fight with them?"

"A bit," Littlefoot admitted, "but they're so patient it takes the fight out of you. They really try to help me when I have a problem. Even when they're wrong, I can't stay mad at them for long. They're nice and gentle…sometimes even fun," he smiled softly. "I'm really glad to have them."

"Good for you." Cera said. "Some of us have to deal with parents who aren't so serene."

"Ooh, that really true for your dad." Petrie said.

"Budge off! He's the dad I have," she sobered up. "You're also the friends I chose to have. Me and Dad fought about that a lot after we came to the valley. He thought you guys were a bad influence but I didn't want to stick with only threehorns. You should have heard us shout. But I could out-stubborn him. Eventually, he stopped arguing with me and just accepted I wasn't going to leave you guys anytime soon."

"I did notice he went from being interested in protecting you to protecting all of us." Ducky said.

"He will even protect me." Chomper said. "And we all know what he thinks of me."

"Tria doesn't seem like the arguing type," Ruby said, "but now I say it, you will say you do argue with her."

"Not by much." Cera replied. "We got into tiffs when she tried to help me with my problems in the beginning but that didn't last long. She really wants to fit in," she smirked. "She asked for ramming lessons from Dad since she wanted to better protect us. Dad objected but Tria said, 'since I'm going to be part of this family, I might as well prepare for this family's unique challenges,' or something like that."

"She's got a point, she does." Ducky said. "We do find ourselves in danger a lot, right Spike."

Spike nodded, not looking at all pleased that was the case but resigned to that fact. Ducky fidgeted.

"Yep, yep, yep, our mama doesn't like the danger we get into either," she said. "She didn't stop us from going to you guys as much but she always asked about where we got up to and if it was safe. It kind of got annoying, but we understood. It's stressful enough to look after all our brothers and sisters, without having to worry about some of us getting into extra danger. She still worries but likes we have such good friends."

"Uh-huh." Spike concurred, smiling softly at the thought of Mama Swimmer's acceptance of their friendship with Littlefoot and the others. He had looked troubled when Ducky explained how their mother worried and that emotion receded but didn't totally disappear from his eyes.

"Same with my mama." Petrie said. "She don't really yell much but she explain how she worry about danger we get up to. She sometime ask me to take break from you guys but me refuse. If you guys get in trouble…but she no do that much anymore. She proud of me and say me blossom when me with you guys. She now argue if me eating right or flying right or other stuff instead. "

"I don't know what I'd talk about now with my mommy and daddy," Chomper chuckled. "I'm sure they'd be very worried if they knew what I got up to with you guys. When I was with them, they sometimes scolded me when I wandered off or did something weird like speak leaf eater with what was supposed to be our food. I think some of my weirdness did bother them. But they were more bothered that my weirdness may get me into trouble someday and they were scared that if I did get into trouble, they might not be able to do anything to protect me…" he trailed off, sad and concerned. "I love them but I hope they know I'm doing okay."

"Parents do like to argue because they worry." Ruby said. "I guess arguing is part of being a parent. Most of my arguments with my parents was arguing about where I should or shouldn't go. I sometimes talk back to them with what I know but they usually talk back with what they know, and since they know more than I know, I usually give in to them. All of this is done out of love, even if it's an annoying kind of love. I'm sure Hyp's parents are annoying him because they love him in the same way."

"Yeah, but even Cera doesn't argue with her parents that much." Littlefoot said. "We do get along a lot of the time. Hyp and his parents seem to be arguing a lot of the time. I'm sure they love each other but if there are no positive moments, well…how terrible would it be if one of them died and the last thing they did was argue."

There was nervous shifting. Many of them imagined the arguments they got into with their guardians and how they would feel if the guardians had dropped dead the next day. Some worried about dying themselves and how their guardians would cope if the last conversation was all negativity. Spike shuddered and gave an upset groan, either concept the worst that could happen to his mother, who already had enough to deal with. Cera shook her head as though throwing off a shiver and sighed expansively.

"Look, he's a creep but we won't let him die if we can help it, and neither would his parents. It's as Ruby said, they'll manage to get along with him at some point. I mean, my dad and your grandpa get along better now and they used to be at each other's throats. It's not going be all doom and gloom as you imply it to be."

"I know." Littlefoot admitted. "Still, I know not everyone ends happily…"

"Hey," Cera nudged closer and met his eyes encouragingly, "even after everything we've went through, you're happy now right?"

Littlefoot thought about it, and slowly smiled. "You're right. I hope things will work out."

"They will, they will, you'll see." Ducky said. She looked up at the sky, noting the sun's early afternoon position. "Anyway, it looks like it's time for our trip home now. It's been a bit sad, with this Hyp talk and other stuff but," she smiled, "we had a lot of fun today, we did, we did. Let's remember that so our parents don't see us coming back depressed, okay?"

"Even if depressing thing is something worrying like ghosts?" Petrie asked.

They all faltered, eyes lowering to rove the grass. After escaping that cave, the gang didn't know what to make of the impossible adventure they had been a part of. As they ate to restore much spent energy, they decided with only a few mumbled words to not talk about it and resume (albeit far more sedate) playing for the rest of the day. There had been so much fear and sadness during those claustrophobic-filled hours, they had to occupy themselves with joy and silliness to balance it out. They even didn't want to tackle it today, after the nightmares and disturbed rest originating from that experience. However, what happened in those caves were too monumental for them to ignore and it was clear they had to discuss it.

