We Will Hold On Forever

by

DaveTheAnalyzer

Chapter 12: Seeking Sanctuary Part 3

Mama Swimmer stared as her two children stood in front of her with a most unlikely guest.

"Oh, you've got to be-" she said. "What is Tega doing here?"

Ducky rubbed the back of her head. Tega stood a few steps back from her and Spike, chewing a piece of grass. When Ducky and Spike came up to their family nest earlier, they saw Mama Swimmer glance around anxiously, standing close to the large gaggle of their brothers and sisters, whose normal cheerful banter was ominously subdued. As the pair got closer, Mama Swimmer looked up with relief and stepped forward to hail them but stopped when she saw their companion.

"Do not worry Mama, Tega will be on her best behavior." Ducky said. "We invited her."

"Invited her?" Mama Swimmer repeated. She glared. "What is this? If you forced my kids to have you as company-"

"Mama, it is true!" Ducky insisted. "She suggested we talk and we agreed to let her come along. She didn't force us or anything."

"Do they look scared?" Tega said. "Kids are terrible at lying. It would be obvious if I was leg-twisting them."

Mama Swimmer faltered. She looked Ducky and Spike over closely. Despite their nervousness, there was no fear related to the large spiketail standing close by. Ducky wasn't sure whether to be relieved when Mama Swimmer gained a baffled look. The other brothers and sisters also watched with a mix of surprise and concern.

"So you're really with her?" Bill asked. "What could she have said that made you want to talk to her?"

"Yeah." Bitty said, sending Tega a nervous glance. "No offense, but she's kind of scary."

"It is because she helped me and Spike after we found out-" Ducky took a deep breath and looked away. The grief was there, below her heart, ready to return. "You – you heard about what happened, right? She said some nice things that made us feel better."

"Oh." Mama Swimmer softened a bit. "I understand – this loss must be painful for you two – but do you remember what I said about her? How can you be sure she is being sincere?"

"I'm standing right here, you know." Tega said. She leaned to her side, bored by the suspicion.

"She did not speak to us in her usual way." Ducky explained. "It was not nice nice, but she was quieter and had more feeling, so we got what she was saying. We have Cera as a best friend, we could tell."

"Really?" Riv glanced at Tega curiously. "That is nice. Still, Tega…"

"Hey, this isn't much out of Ducky and Spike's range." Eda, part of Ducky's batch, said. "Remember when they hung out with Doc, that Lone Dinosaur guy? He was scary looking but wasn't so bad."

Norkel, a brother from the second batch, nodded. "They even made Mr. Thicknose nicer by being friends with him. Maybe they know what they're talking about here."

There were nods and murmurs, the brothers and sisters easing in the brown impression in the grass. Still, some cast Tega a wary eye. Mama Swimmer's doubtful look turned to uncertainty. She glanced between Ducky and Spike, Tega, and the rest of her kids, as though pulled in different directions.

"Oh!" she said. "I wish you wouldn't do this to me. It's bad enough that your father had to up and get sick recently and now I have to take care of all your brothers and sisters. I can't be dealing with accommodating her as a guest when I have so many needs to attend to."

"You do not need to worry about accomiodating!" Ducky said, tripping a bit over the last word. "In fact, this might help. Tega will not cause trouble. We just want to continue talking – in private. Will that be okay?"

"In private?" Mama Swimmer appeared thrown. She touched her chin. "I'm not sure. I know this loss might make you want to talk about some delicate feelings – but I want you two where I can see you."

"We will not be far, we promise. We just do not want to be interrupted or upset anyone about what we talk about. Besides, it will make sure you are not distracted from looking after our brothers and sisters. That sounds fair, right?"

Spike nodded, making pleading eyes as he vocally backed his sister up. Mama Swimmer hesitated, glancing back at the rest of her children.

"Well…" she said. "I'm nervous about this killer being around but…"

"Oh, let them go, Mama." Bill said. "As long as they stay close, I'm sure they'll be safe."

"They do know what they're doing sometimes." Bitty said. She shuddered. "Who wants to listen to scary talk now anyway? Besides, isn't it time to swim? Come on, I want to swim."

There were nods and a chorus of yeah's, hands clasping as some spoke to her pleadingly. Mama Swimmer's gaze swung between Ducky and Spike and the rest of her charges, indecisive, feeling a tug between the instinct to have all her children in sight and the practicality of having two of them safely occupied by someone else. At length, she sighed.

"Oh, alright. But stick with your promise not to go far."

Ducky brightened. "Thank you, Mama! We will be close by, we will, we will."

Spike gave a "eh" of agreement, smiling gratefully. With a shake of the head and some traces of relief, Mama Swimmer turned and shepherded her other children to the river. Ducky and Spike glanced around for a good private place. A clearing surrounded by trees and bushes to her right caught her eye, and she waved for Spike and Tega to follow. Glancing back as they entered, she saw she made the right decision. The clearing was far enough that her family's splashing figures wouldn't hear what they were saying but they could still pick up where the pair's voices came from. As Tega lumbered in, Ducky could see the spiketail's back plates would be visible above the bushes as well. This was as safe and private a place as could be.

"You know, that was not bad." Tega commented.

"What?" Ducky said.

Tega walked opposite to where Ducky and Spike stood, chewing her grass as she faced them.

"I mean, bringing up you were mourning and taking advantage of her having her hands full." Tega continued. "That was a nice way to distract her so we can talk in peace."

Ducky stared before shaking her head. "It is not like that! Me and Spike just did not want to worry our family with the selfishness talk. We do not want to distract Mama from taking care of our brothers and sisters, really, really."

Tega sighed. "So resistant already. Do you want to listen to me or not?"

Ducky and Spike exchanged glances. Spike already appeared to regret this decision but nodded all the same. Sighing, Ducky waved toward Tega.

"Alright. Why do you think everyone is selfish?"

Tega sat down, chewing her grass as she gathered her thoughts.

"I've always hated being involved with groups," she began. "All their 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine,' 'I'll do this nice thing for you if you do something nice for me.' It was so annoying. I didn't want to deal with others' problems just so I could have my own taken care of. As soon as we got to the valley, I struck out on my own and learned how to take care of myself. I avoided socializing any more than I had to. That didn't mean I stopped watching people. I had to find some way to entertain myself and if nothing else, people are entertaining." There was a wry smile.

"I've been around for nearly as long as you're mother," she continued. "If there's one commonality I've seen in my many cold times of watching, it's that we do things for ourselves. Most people have all sorts of cover stories for their actions but in the end, whatever we're doing, we're doing it to satisfy some selfish emotional need. I noticed this in all sorts of creatures, from the largest longnecks to the tiniest crawlers. Life is about survival and survival is about selfishness. I thought I might as well be honest about it."

"I…see." Ducky said. She struggled to absorb all of this. "So when Mama is worried about me and Spike and all of my brothers and sisters, she is being selfish?"

"Yep. Parents especially have their own kind of selfishness."

"But she loves us!" Ducky protested. "She does all she can to make us happy. When that sharptooth went after us, she fought him to protect us. She – she nearly died. How can that be selfish?"

"It is selfish in that parents want their legacy to continue." Tega replied. "Even if she died, at least some part of her would live on in you, Spike, and the other spawn. That's the reason your parents had so many kids in the first place." She lowered her gaze to them. "If your mother was truly selfless, wouldn't she have had less children so she could give more attention to those she had?"

Ducky could only look away. As much as she liked being part of a large family, a part of her couldn't deny some frustration when her mother couldn't find time to be with her.

"But – Spike!" Ducky waved at her brother. "Mama and Papa made him our brother even though he is not a swimmer. How is that not selfless?"

Spike bayed with agreement, glaring for the insinuations about his beloved family, Tega was unmoved.

"There are parents who accept their legacy being continued by those who aren't their blood," she said. "When you gave them an additional child to look after, you were only fulfilling that goal."

Ducky opened her mouth but no sound came out. Her instincts were revolting. What Tega was saying didn't sound anything like the caring mama she knew since birth. Yet Tega's concept of self-interest was so foreign that Ducky didn't know what to say. Spike's frown, confusion also present.

Tega slid the grass in her mouth. "And don't think you or your friends are exempt from that self-interest. Whatever you do, you also do to benefits yourselves."

Spike was no longer unsure. Glaring, he moved to his sister and bayed insistently. Starting, Tega accidentally swallowed her grass, grimacing but keeping her cool. Ducky didn't need an interpreter to understand what he was saying. Spike was defending her, declaring she was the most selfless person he ever knew and that she did so much for him. She wasn't anything like Tega insinuated. Ducky's heart swelled. It was great to see how much he valued her. He panted, daring Tega to contradict him with his eyes.

"From what I can gather from that waffle, you think she is the most perfectest sister around," she said. Spike thrust his head hard. She bit down on another piece of grass, chewing. "Just because you think she is – for you, I might add – doesn't mean she doesn't get something out of it. Even the kindest among a circle of friends can make life difficult with too deep demands."

Ducky winced. "I – I try not to make life hard for my friends. I just want everyone to be happy."

"Ah, but seeing others happy is what you want." Tega said. "If your friends need to deal with a painful issue, I bet that makes you uncomfortable. What do you do then? Help them deal with it, or delay and distract until they're happy again?"

"I do not do any of that." Ducky looked down. "At least, I do not think so. Is it selfish to want people to be happy?"

"Hey, everyone wants to be happy. If self-interest aligns in that way, no harm done. The trouble comes when they don't align." Tega stared into her eyes. "You've had moments like that, haven't you? Where it was their happiness or your own."

Ducky didn't answer. Spike looked to her in concern but she stepped back, rubbing her head. She wasn't sure if she wanted to think. She was scared of the details she might find but in spite of herself, memories rose up into the light. There was the time Littlefoot and Cera fought over the route to the Great Valley, and separated. Instead of being loyal to the friend who offered her companionship on the journey, exhaustion made Ducky and the others side with Cera. When baby Chomper bit Cera and ran off, Ducky's fear of his diet made her initially not join Littlefoot in making sure the infant sharptooth didn't hurt himself. When all her little irritations about Spike piled up, she became so mean to him she nearly lost him to Tippy's herd. Ducky hadn't thought much about this conduct but looking back at it, she didn't like what it said about her. Whenever things became too scary or tough, she was ready to abandon those who needed help to make her life easier. Sure, she didn't commit to it in the end, but would a good person make those decisions in the first place?

She could say this was the past and that she had since changed but that wasn't true either. Not too long ago, she had ignored Spike when he was wedged in a tunnel because she was more interested in finding Sky Color Stones. When Ichy chased her in underground passages, she called for Spike and her friends even though they might get endangered by the sharpbeak. When the sharptooth threatened her friends around the pond, she only took action to save Spike and tried to find other underwater holes, and thus came across the sharptooth skeleton, only to make sure he stayed put. Ducky had been keeping these memories from the front of her mind, having had enough of the unpleasantness lately, but with Tega's reminder, she could no longer look away from the pattern she saw.

"Am – am I bad?" she murmured. "Am I not a good person? I thought I was, but…"

Spike stepped closer, shaking his head. Tega snorted

"Depending on your definition of self-interest, there are no good or bad people, just those out for themselves."

"But – my friends. They are always helping me and each other."

"Bad moods disturb the group dynamic. They only try to get you into a good mood so the group would be happy again."

"But other people have been nice and helped us a lot. Like Verter. He offered to train Cera and Chomper how to fight so they could protect us."

"People have all sorts of reasons for doing things." Tega said. "The threehorn wouldn't be training the kids if he wasn't getting something out of it."

"Huh?" Ducky shook her head. "But my friends and others have risked getting hurted and worse to save people, even those people say do not matter. How is that not selfless?"

Tega shrugged. "Some people find death or injury unpleasant even for those who are unpopular. Diverting it helps prevent that."

Ducky opened and closed her mouth. What was being said didn't ring true for her but she was finding it hard to think of anything to convince Tega otherwise. She felt her fight weakening. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pair of concerned violet eyes.

"There – there is Spike." Ducky said weakly. She waved at her brother. "He is so sweet, so kind. He made me feel better when I was sad about Mr. Clubtail. If there is someone who does not fit your 'everyone is selfish' definition, it is him."

Tega was almost amused. "Really? The same kid who I hear has a vociferous appetite? Don't tell me he hasn't eaten some of your food before?"

Spike had the grace to blush. He didn't mean anything by those actions. He just cruised with the flow and sometimes didn't consider the consequences until after the fact. Now that he looked on it, maybe that wasn't very considerate.

"I don't blame you for that selfishness, Spike." Tega said. "You strike me as the type who just likes take his time with life. Must be frustrating when your friends decide to pull you along for an adventure."

Spike started. Ducky also looked confused. What did his laidback style have to do with their adventures?

"Don't give me that look. Being an adventurer doesn't agree with you. It must annoy you that your friends are so ready to pull you away from the safe and reliable lifestyle to chase the next life-threatening escapade."

Spike's eyes widened and he shook his head, "eehs" and "ehs" full of denial. He wasn't a reluctant tagalong. He shoved his nose down and moved it among the grass and flowers, showing he liked exploring and adventuring as much as his friends.

"So you have some curiosity. Does that mean you enjoy the danger out there?" Tega asked. "It sounds stressful to be on the watch for the next threat all the time. Why can't they be as laidback as you are? Why can't they just enjoy the small moments of life? Those thoughts must have occurred to you at some point."

"Spike does not hate having adventures." Ducky said hotly. "He likes being with us, he does, he does."

"I wasn't talking to you. Let Spike indicate his thoughts."

Ducky glared but a glance at her brother made her double-take. He had faltered, head lowered as his eyes searched the grass.

"S-Spike?" Ducky said softly.

Spike started and averted his gaze. He heard a gasp but couldn't bear to meet his sister's eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, there was some truth to Tega's words. He often felt dragged along on the gang's adventures. The heavy exertion wasn't fun but the frequent threats that came their way, the earthshakes, sharpteeth, weather…there was too much fear in those situations. He didn't like having to constantly worry that at any moment any of his friends mightn't make it to the next sunrise. He could cope with the stress mostly but lately he was tolerating it less and less. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.

"Don't look so down," Tega said. "It's a wonder you put up with all your friends' nonsense. You must do things on your own sometimes. To not be at anyone's beck and call…those moments must be nice, right? That's only a taste of how I do things."

Spike looked up at her. He got what she was implying. As much as he had abhorred Tega for her food thievery and harshness to others, he couldn't deny a tiny part of him envied her. To go at your own pace, not answer to anyone or deal with minimum danger – it sounded like a comfortable life. Nothing much exciting might happen but he knew the important points in life were in the quiet and mundane. After everything from the last few days, he would give a lot for that.