"Should we tell them about it?" Littlefoot asked. "The ghost. I mean, that's a big thing."

"Of course not." Cera said. "I mean, who really believes ghosts exist? They'll just think we're having a laugh."

"They might want to know about the bellydragger and sharpbeak that nearly got into the valley." Ducky said. "The bellydragger might come back, she might."

"And sharpbeak might make up with bellydragger and help her or any other meat eater." Petrie said nervously. "He ghost, he could stick around. He can no hurt anyone now but he can help people that hurt us. Should we talk about that?"

"Maybe." Ruby said dubiously. "But who says a ghost can stick around? From how the sharpbeak talked, he thought this was the end for him. That could be because there are things you can't do as a ghost you can do in a body but it might be because he knew in some way he'll fade away. He was still a ghost when only the bellydragger could, erm, technically see him and he believed he was still alive. Maybe you and your friend thinking you're alive keeps you there, but when you and your friend find out you're not alive, that leaves you no choice but to fade away."

Chomper nodded. "That makes sense. Uh, as much as ghosts can make sense. If you're a ghost and can stick around, why do you need to be invisible and think you're not dead?"

"I think the bellydragger could still return." Ducky said. "We just shouldn't mention the ghost part, oh no, no, no. Uh, we might need to mention the bellydragger's blind as a way to stop her, so we can't leave the sharpbeak out entirely…"

"We could say we couldn't see the sharpbeak because the caves were dark and his attempt to get us killed him, causing the bellydragger to leave." Littlefoot said slowly. "But then they'd worry about us for some other reason. Besides, without the sharpbeak…I don't think the bellydragger is coming back. I don't believe she wants to return to the place where she learned she killed her friend. Even if she did, she is too blind to find her way back and navigate those tunnels. We blocked the only known route to the surface, so she'd starve before she'd find a way out."

"So that's one problem likely down." Ruby said. "But there is still the problem of what the appearance of a ghost likely means."

"How do we know it means anything?" Cera said impatiently. "For all we know, it could be some kind of fluke. Random, weird things happen in the world all the time. It doesn't mean there's a pattern to worry about."

"Littlefoot's mother did appear to him as a spirit." Chomper said thoughtfully. "It wasn't random, but I never heard about it happening before."

"That is true." Littlefoot said reluctantly. "Still…"

"Hey, if we insist that we saw ghosts, our parents will think something's wrong with our brains." Cera said. "That'll give them something else to worry about, and we'd probably won't be allowed to go anywhere until they're sure we're alright," she gave them a sharp look. "They're not going to believe us unless they see a ghost personally, so we shouldn't even bother. You know there's a reason why we didn't bring up Chomper to our parents until we were forced to when he and Ruby appeared."

"If we did bring it up, it might have been easier for them to settle here." Littlefoot then sighed. "But I guess you're right. We have only our word, and we don't know what the ghost appearance means. It might be best not to bring it up so we don't worry our folks. Not to mention they won't be happy that we got ourselves into danger again."

"That's an understatement." Cera snorted. "They won't even be happy we drove those two predators off."

"Yeah, they say they would have starved in caves anyway." Petrie said. "Well, they might have but…"

"It might be best not to get in trouble at all." Ducky said. "Besides, I'd prefer our folks only worry about ordinary stuff rather than freaky stuff, I do, I do."

Spike nodded, becoming pensive at the thought of what their parents might be like if they knew what they were up to.

"So we all seem to be in agreement, then. We won't tell our folks about this." Littlefoot said. Then he sighed. "That is for the best, I guess. Hopefully, we can hide this well, and they won't then worry we're up to something."

"Chomper and my folks aren't here to be worried," Ruby said. "So we don't have to worry about worrying them, until we are with them at least."

"Yeah." Chomper said. "I can imagine how much my parents would freak if they found out what happened."

"Probably not as much as Tria and especially Dad would." Cera said wryly.

"I don't know, Cera." Chomper replied, with a flicker of a grin. "After being around your parents for this long, I can say my parents would join your dad in scolding us. They can be pretty harsh."

Cera rolled her eyes. "Now you're sounding like Hyp," she then snorted, amused. "Still, that's a good one. My dad, teaming up with your parents. I almost want to tell him that, to see how he reacts to being told he has things in common with sharpteeth."

The others laughed. The mental image of Mr. Threehorn sputtering in baffled annoyance at the comparison was very amusing. It was the welcome levity they needed. With laughter and good spirits back in place, Littlefoot and the others began their journey home. They didn't get far, though. A set of bushes rustled ahead and Nod and Mutt walked out, glancing around anxiously. Both groups stopped dead upon setting eyes on each other.

"Oh. It's you guys." Mutt said.

"Going to start something about it?" Cera said.

The two groups glared, body language tense. After several seconds, Nod was the first to break eye contact.

"Not now. We're kind of busy."

"We're looking for Hyp." Mutt elaborated.

"Oh, I heard him arguing with his parents in that clearing a bit far back." Littlefoot said. "He ran off in the direction where the bright circle sets, though I don't know where he is now exactly."

For some reason, Nod widened an eye quizzically at Littlefoot's answer, but only grumbled. "Well, that ain't much help."

"He's arguing with his dad again?" Mutt mumbled. "I hope he's okay."

"You hope?" Littlefoot repeated, tilting his head to the pair. His eyes became both sad and relieved. "So, at least you two care about Hyp."

Nod squirmed uncomfortably. "Hey, care mightn't be the right word…"

"Ooh." Cera slowly smirked. "Do you two just so happen to love Hyp?"

"They love Hyp, they love Hyp!" Petrie sing-songed.

Ducky giggled. "I think that's very cute, I do, I do."

Littlefoot and the others laughed teasingly at Mutt and Nod, who were trying to force down their blushes and not look mortified. Nod shook his head.

"Oh, come on Mutt," he said. "We aren't going to find out what happened with Hyp by standing here, that's for sure."

And the pair walked passed, resolutely ignoring Littlefoot and the others. Calming down from the laughter, Littlefoot thought to shake his head and move on when a voice called out.

"Why are you guys such jerks again?"

The pair turned back at Cera's question. She stared at them seriously.

"Seriously, you were alright after the first Time of Great Giving and in that fast biter egg adventure Littlefoot told me about. You seemed on your way to becoming better people. I don't care that much that didn't pan out but my friends are saps and it really upsets them. So tell us – why go back?"

The gang surveyed Cera, in turn surprised and touched. Mutt and Nod stared at Cera with blank bemusement, as though she grew a second head.

"What are you on about?" Nod said. "I don't remember us being chummy during those times."

Mutt nodded rapidly. "And if we were, it was probably because it would get us out of dying. You seem to be experts in that."

"I don't believe it." Chomper said fiercely. "You were really nice and friendly to us after that egg adventure, all of you. There was nothing fake about it."

"And there nothing fake about how you acted after you helped us free the Thundering Falls." Petrie said. "Me start to actually like you guys."

"We don't remember anything about becoming softies to you lot." Nod said shortly. "Stop confusing us."

"Yeah, if I want mind teases, Hyp would come up with one." Mutt said.

"Why are you guys friends with Hyp anyway?" Ruby said. "He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be friendly to you."

Nod and Mutt glanced at one another as they considered this inquiry.

"Well, he's exciting." Mutt shrugged. "I never know what we're going to do next with him. We might kick around a rock or mess with you guys in funny ways. It might hurt sometimes, but I don't care. He also makes me laugh."

"Me too." Nod agreed. "We share the same rough sense of humor. It's great."

Mutt nodded distantly. "He makes the funnier jokes, though."

"Yeah…wait, no!" Nod then glared. "I make great jokes too."

"Well, they're okay." Mutt said distractedly. "They're just not the Hyp kind of okay."

Nod grounded his teeth. "Well, you're no better. You barely keep up with agreeing with us."

Mutt stiffened. "At least I don't say whatever he says like a talkback."

"You want to make a fight about it?"

"Yeah, maybe I will!"

The pair brought their heads close together and growled under their breath. Littlefoot and the others decided Nod and Mutt were no longer in the mood to talk further and slinked off before they became the victims of misdirected anger.

"I don't know about you, but I have had enough drama for one day." Cera muttered.

"Agreed." Chomper paused. "Thanks, Cera."

"For what?" Cera asked.

"For standing up for us, and asking what happened." Chomper said.

"Yeah." Littlefoot said. "We know you don't care that much about them, so we appreciate it."

"Hmpth." Cera looked away, a bit pleased. "Well, they had it coming. I don't like people messing with my friends," she smirked, "not least because the only person who can mess with you guys is me."

The others laughed, and Chomper shook his head fondly.

"And I have a lot of experience with that," he said.

Ducky giggled. "We all do, yep, yep, yep."

"It is what make you you. Sometimes, you make it fun." Petrie chuckled. He spread his wings out. "Anyway, see you later. Hopefully, we have more fun then."

"Yeah, I'll try not to bring up anything too depressing." Littlefoot said. "Bye!"

They bade farewell to each other and went their separate ways to their homes. Littlefoot walked slowly, mind going back to Hyp and his posse's reversion. Something didn't settle right about Hyp's family argument and that recent talk with Nod and Mutt. They clearly remembered going through freeing the Thundering Falls and moving the fast biter eggs from the valley. It would be one thing if they dismissed the lessons they learned from those adventures but to have no recollection of those lessons just didn't seem to fit with any sort of backsliding…

The topic receded from his thoughts somewhat when he finally came upon his grandparents eating from a tall tree. His spirits lifted to see they appeared to be enjoying their meal and that their postures were relaxed as they easily ripped treestars from the branches. Good, he thought. They were as healthy as always.

"Hello, Littlefoot. Have you had a fun with your friends?" Grandpa Longneck said. "I hope that tail injury didn't get in the way."

Littlefoot rolled his eyes fondly. "I told you, it was fine. The rocks from the Great Wall didn't hit the tip that hard." He waved his tail about for illustration. "See? It still moves like normal. I barely feel any pain now and that'll be gone by tomorrow. Nothing to worry about."

"Alright, alright." Grandpa Longneck chuckled. "Still, you can't blame us for being concerned about every scrape and bruise you get. It's a parent thing. So, what games did you play?"

"Oh, hide and seek." Littlefoot replied. "It was tiring, but finding out the silly ways my friends hid make it all worth it in the end."