But to not be connected with anyone at all…

"Do – do you want to stop being with us, Spike?" Ducky asked. She fidgeted. The very question made her quiver. "I did not know. We could leave you alone if you want. I mean, I get it. You did not have a choice in being friends with us. It hurts to think about but if doing that makes you happy-"

Spike shook his head with sharp sounds of denial. He thrust his gaze at her, pleading. No, he didn't want to leave Littlefoot and the others! He loved being with them, joining them in eating and playing silly games. He might go off to do his own thing but he always went back to his friends, these friends.

Ducky scratched her face, relieved.

"Then do you want us to stop adventuring?" she asked. "We could try that. I could talk to the others about it."

Spike frowned. Having more downtime would be nice. But the more he thought about it, the more his stomach twisted. He shook his head again. After all they did to allow him to be himself, how could he ask them to change? They were curious and wanted to help – it would be cruel to deny what made them themselves. Ducky was only more confused.

"Then what do you want?"

Spike's head turned uncertainly. He – he didn't know. He loved his friends but was being turned off by adventure. Those were too scary but he didn't want to abandon his friends. Once again, he felt struck between his desires and the grim complications of reality, and he whimpered under the weight of it all. Upset, Ducky stepped closer.

"I did not mean to pressure you, Spike! I am only confused, you do not need to decide anything right away. Oh, because of this self-interest, I only made you more anxious, I did, I did. I am sorry."

Ducky lowered her head. Spike made a noise of distress and stepped closer. He had become so immersed in his own struggles he didn't think about how this might affect his closest and dearest sister. Now what should he do? Tega watched their anxieties play out before she seemed to take pity on them.

"Hey, don't get so worked up over the details," she said. "There's nothing much you can do about it. It's only life, so just cruise along and enjoy it."

"But I want to be nice." Ducky mumbled. "I want to do good for others. But what can I do?"

Tega sighed. "If you're so insistent on being 'selfless,' use that self-interest for others."

"Use it for others?" Ducky looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I'll give an example." Tega flicked her gaze. "Spike, by being yourself more, you can remind your friends of the benefits of an ordinary life. They mightn't change their ways but they might take more cues from you. It would be in their self-interest to value their downtime and it would be in yours that they like you. Does that make sense?"

Spike titled his head and nodded slowly. He could see the merit in that idea, he thought as he gave his chest a brief rub. One of the reasons his friends liked him was how his laidback self brought a smile to their faces. Tega turned to Ducky.

"See?" Tega said. "Use that self-interest if it aligns with others. If a friend feel down, make them feel better so you feel better. If someone is absent among your circle and it's an inconvenience for both of you, bring them back. That's how everyone else gets along. Selfishness is the natural order of the world. It doesn't make you uniquely bad, so there's no use in getting twisted up about it."

"T-thanks, I think." Ducky touched her lip. "This is hard but we will try to remember."

Tega waved her tail. "You'll only stumble overthinking it. Just don't have any illusions that you're being selfless."

"Huh. I do not like everything you are saying but it is interesting." Ducky brought up a smile. "For someone who says everyone is selfish, you sure are assuring us a lot."

Tega gazed away, lips twitching. "I'm just trying to entertain myself. It would be troublesome if your mother noticed I was getting you two down."

"Still, if everyone is selfish, there must be ways they are also selfless. And what you just did was very unselfish, it was, it was. Thanks – for allowing us to talk. At least it helped us not think about Mr. Clubtail…"

Ducky trailed off. Spike gave a little moan. Now that she mentioned him, they remembered the horrible events of this morning all over again. This loss really was final. Tega chewed her piece of grass, surveying them before sighing.

"Alright. Now it's your go."

Ducky blinked. "Our go? Our go for what?"

"To be selfish. You already bore with my thoughts on selfishness, so I might as well hear what you have to say. It's only…'fair,' right?"

Ducky blanked. She took in Tega's amused, resigned expression and Spike nudged her, baying in encouragement. She realized Tega was attempting to comfort them again. Ducky smiled. Really, it was kind of sweet. She stood up taller.

"Okay, so you said people do nice things for selfish reasons, right? That might be true sometimes but some people have done nice things for me and I could not see any other reasons they did them other than to be nice. Like, there was that one time Littlefoot tried to…"

As Ducky went on, Spike nodding beside her, she couldn't help her spirits rising. However horrible and complicated the world was, engaging in this debate might help. Maybe focusing on the good of the world could heal her.

Cera and Chomper ran their laps around the fighting grounds, muscles sore and breaths searing. Running for long stretches was no foreign concept to them – they were used to it while dodging danger in their adventures. But there, the drive to survive usually kept the exhaustion at bay. Here, they had nothing to distract them from how tired and sweaty every part of them was.

*I don't know how much more of this I can take.* Cera thought.

Chomper was already slowing. He swung his little arms with all his might, lagging a foot or two behind, pants struggling for breath. Before he could fall back any further, there was a crack and Chomper jumped when a vine nearly snapped his toes.

"Try to keep an even pace, Chomper." Verter said. "No lollygagging, you can do it."

Chomper grimaced, but pumped his legs harder. Cera felt a flicker of annoyance. Verter had been cheery ever since this training began. He instructed and egged them on with great vigor. He jogged beside them, occasionally using that vine to make them move faster when words didn't work. It didn't hit either of them yet, but he appeared all too natural at using it.

*What's he getting out of this?* she thought.

Cera was too tired to follow up that thought. Still, it was the latest in a long collection of thoughts her mind gathered throughout the exercise. That cavalier attitude grated her. Didn't he remember a murderer was on the loose in the valley? Why wasn't he taking this seriously? With those questions, her confidence had started to wane. As much as Cera would like to be confident in her and Chomper's abilities, they were still kids. Wasn't it a bit strange for Verter to ask a pair of youths to train and prepare for this threat instead of adults? Did he even know what he was doing? A deep pit lay in her stomach by the time they finally neared a pointy tall rock Verter designated as the start and stop point. As soon as they crossed it, they collapsed, gasping for air. Chomper winced, gripping a stitch in his side. Cera concentrated on calming her heartrate. A few seconds later, Verter loped up, only a bit winded.

"Alright, time for a break," he announced. "Rest and eat up. You're going to need it for the next round."

Suiting actions to words, Verter walked over to the foliage at the fighting grounds' edge and started ripping leaves from a bush. Sending him a mutinous look, Cera limped after to join him, chomping treestars from a low-hanging branch. Chomper followed, sniffing the ground for bugs. For a few minutes, only the sound of eating and Chomper perusing through the dirt filling the air. Gradually, energy seeped back into them. Once they finished, they stretched out to rest in the shade.

"Woah, that was hard." Chomper said. "I didn't think I was going to make it."

"That's a normal part of training." Verter said. "Pushing yourself beyond the brink of what you're used to until you're used to it. There'll be more hard work ahead for you two."

"Though it looks like this isn't going to be hard work for all of us." Cera glanced at him.

Verter looked up and smiled. "Hey, I'm used to strenuous activity. Training new recruits is exciting."

"You do seem to be having fun." Chomper observed. "You really like whipping that vine around."

That earned a smirk. "I admit, I enjoy playing the part of hard-horned instructor. I've used vines before to encourage people in their training, so you don't need to worry about getting hit too much."

"Too much?" Cera repeated.

She and Chomper exchanged nervous looks. Hastily, Verter put on a reassuring smile.

"I'm improving my technique. I haven't been teaching consistently for a while, so I'm a bit out of practice. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I have memorized the Threehorn Ascension training routine. I asked my instructors to teach them to me until I could recite them in my sleep."

"It's not that that's bothering us." Cera said. "It's just – someone we know has been murdered and you're acting like it's just another fun day in the valley."

"Mr. Clubtail is dead." Chomper said softly. "Don't – don't you find that sad?"

Verter didn't appear to know what to say to that. Frowning, he settled down, chewing some leaves as he thought over his next words.

"When you've been around as long as I have, you see a lot of death," he said carefully. "Life is tough, especially if you're a threehorn and not everyone makes it. Seeing bodies can become an everyday part of life, so either you can become paralyzed with grief by it all or you decide to become numb. Me, I want to approach life with humor. That is a method of numbing if you think about it but at least you take some enjoyment out of life. If I lose someone I know, I prefer to look on the fun times. If a stranger dies, I will pay my respects but at some point I must move on. I never knew Mr. Clubtail, he was not a part of my life. I'm sad for your loss but there's only so much grief I can bring up before I must turn to the positive of the day."

They watched as his eyes misted, dwelling on memories heavy and distant.

"Huh." Chomper touched his chin. "I think my parents have said things like that when talking about their life."

"Does the fighting part also have to do with that humor thing?" Cera asked.

"You could say that." Verter sighed. "You are fortunate, Cera. Out in the Mysterious Beyond, threehorns can be quite ruthless. It can be kill or be killed and if I can't talk someone out of a fight…that's where the blood smell comes from. If I'm to survive, sometimes I have to make hard choices I don't want to dwell on. But these ghosts have recently made that challenging. Confronting old rivals I thought were good and gone was very painful. Normally, I can take the hardships of life but after meeting so many…even I couldn't handle it. I joined that little herd to escape from it all and that's where you found me after they decided the Great Valley could be a refuge."

"Oh," she paused. "So when you were so eager to have us trained-"

"You could say it was one way I was coping with the tragedy. Since you kids are already so well acquainted with danger, I wanted to help make sure you wouldn't have to deal with the losses I had. I was trying to make it fun but I can forget how insensitive that can be. I apologize."

Cera and Chomper were silent. Getting up, Verter stretched, cricking and pulling to work his muscles out. He hummed along but every once in a while his gaze flicked sadly to the pair. No matter how he tried to hide it, he appeared to regret his actions. Cera looked away, guilt in her gut. She thought something was weird with him, but she must have misjudged him. Verter gave the impression he wasn't taking the training seriously but he had been acting cavalier so he could cope with the tragedies of the world. He was doing this not only to prepare the pair for the dangers out there, but to distract them from the current crises. Cera could in some ways relate. She often made snarky comments to cope with danger in her and the gang's adventures. Some ticks of his behavior still rubbed her the wrong way but she pushed them down. Right now, she shouldn't let personal differences get in the way of what was important. Scraping a paw in the dirt, Cera turned to him.

"Maybe I should have thought before I spoke," she said. "You have your reasons for doing what you do."

Pausing, Verter surveyed her. He smiled. "Hey, don't worry about it. I should've been more sensitive. I don't hang out with kids much, so I can be blissfully unaware of their needs. I hope I'm not working you two too hard."

"Hey, don't worry." Cera said. "We're good at getting used to new routines."

"I hope I can get used to this." Chomper sighed, gazing down at himself. "I'm barely keeping up."

"Hey, don't get so down." Verter stepped closer to him. "They always say to watch out for the little guy. You think there's no way they'll amount to anything but before you know it, they start surpassing you in strength. This might be challenging now but remember – a lot of the most well-respected threehorns I heard of were derided in their youth and I'm sure the same can be said for other kinds."

"You think so?" Chomper said. He stirred but looked doubtful. "I'm not sure. What did these guys do to get so strong?"

"They worked hard – hard, hard, hard. They strived to be tougher than their peers and whatever challenge they had, they tackled it ruthlessly. Though there were moments they got tired or lost hope, they never gave up. I see that kind of determination in you. If you keep at it, I'm sure you'll be stronger than you ever thought you'd be."

Chomper stared at him. For a moment, it was like he wasn't sure what to make of this. Then a wonderful smile lit his face.

"If you say it, then I believe it," he said. "I'll tackle everything with all the ruthlessness I have."

"But not too much." Verter warned. "As I told you, you should be careful with that. I'll help measure you so that ruthlessness doesn't go off target."

"R-right." Chomper was a bit disquieted but the smile returned. "Make sure to watch me closely then."

Then to he got up and turned in the grass, slurping up any bugs he could find to fill the remaining space in his stomach. Verter watched proudly. Cera wondered if he was buttering Chomper up a bit but the sharptooth youth was looking so encouraged as he finished, she didn't have the heart to contradict it. Hastily, she got up to join Chomper in facing Verter.

Verter chuckled. "Done already? It seems you're ready to resume training."

"We are!" Chomper said. "Tell us what to do."

Verter's smile widened. "We'll be doing another round of jogging. The same laps, the same speed. After that, we'll do another round of stretches. Now, hop to it!"

With a wave of his head, Verter led Cera and Chomper back to the starting point in the fighting grounds. Cera fought down disappoint. Great, more jogging and stretching. Still, she told herself she should have expected this. Training inevitably involved a lot of repetition. Exchanging glances, when Verter announced for them to begin, she and Chomper dashed off, jogged with all their might.

Littlefoot crouched. Slowly, he began to swing his tail, getting it to the right rhythm. As he did so, he bent it toward his rear feet. Just as it was about to make contact, he jumped and the tail sailed smoothly under them. His feet back landed on the ground but a second later the tail tip returned. He jumped again, steadying his position under Patty's watchful eye.

"That's it," she said. "Keep going..."

Littlefoot jumped once more, clearing his tail a third time and then a fourth-

His tail tangled in his rear feet and he fell on his side. In spite of the mistake, the pair laughed.

"Oops," he said.

Patty chuckled. "That's alright. You're getting the hang of this. Just don't crouch so much."

Spurred by the encouragement, Littlefoot got into position and started again. After having watched Patty demonstrate the trick several times, he had felt ready to take it on. But seeing how a trick was done was different from performing it. He had tripped himself up and fell many times but each time he got back up and adjusted position, slowly finding his way around it. Littlefoot felt sore and a bit tired but he didn't mind. For him, learning a new trick was enjoyable. Even the mistakes were part of the fun.

On a brief pause, he noticed a rustle ahead. A line of colorful forms were cutting through the tall grass, and he realized it was the Tinysauruses passing by. Skitter got up on a rock, looking around. On one of those visual sweeps, his eyes landed on Littlefoot. Skitter brightened, waving energetically with his tail. Littlefoot grinned and waved back. Maybe he should invite the Tinysauruses to jump over his tail. He loved using his greater size to bring entertainment to his smaller friends.

Then Big Daddy came up and nudged Skitter forward. Skitter staggered and looked at Littlefoot uncertainly but at Big Daddy steady gaze, he walked onward. Big Daddy lingered long enough to give Littlefoot a polite nod but disappeared up ahead with the rest of his charges. Littlefoot spirits fell. It was disheartening to see them get rushed on with barely a hello like that.

But as he raised his head, he realized they weren't the only ones in a hurry. He and Patty were standing on a grassy hill, with an only few trees dotted about. He had an unbridled view of the many dinosaurs walking by. A clubtail, threehorn, and pebbleback passed by close together, eyes darting about nervously whenever they were more than a few inches apart. A lone whiptail longneck marched on, tail raised as though prepared to meet any attack. A crestless swimmer had an arm around her teenage daughter as they scurried by, not stopping to look around or play. Wincing, Littlefoot gazed about only to find more of this, dinosaurs moving quickly and trying not to catch attention, nervous or serious, with none of the joy or contentment he had known in the Great Valley for so many cold times…

Littlefoot's tail thwacked against his right foot and he yelped, falling down. Patty lowered her head to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine." Littlefoot rolled onto his stomach, raising his head assuringly. "Just got distracted. I practiced how to whip my tail a few times, so this isn't the worst pain I've felt."