"That sounds very entertaining." Grandma Longneck said. "I wish we could have joined in but when you grow to a certain size, it's kind of hard to find a hiding place where some part of you isn't sticking out."

Grandpa Longneck smiled. "Oh I don't know, Grandma. I managed to hide just fine from a sharptooth during that Bron rescue escapade. We still have it in us, we just need to try more. It certainly would be useful in evading Mr. Threehorn when he's in one of his moods."

In spite of himself, Littlefoot laughed. Grandma Longneck tried to look disapproving but her lips twitched and she too was soon chuckling. Grandpa Longneck's gentle laughter joined in.

"If the opportunity presents itself, let's not make it too obvious." Grandma Longneck said when she calmed down. "That would only drive up his temper even more."

"Don't worry, I'll keep that in mind." Grandpa Longneck replied. He smiled at Littlefoot. "Perhaps we might join you in one of these games after all. It's not too excruciating to hide."

"It is excruciating to find people." Littlefoot then said eagerly. "I'd love for you two to join though. It sounds like fun! I'll bring it up to the others later. I'm sure they won't mind, but they might find it a bit weird. Not all parents are willing to do that…"

Littlefoot fell into a sad silence. His grandparents looked at each other and brought their heads closer to him.

"Did something happen today?" Grandma Longneck asked.

"I overheard Hyp arguing with his parents." His grandparents stirred at the last word, but Littlefoot continued. "They were angry at him for bullying us again. When they tried to press him to change, Hyp ran away," he sighed. "They don't seem like a happy family."

"Many families try to be." Grandpa Longneck said. "Hyp is a difficult child. It can be hard to know what to do as a parent, so arguments can be frequent. I'm sure there is love but they might find it hard to communicate. They will probably settle it sooner or later…it just needs time."

"I know. It's just…what if Mother and I were always arguing like that? If the last thing we said to each other before she died was something terrible, I would feel horrible forever."

"Oh, Littlefoot." Grandma Longneck sighed. "If that happened, we hope you would learn to forgive yourself. Your mother wouldn't want you to carry that pain for the rest of your life. It's sweet you sympathize with Hyp despite what he does but you have to trust things will get better."

"In our first several interactions with Mr. Threehorn, you probably thought we would never get along." Grandpa Longneck said. "Now…we still argue, but we cooperate much better. The same will happen with Hyp. You have seen the potential he and his friends have. It will stick someday."

"If you say so." Littlefoot said. He smiled wryly. "I bet that's what his mother and father say to themselves every day when dealing with him. Being a parent sounds hard."

His grandpa and grandma gained odd, confused expressions.

"Did you just say…his mother and father?" Grandma Longneck said slowly.

"Um, yeah." Littlefoot replied, bemused. "That's why I said parents earlier, as in more than one. His father wanted to be strict with him and his mother wanted to take another route. It sounded like they argued about that a lot."

"That can't be." Grandpa Longneck murmured. "She – she really has come back?"

"Hyp's mother?" Littlefoot was bemused. "I didn't know she ever left."

His grandparents began to look uncomfortable.

"It's as you say, parenting can be hard." Grandma Longneck said. "Many never know of the challenges until they face them. While we journeyed to the Great Valley, Hyp's mother was one of the greater examples of this. Whenever we heard from that family, there was always shouting, always a disagreement. Hyp's father would discipline him – occasionally in ways we didn't approve of but we didn't feel it appropriate to intrude – and Hyp's mother would object, and try to think of another way to parent Hyp."

"But he didn't always listen to her either." Grandpa Longneck sighed. "She could see a problem but had trouble coming up with a solution, especially when under pressure. The stress of arguing with her mate and son was straining for her. Still, she tried to remain faithful. She loved them and tried to stick by them. In the end, though, she found the stress too much. After one argument too many, she walked away from them and left the herd."

"Wait, you mean she left her mate and Hyp?" Littlefoot said, eyes wide. "She left being a parent? I mean, I hear that can happen but – really?"

"Unfortunately." Grandpa Longneck replied. "In a better world, she would get the support she needed and learn how to adapt to the stresses of relationships and motherhood. But they didn't want much help. She was quite lost and wanted a way out. Hyp and his father seemed saddened and guilty over what happened but Hyp's father put on a stiff upper lip and Hyp covered up his feelings by resenting her."

"She wanted to start over." Grandma Longneck said. "We advised her against separating from the herd. There was plenty of room in the Great Valley to give herself space. But she felt even living in the same place as Hyp and her mate would remind all of them too much of the pain of her failures. She thought if she could cut off all contact, she could really think clearly, figure out who she was and what to do next. If she's become comfortable enough with herself to come back, that is good news indeed except…"

"What?" Littlefoot asked. "What's so bad about her coming back?"

"It's nothing bad, just peculiar…" Grandpa Longneck frowned. "An unsettling rumor floated about for a while that someone resembling her had washed up from a river. When they shook her, she never woke up."

"You mean she's dead? No, that can't be true, I definitely heard her voice and I – I …"

Littlefoot trailed off and his grandparents glanced at him, confused. Color slowly drained from his face as his mind made two connections: one, Hyp's mother's mention of what her instincts nearly made her do and the news she left her family; two, her nervousness around the mention of breathing and the rumor of her drowning. Littlefoot remembered how Nod also reacted oddly when the former brought up Hyp's parents in the plural sense. And there was one other detail, previously unnoticed but now very important…

"I only heard her voice," he said quietly.

"Is something the matter, Littlefoot?" Grandpa Longneck asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing," Littlefoot said, as though his voice belonged to someone else. He staggered back slowly. "I just…need to go…right now. I won't be long."

Littlefoot turned and ran, not hearing his grandparents call his name. There was a rushing sound in his ears. This can't be real, Littlefoot thought. There must be some mistake, some misunderstanding. But even if there was some chance this might be true...he had to find out. He charted a course to the west, the direction he heard Hyp and his parents went, hoping they didn't radically change course and that he could run across them before anything significant happened.

He slowed in an open area dotted with trees and bushes where several dinosaurs were eating and relaxing. Panting, he swept his gaze about, on the lookout for anyone who was grey and bipedal.

"Where. Where are they?"

As he moved at an urgent pat, a few voices to his left started becoming tangible.

"…maybe I went too far with that 'coward' remark." Hyp's voice mumbled, reluctantly but some genuine regret escaping through. "I…apologize."

"That's okay, Hyp." Hyp's mother replied comfortingly. "We remember how trying being your age was. That's normal. The thing to do is to improve from your mistakes, and I'm glad you just tried to do that."

Littlefoot swiveled his head to see a small clump of bushes not far off, a bit packed together but not enough that he didn't see the wave of a grey tail. Littlefoot moved quickly, sliding through the bushes quietly enough that he got a second's glimpse of Hyp hesitantly smiling with tentative warmth to his left. Then Hyp looked around when Littlefoot came in, and the former's expression crumpled.

"Oh, it's you." Hyp said miserably. "What do you want?"

"Don't be rude, Hyp." Hyp's father said sternly. "Don't you have something to say to Littlefoot?"

Hyp glared behind himself before he reluctantly straightened from where he slumped next his parents and walked over to Littlefoot. Hyp struggled to keep eye contact.

"Sorry…about this morning," he muttered.

"There Hyp. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

There was a patting sound and Hyp flinched, grunting with the quivering tone Littlefoot now recognized as coming from an unexpected cold tough. Nevertheless, he relaxed like under the comforting contact of his mother, much of his resentment draining away. Nervously, Littlefoot's eyes flicked over Hyp's shoulder. On one side, Hyp's father stood, arms crossed, expression grimly satisfied. The voice of Hyp's mother came from the other side and Littlefoot carefully looked in that direction.

There was no one there.

"We're sorry for the trouble our son caused." The voice of Hyp's mother continued. "We had been talking to him about that when he ran off."

"But he has run off enough times that we know how to track him down." Hyp's father said. "We'll try to make sure he doesn't harass you children again."

Littlefoot didn't respond. He simply stared at the empty spot where Hyp's mother was speaking, attempting to align what his ears were picking up with what his eyes were seeing. The silence caused Hyp to fidget.

"So what did you come here for?" Hyp said. "Were you going to squeal on me, or something?"

Hyp's father gave him a warning look but as the silence stretched on, even he was becoming concerned. He glanced at where Hyp's mother stood and back to Littlefoot.

"Is something the matter, Littlefoot?" Hyp's father asked.

Littlefoot stirred. He took in Hyp, who had relaxed from his mother's touch. Littlefoot saw how comfortable Hyp's father was next to his mate. Unbidden, a memory rose of the horrified, heartbroken screams of two predators as they learned of an irreversible, awful truth.

"No. Nothing's wrong." Littlefoot found himself saying. "I was just worried about Hyp and wanted to make sure he was alright."

Hyp gave him a confused, suspicious look. Littlefoot tried not to react. There was an appreciative sound.

"That's sweet of you, Littlefoot." Hyp's mother's said. "Fortunately, we have reached an understanding here."

"We have everything under control." Hyp's father said. "Thank you for your concern. Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Nothing." Littlefoot said. "Only…you're fortunate to have each other. I'll be on my way."

Littlefoot turned to leave before they had a chance to react. It was better this way, he thought. This was a second chance for them. With her back in the picture, maybe the three could work through their issues. Hyp's mother could become a parent who had a better idea of what to do. Hyp's father could learn to be gentler with those he loves. And Hyp could let go of his resentments and become the happy, cheeky person Littlefoot had caught glimpses of. So what if one of their own was a ghost? If it meant that they would become a happy family, Littlefoot would keep their secret forever if he had to…

Littlefoot didn't take more than a few steps when he looked up and, with a thrill of shock, jerked to a stop. His grandparents were in front of him, surveying him and Hyp's family with great concern.

"Hello there, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck." Hyp's father greeted. "What brings you here?"

"Littlefoot suddenly ran off after expressing some concern for your family." Grandpa Longneck replied. "It was very odd, so we decided to follow to make sure he was okay."

*Oh, no.* Littlefoot thought. In his panic over the revelation Hyp's mother could be a ghost, he hadn't considered how concerning his visible shock and abrupt departure would be to his grandparents. Finding them here in front of Hyp's family was the last thing he expected, or needed in this delicate situation.

"And I'm okay." Littlefoot said quickly. "Anyway, we shouldn't bother them. Let's go home, Grandpa, Grandma."