Patty's lips twitched. "One would think with that experience you'd be more careful not to get distracted."

"I know, it's just…" he shrugged. "Look around us."

She raised her head. He saw her smile fade as she watched the many passersby.

"They're all so scared and jumpy now." Littlefoot continued. "Normally, everyone in the Great Valley is pretty relaxed. But now they're all rushing and looking over their shoulders. Seeing them like this…it isn't right. They should be playing and hanging around without worry. People come here to get away from the stress that comes with fighting to survive. Now they have to deal with it all over again. They can't be happy and take their time with life. I hate who did this to our peaceful valley!"

Littlefoot looked down, panting as he attempting to gain a grip on his anger and sadness. Patty had her neck lowered, mouth open as though at a loss for what to say.

"I'm sorry," she said finally. "Many have heard how tranquil the valley is. I wish this didn't happen."

"Yeah," he sighed heavily. "Part of the reason I'm so interested in learning these tricks is so my grandparents can experience some of that peacefulness again. They can take stressful situations, but this isn't good for them. I can't do much about this killer or whatever but the least I could do is make sure they're at least a bit happy."

"I see." Patty inhaled. "Well, I guess we better learn to jump over other people's tails pretty soon. Let's speed up the training for our current trick then."

"What?" Littlefoot said. "Oh, Patty. You don't need to do this much for me."

"Don't be silly." She lowered her head to him. "You deserve to have a good relationship with your grandparents. I would be more than happy to help deliver that."

He smiled. Resuming position, Littlefoot began jumping over his tail again. He still occasionally tripped but even with the mistakes, he was getting the hang of this. He sent a proud smile up at Patty, who smiled back, appearing to enjoy watching his progress. That was good. Smiling suited Patty, in his opinion. She actually looked her young age instead of someone too wise beyond her years. Littlefoot's joy gained a bitter-sweet edge. If only there was a way she could always be this happy…

Patty caught his sneaking looks. "Something on your mind?"

Littlefoot blinked and put up a smile. "I was just thinking…it would be nice if we could do more of this."

"We'll as long as this killer is around, you're stuck with me," she said. "Don't worry, I'll try to make our time as fun-filled as I can."

Littlefoot chuckled. Then his hops slowed, mood dampening. "I hope my friends are happy now. Especially Cera and Chomper. This training doesn't sound like it's going to be a lot of fun."

Patty frowned. "I didn't like what I heard about Verter bullying them into accepting the task."

"I didn't like it either, but he kind of has a point," he squirmed guiltily. "Me and my friends do get into a lot of trouble we shouldn't. Maybe…this is for the best."

"Hmm. Training kids is still strange…but if you're group is as adventurous as I heard, that does make sense."

Littlefoot stared up at her. Patty shook her head and indicated they continue. He tried to concentrate on half-hopping over his tail, looking up to see her smile and give encouragement. One time, though, he thought he saw her give him a nervous glance and look away. He felt a stir of unease. Patty had made clear she didn't like Verter. Littlefoot had shrugged it off as a disagreement of personalities like Grandma Longneck said. But what about Verter could make Patty so troubled?

Hours had passed. The bright circle was nearing the west. Littlefoot had stopped practice and Patty had rewarded his hard work with some leaves. He crunched them, pride in his chest. He had made much progress with tail jumping. He was tripping less and he barely even fell now. Littlefoot couldn't wait to show this to his grandparents. Patty sat beside him, looking around, his sentry. He had been thinking about whether to resume practice or start on the jumping over other people's tails trick when he heard familiar voices.

He raised his head. In the distance, Ruby and Petrie's figures emerged into view. They were coming toward him, escorted by Mama Flyer's flapping silhouette. Littlefoot's spirits soared. Having at least some of friends come around was a welcome surprise. But then three other figures came into view. Ducky and Spike also approached, Mama Swimmer and their numerous brothers and sisters behind them, many of whom slumped slightly and rubbed their eyes. As they all got closer, he was able to pick up some of what they were saying.

"…talking to him not too bad." Petrie was saying. "It kind of interesting."

"Well, as long as he doesn't hit you, I'll allow it." Mama Flyer said reluctantly.

"…understand why you spoke with her." Mama Swimmer was saying. "It sounds like she had nothing much positive to say."

"It was not super fun but it made us think." Ducky replied. "We tried to put some positives into the talk. She even listened, she did, she did."

Littlefoot got up. "Hey guys. You're…here."

The others caught his eye, breaking from Mama Flyer and Mama Swimmer to make a beeline for him.

"Me and Petrie asked to be with you." Ruby said. "After spending most of the day at the nest, we began to miss being with you."

Ducky nodded. "The same with me and Spike. Mama was nervous, but we insisted we would not get in trouble."

Meanwhile, Mama Swimmer and Mama Flyer were getting acquainted with Patty.

"So you're watching Littlefoot now." Mama Flyer said. "It was quite an adventure to track you down while coordinating with Mama Swimmer on where to go."

Patty chuckled. "I didn't mean to make us hard to follow."

"Don't blame yourself. I first had to look for Grandpa and Grandma Longneck to ask where you are and that was an adventure in itself."

"How are they, anyway?" Littlefoot asked.

"They're doing fine." Mama Flyer said. "They were a bit distracted but seemed physically well. Anyway, we brought the kids over to play with Littlefoot. I hope this isn't imposing on you but-"

"I'll watch over them." Patty said. "This is a hard time, they need each other's company. Keeping track of a few kids might be a challenge but I'll do it."

"Thank you." Mama Swimmer said gratefully. "Seeing generosity from someone so young makes this difficult day bearable. I'm sure you'll do fine. You might think it's challenging, but look, I have nearly twenty kids." She gave a laugh. "That tends to give some perspective."

"Mama, can we go home now?" Norkel asked, poking her.

"In a second, dear." Mama Swimmer turned to the gang. "Ducky, Spike, don't cause any trouble. Patty is being very considerate to watch over all of you, so stick with your promise to behave. Patty, I want them back before dark. That good with you?" She asked Mama Flyer. She nodded, Patty making the same head motion. "Great. Now if you excuse me, I need to get some very impatient children back home."

"I need to go too." Mama Flyer said. "My kids' father can't watch over them forever."

"Take care of your responsibilities, and I'll take care of mine." Patty said. "See you when the bright circle comes down."

With grateful nods, Mama Flyer and Mama Swimmer left. Ducky and Spike's brothers and sisters walked a few steps slower, waving after the pair, but becoming awkward when they caught Littlefoot and the others' eyes. As the two families disappeared in the distance, Patty turned to the gang.

"Do you need privacy?" she asked.

Hesitating, Littlefoot looked to his friends.

Ruby shrugged uncomfortably. "There are…some things we want to talk about."

There were reluctant nods. Littlefoot gave Patty an apologetic look but she walked away with no judgment. She stopped in front of a tree, face obscured as she made moves to eat, but her watchful eye remained in sight. Littlefoot and the others looked at each other unsurely.

"I wish we didn't separate today," he said.