Littlefoot made the air of walking away but Grandpa and Grandma Longneck stayed where they were, their eyes searching the small enclosure Hyp's family was in.

"I hope we aren't being intrusive but we thought we heard wonderful news for your family." Grandma Longneck said delicately. "Has…Hyp's mother really returned?"

"Returned?" Hyp's father repeated. "She has been here for a long time."

"Oh, so we missed her reappearance." Grandpa Longneck said. "Perfectly understandable. Where is she now, though? If she is willing, we want to become reacquainted with her. It's been a while since we talked."

Hyp and his father stared at Grandpa and Grandma Longneck in confusion. The voice of Hyp's mother hesitantly spoke.

"Um, I don't believe it has been that long since we talked."

Littlefoot's grandparents gazed in the voice's direction and only found empty air. Their gazes searched the nearby foliage.

"Oh, is that you?" Grandma Longneck asked. "Well, it has been a long time from our point of view."

"Where are you?" Grandpa Longneck said. "May you come out where we can see you?"

Feeling a bit panicked, wanting to rectify this terrible mistake he made, Littlefoot walked over and nudged his grandfather's leg urgently.

"Let's go!" he said. "The bright circle will be down any time now."

"Why are you in such a hurry to leave, Littlefoot?" Grandma Longneck said distractedly. "Grandpa's right. Come, now. You don't need to hide from us."

"But…I'm not hiding." Hyp's mother said. "I'm standing over here."

"If you're not hiding, I'd hate to see you actually be stealthy." Grandma Longneck replied. "Seriously, you can come out now."

"Is your sight going or something?" Hyp demanded. "She's standing right over there, next to Dad!"

He gesticulated to a spot of grass not that far from his father, appearing stunned he had to point this out. For several seconds, Littlefoot guiltily hoped that his grandparents might think their sight really was going or that Hyp's mother was still hiding for some reason and take themselves elsewhere. But Grandpa and Grandma Longneck surveyed the spot Hyp indicated with increasingly baffled expression before they shook their heads.

"I'm sorry." Grandpa Longneck said. "I don't know what you're seeing but…no one's there."

Hyp and his parents were quiet for several moments.

"This isn't very funny." Hyp's mother said, confused and nervous. "Stop this joke. It's cruel."

"I thought you two wouldn't lower yourselves to such humor." Hyp's father growled. "Pretending someone isn't there – for shame!"

"We're not being funny." Grandma Longneck insisted. "She isn't where you say she is."

"If she isn't, why can you hear her voice from there?" Hyp asked.

"I don't know." Grandpa Longneck replied. "This is quite peculiar. Littlefoot, can you see her?"

"I…" Littlefoot couldn't say another word. He very much wanted to lie, for Hyp and his family's sake, but he felt sick at the thought of making his grandparents question their reality to accomplish this. He settled for shaking his head helplessly. "Don't make me say anything. Please."

"Why aren't you giving a straight answer?" Hyp snapped. "You're upsetting Mom! Look!"

He went over and made as though to throw a supportive arm around someone's back but he overbalanced and fell down. There was a shriek.

"Son! You – you went through me! How-"

Hyp's father stared. "That can't be possible. Unless – it can't be. It – argh!"

Hyp and his father gasped, and gripped their heads. They groaned, pressing their temples hard but it didn't appear to ease the pain that was going through them. There was the sound of hasty footsteps.

"My goodness, are you alright? Please, hang on. I'm sure you'll be able to get over-"

The headaches for Hyp and his father seemed to ease and they gradually straightened, eyes wide with a strange emotion. Hyp's mother abruptly quieted.

"I remember." Hyp's father said slowly. "Oh no, I remember. You were…you were never here, dear. As much as it pains me, you left us before we reached the valley."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Hyp's mother said tremulously. "I was here, I was always here. No. Don't do this to me too."

"But it's true." Hyp said, with an increasing mix of confusion and resentment. "You abandoned us. It's just been me and Dad in the valley for the longest time. We never knew what happened to you. But if I could go through you, that means you're a-"

Hyp jerked away and toppled off his feet, crawling backwards in fright. There were gasps from above and Littlefoot's grandparents' stepped back in shock.

"I see her now." Grandpa Longneck breathed. "Only – this shouldn't be possible."

Littlefoot turned and his heart sank as he saw the same thing. Hyp's mother was present, stress having stretched an otherwise gentle face. Littlefoot could see some of Hyp's traits in her eyes and the way she moved. Currently, she appeared a pitiable mix of lost and cornered. She met some of their shocked and confused gazes and looked down on herself. She screamed out. She was transparent and the bushes and trees behind her could be seen as though through thin mist.

"I'm see-through." Hyp's mother said. "That means – not that! No, no, no!"

Losing herself in her grief, she staggered out of the small clearing as though she could deny the truth by running away. That wasn't going to work. Her heart-wrenched sobs attracted the attention of everyone nearby and several gave a double-take at the transparent figure moving before their eyes.

"Are – are my eyes playing tricks on me?" Mr. Clubtail exclaimed. "That's – that's a ghost!"

"No, it can't be," said a female spiketail, stepping back.

"That's impossible," said a duckbill. "What's going on here?"