"Me neither." Ducky said. "But after hearing about Mr. Clubtail…my mind was blank. I just went along with what your grandparents said. I guess me and Spike thought it was in our self-interest to go back to Mama for comfort."

Petrie nodded. "But it would have been comforting to be together. We have evidence it work before."

Ruby said distantly. "I observed this with both my family and my friends. It mightn't have been easier but I conclude it would have been better."

Spike joined them in nodding, humming thoughtfully. Littlefoot was bewildered.

"Uh, are you guys okay?" he asked. "You're kind of speaking funny."

"Oh, it nothing." Petrie said. "Me and Ruby just have a lot to think about."

"You too?" Ducky asked. "I guess today makes it in everyone's interest to think. We were doing a lot of that with Tega."

"Tega?" Littlefoot frowned. "Isn't that the spiketail who steals food and hurts people to make them go away? I heard my grandparents complain about her. Why were you with her?"

"She bumped into us while we were sad about Mr. Clubtail," she said. "After we talked about it, we went home to talk about selfishness. I guess me and Spike wanted something to concentrate on that was not today and she wanted to entertain herself."

"So that all she do?" Petrie asked. "She not wave her tail at you all mean-like or anything?"

"No. She did swing it at us yesterday but she said it was an accident."

"Hmm." Ruby murmured. "Well, rumors aren't always correct. But that conversation doesn't sound easy to deal with."

"It was not but it was interesting." Ducky said. "Do not worry, she was a bit nice in her own gruffy way."

"Well, if you say so." Petrie smiled. "Everyone making new friends today. Well, sorta. Me and Ruby have been talking with Don."

The others blinked at him and Ruby.

"Wait, Don?" Littlefoot said. "That flyer who threw rocks at us?"

"What do you get out of hanging out with him?" Ducky asked.

"I know you're as surprised as me and Petrie just were about Tega." Ruby said. "We got him to agree to talk to us after he butted into our talk on what this killer could be like. We talked about how to think and notice things better after that. You have to admit, it would be good to be better at those things on our adventures, to avoid dangers and adventure better."

"There is a point to that." Ducky admitted.

"Well, as long as Don's not throwing things at you." Littlefoot said. "Neither of those things sound fun but at least you guys seemed to be handling them well." He sighed. "You know, it's funny. All of you are becoming friends with such grumpy people and yet I'm more worried about what Cera and Chomper might be doing with Verter."

"You too?" Ruby asked. "I guess it makes sense. Verter and this whole training thing is a bit hard to make sense of."

Petrie nodded "Me thought he nice but he rather mean in making others let Cera and Chomper train."

"Yeah." Littlefoot said. "I can get if he's worried about Cera and Chomper, but he went rather far with our parents. I was a bit surprised to see that part of him."

"He say he is doing this to protect us but what is he getting out of this?" Ducky said. "He seemed rather interested in training them yesterday."

"That's what's bugging me." Littlefoot sighed. "I know threehorns can be harsh but something doesn't seem right. Why is he so interested in training kids? My grandparents are right, we shouldn't be fighting grownup battles. I know what we do kind of undermines that but to have them prepare to fight even a bit like adults is kind of worrying. Does he know what he's doing? How much care will he…"

He trailed off. The others followed his gaze, and stilled. A threehorn figure had appeared in the distance, moving steadily their way. At first, he appeared to be alone. But then two smaller silhouettes appeared beside him. They were too far to make out the condition of, but gradually, they resolved into Cera and Chomper. Verter's identity had long become clear. His signature blue eyes were bright and he moved at an easy gait. Soon, he stopped in front of Patty, looking around as Cera and Chomper remained beside him

"Ah, the gang's all here." Verter said. "Sorry for the delay. Didn't want to cut their training short, you can guess how important keeping children disciplined is."

"Hmm." Patty's gaze flicked to the pair, expression neutral. "Hopefully, you didn't train them too hard."

"Don't worry, I showed them mercy." Verter said. If he noticed Patty's cool reception, he didn't show it. "Enjoy the little reunion, Cera, Chomper. And have an early rest tonight – you're going to need it."

"Don't worry," Cera said, "I don't think there's a chance we'll be staying up tonight."

"Great! Now to tell Topps and Tria about your progress and get some rest myself. Toodles!"

With a wave of the head, Verter walked off cheerily. For a moment, the gang's eyes followed him but they turned as Cera and Chomper approached. Up close, the gang could see how exhausted they were. Their steps were slow and ginger, and a few cuts covered their bodies. Their expressions were haggard. Littlefoot was a bit startled, though in retrospect he told himself he should have expected this.

"Did the training go well?" he asked.

"Well, we got trained." Cera said, collapsing onto the grass. "Aah. My muscles feel like mush."

"Was he that hard?" Petrie asked.

"He did give us a few breaks." Chomper admitted, slumping beside Ruby. "But he mostly kept us moving, with jogging, hitting rocks…and stretching. Lots of stretching."

"I hope those few breaks were good breaks." Ruby said, looking over Chomper and Cera with concern. "Do those cuts feel okay?"

"Yeah." Ducky said. "Should you be getting hurt at all? What would you get out of that?"

"Hey, getting hurt's inevitable in training." Cera said. She glared up. "Do you think I would've gotten so good at breaking stuff if I didn't get a few cuts along the way?"

Chomper nodded. "I got hurt a few times when my parents taught me how to get food and, um, stuff. It isn't fun but it's normal."

That didn't assuage Littlefoot and the others. Cera glanced around, eyes narrowed, before raising her head.

"Alright, what's with all the questions?" she asked. "You're all acting pretty strange."

"We do not mean to bother you," Ruby hesitated, "but how Verter behaves kind of bothers us."

Petrie nodded. "He weird. Even me can see he a bit too interested in training you."

Chomper raised his head. He appeared surprised by the concern. Cera, on the other hand, only looked annoyed.

"He just wants to push us, to get the best out of us," she said defensively. "With this killer around, of course he'd be interested in training us."

"But he seemed interested in training you yesterday, before any of that happened." Littlefoot said. "Don't you think that's strange?"

"I think he's just excited to train a sharptooth." Chomper said. "I mean, that's kind of weird, but it's nice to have a leaf eater be excited to see me for once."

"But is that all he is getting – getting out of-" Ducky threw up her hands. "Oh, speaking like this is too weird. I mean, is meeting nice sharpteeth and making you good at fighting all he wants out of this?"

"He's my parents' friend." Cera said. "He gets to make sure they don't suffer any - anymore losses. There is nothing wrong with him."

Ruby raised a hand. "But he does act kind of weird. Can't you not see that weirdness?"

"What do you get out of calling people weird? You barely know him. We're the ones who have been with him all day. I know you guys are worried but stop blowing things out of proportion."

The others faltered. What Cera and Chomper said made some sense. Verter's fixation on training could be out of the interest of protecting his friends' family. He was rather aggressive about it but that wasn't too far from what they knew of normal threehorn behavior. Verter still felt weird but Cera and Chomper did spend far more time with him. Maybe here, the gang were being out of line. Still, Littlefoot had other concerns.

"You don't need to go this far for us," he said. "We mightn't even deal with this killer. We should let the grownups handle this."

"You know our luck." Chomper replied. "We shouldn't take the chance."

"But we small." Petrie said. "Can we do anything against killer?"

"We did something about the many sharpteeth we came across." Cera retorted. "This will help us be even better at that."

"But this Threehorn Ascension stuff sounds a bit too big for us kids." Littlefoot said. "Especially you, Chomper. You're so young. Maybe you should-"

"No!" Chomper shook his head. "I'm tired of being weak! There've been too many close calls. I – I've got to protect you!"

Littlefoot and the others started. This outburst was so unexpected that they couldn't help but stare.

"Oh Chomper." Ducky said. "You are still worried about your size? I thoughts you got over that."

"What?" Chomper said. "When did I ever do that?"

"When the two of us were trapped on that cliff with Thud."

Chomper blinked.

"After we accidentally came into the Mysterious Beyond while exploring the Secret Caverns." Ducky elaborated.

He still looked blank.

"When Red Claw and his fast biters chased us up a cliff, and an earthshake separated us from our friends." she continued. "Thud's tail was trapped in rocks. After our friends saved us, you freed him because you said you were the bigger sharptooth."

"Oh. That's…" Closing his eyes, Chomper rubbed his temples. "I think I remember something like that happening?"

"You think?" Cera repeated. "I thought being noble enough to get one of our enemies to spare us would be something that would stick in the mind. Didn't you also get over it when we unblocked that river with Mo?"

Chomper shook his head. "You – you can't expect me to remember everything. Besides, solving an issue a few times doesn't mean it won't come up again."

Even if that made sense, Littlefoot was uneased. Suddenly, he wondered why Chomper's confusion reminded him of Hyp and his posse's puzzlement when they couldn't recall their kinder moments.

"Is this interrogation over now?" Cera said. "We're tired. We're not going to quit, so can you please drop it?"

"If you say so." Littlefoot sighed. "Just be careful. You won't be of any help if you actually get hurt."

Reluctantly, the pair nodded. Cera shifted restlessly, like she bit on something sour. Looking a bit embarrassed about his outburst, Chomper coughed.

"Anyway, since we'll be busy with training, we might not be around much," he said. "Sorry."

"It's fine." Littlefoot smiled. "You're always welcome to be here while you can. The rest of you guys sound busy too. I was kind of hoping we could hang out with Patty, show you what she's been teaching me, but…"

Even as he sort of expected this, the sight of Petrie, Ruby, Ducky and Spike averting their gazes made his spirits deflate a bit.

"That does sound like fun," Ducky said, "but we want to talk to Tega again."

Cera blinked. "Wait, who?"

"A grumpy spiketail me and Spike made friends with today." Ducky exchanged glances with her brother. "We are still confused about how selfishness works and we want to be less confus-ed."

"Me and Petrie are going to be occupied too." Ruby said. "Trying to get better at thinking and observing will take more than one day with Don around."

"Wait, Don?" Chomper cried. "The-"

"The one who threw rocks at us, yes." Petrie said, exasperated by the repeated question. He sighed. "It do take a lot of time to figure out why someone do bad thing and how to find them. So, we won't be round much."

"Should you be doing that?" Cera stared at them with concern. "I mean, forget about us, you two seem like the ones getting involved in something dangerous."

"Don't worry." Ruby said hastily. "We only plan on debating, observing, and learning all we can. We only plan to do it at Petrie's home. Me and Petrie believe this is as important as your training. We don't plan on looking for any trouble, really."

She and Petrie nodded. Cera and Chomper stared at them with intense worry but Ruby and Petrie met them with determined and resolute gazes. After some seconds, Cera sighed.

"You'd better be careful, alright?" she muttered.

Chomper touched Ruby's arm. "Yeah. I don't want you to get hurt."

Ruby softened. "We don't want to get hurt either. We'll won't take any risks. Sorry about this, Littlefoot."

"We can make some time to be with you." Ducky said quickly, with the others nodding. "It would depend on if we have time and if our new friends or parents say yes, but we will try, we will, we will. I know you wanted it to be all day, so…" she fidgeted

Littlefoot shook his head and smiled. "No, it's great we're all occupying ourselves. This is a sad time. We'll just need to make good with the time we do have together."

"Oh. Okay." Ducky said, relieved. "But what do we do in that short time?"

"We need to play something really great to make that short time fun." Petrie said.

"Nothing too physical." Cera said. "Some of us are too tired to move, remember?"

"What can we play that's a lot of fun but doesn't involve a lot of moving?" Ruby muttered. She hummed, tapping her cheek. Slowly, she smiled. "How does Pointy Seed bowling sound?"

The proposal got instant attention.

"Oh, oh!" Chomper waved a hand up. "I want to do that!"

"Me too." Cera smirked. "Just be prepared to lose."

"Hey, you won't win if me win first." Petrie challenged.

"Neither of you will win if I knock down more cones." Littlefoot said.

"No one will win if I push the rock better, no, no, no." Ducky laughed.

Spike nudged Ducky and shook his head with a "nuh-uh," giggling. They all eyed each other, some smirking competitively. Littlefoot shook his head fondly.

"C'mon guys, let's gather the seeds and rock," he said. "We have a game to play."

There were cheers and they spread out. Soon several pointy seeds and a rock were acquired, and the game began. The air was filled with ha's and the shushing sound of a stone being kicked through the grass. Patty walked closer to watch, chuckling as some hopped forward to wind up a kick while others charged with exaggerated aggression, voices raised as the others called out. There were cheers or groans depending on the score but no one cared. With the evening warm and balmy, the rumbling feet of passersby, and the sound of someone coughing, it was like another playful day in the Great Valley. Littlefoot and the others knew otherwise, but this could be a rare time in the next few days they could be together. No matter what might be happening now, they were determined to have fun to the fullest.

The bright circle had set by the time Patty escorted the gang to their parents (and in Ruby and Chomper's case, dropped them off at their cave). Littlefoot had waved each of them off. He had noticed Mr. Threehorn and Tria look Cera over and talk to her quietly but he managed to bid her farewell all the same. When they had got back to their spot on the hill, he had offered to resume practice but she waved him off, saying he had been working all day and needed to relax. This left him sitting next to Patty, ears pricked and gaze occasionally swiveling about with the air of someone always on the lookout for danger. The minutes ticked by and the stars twinkled in one by one, but still he saw no sign of his grandparents.

"I'm sure they're okay." Patty said. She didn't look at him but continued her watch, speaking with assurance. "They said they wouldn't take unnecessary risks."

"Unless it involves me." Littlefoot sighed. "But you're right. They're probably just being held up."

Nevertheless, his nervousness remained. He tried to remain calm but gradually the paranoid voice that came whenever loved ones were separated in times of danger arose, stirring up images in his mind: a sudden rockslide bearing down on his grandparents; their large forms scrambling on a cliff; a large silhouette, large and imposing, standing in their path with ill intent…

He was set at ease when the shapes of Grandpa and Grandma Longneck emerged from the darkness, tired but unharmed. Relief entered their gazes when they saw him and they picked up their pace to meet them.

"Sorry we're late." Grandpa Longneck panted. "Coordinating the meetings and searches took until the last minute."

"That's okay." Patty said. "Me and Littlefoot were relaxing from a fun day. His friends even stopped by to play. Were you able to determine the cause of death?"

The grandparents looked at one another, as though considering whether to divulge that information. Grandma Longneck sighed.

"It's likely this is a murder," she said. "With Mr. Thicknose's help, we managed to determine that some of the markings on Mr. Clubtail could only have been inflicted by another dinosaur shortly before his fall. We have been spending the remaining time of light trying to track down his trail."

"If nothing else, that Verter is observant." Patty muttered. She was frowning. "It took that long to determine it was a murder?"