The calls of dismay attracted more attention, and those who walked over to see what the fuss was about also gasped and gawked, loud expressions of shock filling the air. Littlefoot watched all of this with shame and horror. This was the worst possible conclusion that could happen. He didn't want Hyp's mother exposed but not only had the truth got out but she has become the object of horrified curiosity. Could this situation get any worse?

A second later, he cursed himself for even thinking that question.

"Hey, I see Hyp in those bushes!"

Nod and Mutt were advancing into view from the same direction Littlefoot had arrived. They have been walking around uncertainly, searching for their friend before Nod glanced to the left and spotted Hyp. Mutt looked around, lost for several seconds, before following Nod's eye line and seeing him.

"Oh right, there he is." Mutt said. "Hey, Hyp! What are you doing in the bushes? Me and Nod were looking for you and – what is that?!"

The pair jerked to a stop, catching sight of the transparent figure of Hyp's mother. Several figures had gathered closer to watch, but not enough that Nod and Mutt couldn't see what was going on.

"That – that's a ghost." Mutt stuttered. He rubbed his eyes. "I must be seeing things – but I'm still seeing a ghost standing over there."

"That's Hyp's mom." Nod said faintly. "I thought she ran away from the herd on her way to the valley. If she's see-through…then that must mean – oh no, this is super messed up."

Automatically, they glanced over at Hyp, understanding what this must mean for their friend. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck were unwaveringly watching Hyp's mother with incomprehension and horror – horror at the unthinkable situation they were witnessing but there was another kind of horror dawning in their eyes, the terrible realization of what they started. They looked sharply at Littlefoot, who didn't meet their eyes, head lowered in defeat and shame. A crowd had gathered around Hyp's mother, who surveyed them with a matching terror, her arms around her head as though she might dissuade others from watching by simply concealing her identity.

"Leave me alone!" Hyp's mother said. "Stop staring at me!"

"You heard her! She's not some shiny rock. Get back!"

Hyp's father sprinted in and stood in front of her protectively, glaring at anyone who got too close. He turned to put a comforting hand on her shoulder only for it to phase through. He froze and something in him seemed to crack but he when he spoke, it was with a clear voice.

"I should have known something was amiss when you weren't active in the memories I had." Hyp's father said. "You usually make your disapproval known at least with an expression. I don't know how this happened but…"

"I don't know either." Hyp's mother said. "The last thing I remember, I…got ambushed by fast biters. They chased me and the only thing I could think of to get away was to jump into a river. Except it was fast water and I never was good at swimming. I tried to stay afloat but I slipped down and swallowed more and more water until – nothing. The next thing I know, it was like I was always here," she looked at him plaintively. "Why's that not true? I shouldn't have left, I should have tried to make up for my weakness in the valley but now I see that never happened."

"Don't put all the blame on yourself." Hyp's father replied. "I shouldn't have argued with you so much. A part of me could see your points that being harsh to Hyp only went so far but since you couldn't think of other solutions, I thought it was better to stay with the best strategy we had. Out there on that harsh journey to the valley, I felt if the only choices were between hurt feelings and being dead, then I'd choose the first the whole way. I didn't consider the emotional toll our arguing was having on you important. If I did, if I listened and worked with you to parent in a better way, then I wouldn't have drove you -" he sighed. "What's done is done. At – at least we can talk now."

Hyp's mother touched his arm, phantom fingers tracing through the skin with both guilt and silent appreciation.

"I really don't know how any of this is happening," she admitted. "I'm just here. This isn't natural."

"It doesn't matter. You're here, and I'm so glad to have this day," his voice wavered. "I'm sorry we really can't have many more days to fix us."

Silence followed. The onlookers were still reeling, but even among their heavy shock, a solemnity came in. Recognizing a private moment, no one dared say anything. The eyes of Hyp's mother glimmered with the beginning of tears but she sniffled and looked around.

"Hyp, can you come here? I know this is scary but…I really want to see you."

Hyp had been peering out from the bushes, wide-eyed, attempting to remain inconspicuous. He flinched when his name was called and didn't look like he wanted to obey the request. But he slowly slinked out into the open toward his parents. Panickedly, Mutt called out.

"W-wait, Hyp!" he said. "Don't do it! That's a ghost who might, um, will-"

Hyp glared. "Hey, she's my mom! What is she going to do, give me a cold?"

And he marched over defiantly until he stood in front of his mother. His defiance melted into reluctance as he had difficulty staring his mother in the eye. She expressed no such hesitation in drinking him in, smiling fondly.

"Thanks for defending me." Hyp's mother said softly. "Still witty and rambunctious as always but I can't hate that. I wish I can be around to see you grow."

"Then why didn't you stay?" Hyp asked bitterly. "You say you love us but you ran away. Is that really a mother thing?"

"But I do love you." Hyp's mother protested. "I really wanted to stay, I did. But all the fighting, the arguing…it was just too much. I needed some space. It should have been in the valley, I know, there's clearly more than enough room here to do that. But…back then, I was so confused about whether separating from you two was the right decision, I felt like I had to get far away to be able to think clearly. If I was somewhere completely new, I thought, maybe I could think about how to get over my weaknesses, even come back and be a better mother. Before any of that could happen…I died. I'm sorry I was too weak to stay and be a good mother. If only I could think more clearly then."

She lowered her head. Unable to take her shame, Hyp's resentment faltered and he awkwardly looked away.

"Uh, forget about that," he muttered. "Stay now. You're a ghost, right? You can make things up now you can exist forever."