"We wanted to be absolutely sure before we make an announcement." Grandpa Longneck said. "Unfortunately, being diligent with our facts meant we didn't have much time to determine who did it. We quickly lost the drag trail in the grass," he sighed. "Oh, this is going to take many days. Ah well. It would have been a stroke of luck if we found the killer in a single day."

Patty smiled. "I'm sure you'll find clues eventually. This killer is mortal – he can't possibly cover everything up."

"That's right," he rallied. "This won't last forever. I can only hope this killer won't be inclined to target anyone else in the meantime…"

"Patty!"

They all jumped. There were a rumble of footsteps and the sound of someone calling out.

"Patty, where are you?" the voice continued. "Come back, it's night. The herd leader has said before to return when the bright circle comes down."

"Drat." Patty cursed. "One of the herd leader's underlings. They're quite persistent. Don't worry, I'll be back tomorrow morning," she said quickly, walking back. "Can we meet here? Sorry for the rush, but I need to get going."

"Meeting here is fine." Grandma Longneck said. "Go on, we don't want to get you in trouble."

"Thanks. Anyway, see you, Littlefoot."

"Oh, I'd better see you." Littlefoot said playfully.

A smile flickering in, Patty turned and rushed into the night. Shaking his head, Littlefoot walked over to his grandparents. His heart rose as he saw the warmth in their faces. But when he glimpsed the guilt in their eyes, he remembered the blowup this morning and slowed to a crawl. Uncertain, they turned and began their walk to the nest.

"Littlefoot, we're so glad to have you back." Grandma Longneck said finally. "Did you enjoy your time with Patty?"

Littlefoot nodded, staring ahead. "She taught me that fun tail trick you saw earlier. We're planning to practice jumping over other people's tails next."

"I see." Grandpa Longneck said. "That's very generous of her. She has admirably little shame for someone her age." He chuckled. "Why, I don't think I would have had the courage to perform such tricks in public. Even with the sharpteeth and food issues of that time, somehow being embarrassing in front of your pears was still the worst thing in the world."

"I was also thinking…we could try the jumping over others' tail thing too." Littlefoot said, glancing at them.

Grandma Longneck was quiet for a moment. "We'll see. That might be difficult, at our age and with this current responsibility. Still, it's never too late to learn something new."

An awkward silence. Then, with the guilt becoming too much, Littlefoot looked up.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I-"

"Littlefoot, you don't need to say it." Grandpa Longneck sighed. "We're the ones who should apologize. With all these strange happenings, you're under a lot of strain. We should have known talk of the circle of life would be painful for you."

"I still remember how you reacted to it when Grandpa fell ill." Grandma Longneck said. "I should have kept that in mind before we spoke. Pressuring you to accept tragedy can be its own cruelty."

Littlefoot shook his head. "No, I bear some of the blame too. I don't like the circle of life – I still don't – but I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It was just, with Mr. Clubtail being dead – our friend is gone. And, and then-"

"Yes, Littlefoot?" Grandpa Longneck asked.

Littlefoot was blank. He tried searched for something to say. His mouth was dry.

"I – I saw-" Littlefoot gulped. "I didn't mean too, it was only for a few seconds, but I couldn't look away and to see him like that, that he was gone, I got pushed to the edge and – sorry, sorry."

He lowered his head, filled with shame. They all stopped, Grandpa and Grandma Longneck's expressions filled with shock. Then sympathy surged in and they went down to nuzzle him.

"Oh, Littlefoot." Grandma Longneck said. "That must have been horrible."

"We should have spared you from that." Grandpa Longneck said.

They pulled back, leaving Littlefoot uncertain.

"You're not mad?" he asked. "But I looked when I shouldn't have."

"We wish you hadn't," Grandpa Longneck said, "but it's an understandable temptation. We should have moved you kids before you felt tempted to."

"But we were so distressed by our friend's passing that it didn't occur to us." Grandma Longneck sighed. "Don't worry, Littlefoot. We all make mistakes. Just try not to do it again."

"I don't want to." Littlefoot looked away. "Thanks for what you said about the circle of life. I know it comforts you – but I was telling the truth when I said I didn't like it."

Grandma Longneck hesitated. "We can stop mentioning it if you want."

"That would be nice – but I don't want to burden you. I just want to make you be happy. I wish I can now."

For a moment, only rumbling steps filled the air. Littlefoot stared miserably at the grass. Here he was, burdening their lives with more problems. Some grandson he was. Then he felt gentle nudges and he looked up to see his grandparents' smiling faces.

"You already have." Grandpa Longneck said. "Just making up with you is enough. Don't worry, we'll drop the subject."

Grandma Longneck nodded. "As long as you're happy, we're happy. We'll be willing to keep circle of life talk between the two of us."

"Oh – you sure? T-that's just-" Littlefoot was filled with guilt and relief. He closed his eyes. "Thank you."

Grandpa and Grandma Longneck chuckled and nuzzled him again. Littlefoot felt a surge of affection. Really, he was blessed to have the greatest grandparents in the world.

"And speaking of happy," Grandma Longneck tone shifted, "how did you spend your time with Patty today? We're very curious. It would lift our spirits to hear about the fun you two had."

"Fun is right." Littlefoot smiled. "Our talk wasn't much fun at fistbut once I offered to be her friend, things really started turning around. And then-"

He continued, waving his head and tail to demonstrate the directions of the conversation and play, lowering himself to show how Patty practiced. Littlefoot was happy to see his grandparents nod and smile at the appropriate parts, completely engrossed in the story. In a burst of silliness, Littlefoot decided to demonstrate the tail trick while walking and wasn't surprised when he fell on his face. Their fond head shakes made all of the embarrassment worth it. By the time they arrived at the nest, he was in a good mood, laying close to his grandparents' heads as they all laid down to rest. He closed his eyes.

"Littlefoot?"

Blinking, Littlefoot raised his head. His grandparents were staring at him seriously.

"We want you to know," Grandpa Longneck continued, "we will find out what happened to Mr. Clubtail."

"We'll make sure the valley can be a place where you children can laugh and smile again." Grandma Longneck said. "Even if Mr. Clubtail will no longer be around…let us worry about the big stuff. Alright?"

Littlefoot stared blearily. Something didn't sit right with him about letting his grandparents take care of all the dangerous hurdles. But he yawned and said. "Alright."

And he lowered his eyelids and joined his grandparents in sleep, content to let someone else take care of the grownup problems for once.

Earlier that evening, there was coughing. Tega stood in the trees' shadows, hacking her lungs out. With each cough, leaves and grass flew out her mouth. They were forceful. It was exhausting to stay standing. In that moment, they felt like they would go on forever. Gradually, though, her systems cleared and she wiped her mouth as she took a wheezing breath. For a moment, she glanced at the regurgitated plant matter with something like displeasure but focused her gaze ahead.

Littlefoot and his friends were out in the field. They took turns kicking a rock at pointy seeds, Littlefoot occasionally providing dramatic commentary. His friends groaned, some of them attempting to cut him off with their own narration while they took score and shouted encouragement. Win or lose, they appeared to be having a wonderful time. Not far off, Patty stood guard, watching with fond amusement.

Tega examined the children. Raising a paw, she counted them one by one. Pausing, she counted again. Taking her time to really consider matters, she smiled.

"I can see why Wing Father is interested in these kids," she said.

Next time…

New Routines

Note: Sorry for the delay. There was more to correct than I thought and I deviated from my rewrite routine, which left me less focused and indecisive on what to change. No promises, but I hope to get the next two chapters out by the end of August.

7/14 note: I just realized I completely forgot to add in margins. That must have made reading scene transitions a bit more confusing. Whoops!