Hyp's mother shook her head. "I don't know how to explain it but…when we realized that I'm a ghost, it uprooted me. I'm going to fade, I can feel it right now. This is really going to be goodbye."

Hyp twitched. "Don't you dare."

"Hyp, she can't help this." Hyp's father muttered.

"This isn't fair! This should be her chance to make up for her screw up and now it's been blown! We won't ever see her again. Will she actually be good at being a mother? Will I like her? Now we'll never really know. Doesn't that make you mad?"

"It does but what can we do?" Hyp's father closed his eyes. "The circle of life…has already begun its turn."

Hyp glared at his father, eyes shining wetly. Abruptly, he rounded angrily on Littlefoot.

"This is all your fault!" Hyp shouted. "If you just minded your own business, this wouldn't have happened!"

Littlefoot jumped, feeling like an arrow pierced his heart. "I'm sorry! I really wanted to leave you guys alone but after I put it all together, I became concerned and-"

"Shut up! Your excuses don't change anything!"

"I just wanted to make sure you were all okay! I mean, I know how you feel, I also lost my-"

"Save us the sob story!" Hyp snapped, "Everyone's heard about it. That doesn't change that you're meddling just ruined my life! You're always do this, you always stick your nose where it doesn't belong and break-"

"That's enough!" Grandpa Longneck said sharply. "Leave Littlefoot be. It's us you should be angry with. If Grandma and I hadn't come, none of this would have happened. Littlefoot would have left you alone."

"Normally, we leave Littlefoot be even if he occasionally acts strangely." Grandma Longneck said. "But today, he acted so strangely, suddenly running off in fear…we felt we had to investigate. We apologize."

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck bowed their heads regretfully. Hyp only stared resentfully.

"Yeah, you should be sorry," he said.

"Hyp, please leave them alone." Hyp's mother said tiredly. "It can't be helped. I would have been found out eventually," she welled up a smile. "In fact, if it had been put off any longer, I wouldn't be surprised if you got mad that you were allowed to talk to thin air in front of the whole valley. At least you're pride will be safe. And you won't have the pain of getting to know me only for me to be ripped away again."

Hyp glared at her before some of the anger and defiance crumpled out of him. "This is not fair," he said with a crack in his voice. "It's not…"

"Oh, Hyp…" Mutt said softly.

He and Nod hesitantly crossed the distance. Mutt experimentally tried to put a supportive hand on Hyp's shoulder but Hyp shrugged it off.

"Go away." Hyp said. "I can deal with this myself."

"Sorry." Mutt said hastily. "I just wanted to help."

"I don't need anyone's help." Hyp whirled on the pair, appearing desperate and almost glad to have targets to force out anger on. "Do I look like someone who needs to be patted and carried around? Buzz off, this isn't your business."

"Hey man, we're your friends." Nod protested. "We're just worried about you."

"I'm not someone weak enough to be worried about. Go. You're only making it worse."

Mutt and Nod stepped back, unsure and looking hurt.

"Hyp, you don't need to bear this all by yourself." Hyp's mother said. "Needing help isn't a sign of weakness. It's a normal fact of life even when you're old. Even for someone as hardened as you, this event will be difficult for you to deal with alone. Your friends want to be there for you. I know they might be clumsy about it but that they came close to offer comfort despite their fear of me says something."

"Please listen to her, son." Hyp's father said. "She's right. If I actually considered allowing us to help each other, instead of going it alone, I might have been a happier and less stern father and your mother wouldn't be in the position she is in now."

Hyp didn't say anything but he relaxed and he gave Mutt and Nod a tentative look that showed, even if he wasn't ready to receive comfort right away, he didn't hold their attempt against them. Mutt and Nod gave hesitant smiles, not knowing what they were doing but grateful they were still on good footing with their friend. Hyp's mother looked between her mate and son.

"I hope you can be kinder to each other," she said. "I know you both have your edge and pride but you'll need one another. Life can be so tough, so I want you to be ultimately-"

She staggered, and her mate and son drew close as her form became fainter.

"I'm feeling it." Hyp's mother whispered. "I'm going back. I can't put it off for much longer."

"I still have so much to say." Hyp's father said, trembling. "Please…"

Hyp closed his eyes hard, but some tears still escaped. "Screw this. Just screw everything!"

"I'm sorry." Hyp's mother said sadly. "I didn't want to disappoint you two again but…I'm glad we had this day. At least we got to say some of what we wanted to say. I do love both of you. Good – goodbye…"

She became fainter and fainter, until Hyp and his father were kneeling over nothing but empty air. The pair remained in position, as though absorbing what happened or hoping she might come back. But they returned to their feet and slowly walked off, father's arm around son, eyes closed in grief. Mutt and Nod trailed after them uncertainly, at a loss for what to do other than be an assuring presence. His own vision blurred with tears, Littlefoot stepped forward, to offer some measure of comfort, but Hyp turned away from him. Littlefoot watched them go with guilt racking his chest.

*What's more terrible?* Littlefoot wondered. *Never knowing what happened to your mother or learning about it only for her to be ripped away from you again?*

And as the onlookers broke off into whispers, another question with worrying unknowns came to mind. What did it mean that he encountered another ghost a day after the first?

Next time…

Unmentioned Ties Part 1