We Will Hold On Forever

by

DaveTheAnalyzer

Chapter 15: The Next Fall Part 1

"Come on, come on, keep up the pace!"

Cera panted as she and Chomper found themselves jogging once again. Verter ran beside them, that vine dangling from his mouth. It was late-morning and the bright circle was nearly to the center position in the sky, beating down and making them sweat. As soon as they had breakfast, Verter had appeared and hauled them off. For the past few hours, they had been training nonstop, going over rock beatings, stretches, and more. They had been busy yesterday too but at least there were points of lag in their workouts and more than a few breaks. Now, though…

Crack!

Cera yelped as that vine struck a toe and hurried her steps. Verter carried that vine in his mouth, cracking it at them when they least expected. Occasionally, his gaze strayed around the area but his focus remained on them. He had been hurrying them all morning. He knew how to hit, barely an inch from the toes or with a light sting on the skin, rarely letting them slow. It was exhausting. She didn't know where this was coming from. She had saw hints of that yesterday after the climbing exercise but this was way different.

He didn't even seem to have time to socialize. When he escorted her to her family last night, Mr. Threehorn had been the only one up. His eyes flicked to her and he had opened his mouth to address Verter but the latter cut him off with a few words before walking off. This morning, they had all been up but Verter only allowed a few pleasantries and then he all but dragged Cera away. It was baffling but with the rate Verter was training her, she didn't have any time to think about it.

"Keep going." Verter called. "You're doing so well."

"Doing – well – is exhausting." Chomper panted.

"That's normal. Come on, you must be feeling a bit stronger."

Chomper mumbled incoherently. He looked tired. His eyes were half-lidded, he thrust his arms with a weak energy, and his steps were haggard and clumsy. Verter was really working the little guy up. Cera wanted to glare at Verter for this, but she was so tired herself she could only concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.

At last, they came upon the rock signaling the end point. As soon as they crossed, Cera and Chomper fell off their feet, panting, exhaustion searing through them.

"Now don't just topple like a bunch of rocks. Get up."

Taking several breaths, they pushed themselves up as Verter caught up.

"That was a good workout, wasn't it?" Verter said. His smile was a bit strained. "Now, let's get back to target practice."

Chomper turned to him. "Target practice…already?"

"No time like the present. Hop to it."

"Seriously?" Cera sighed. "When are we going to take a break?"

There were some whispers, and they turned to see a pair of widebeak swimmers watching, tutting. Verter glared but they were already walking off.

"When appropriate," he said. "There is much to do, we can't waste time."

"But you're rushing us, and not leaving us time to breath. Sometimes even we need a break, you know."

He sent her a look. "I thought you said you could keep up with this."

Cera winced. "I – I can, it's just…I've been moving nonstop for several days. I know being tired's unavoidable in training but it feels like we're being sped up so fast. Can't you see why I'm getting annoyed?"

For a second, something like irritation flashed across Verter's face. Then he glanced around again and that smile returned. "Well, you can work off that annoyance with some rock ramming. Come on."

Verter turned and walked away, steps a bit quick. Cera and Chomper were left with no choice but to scramble and follow.

"We are getting better, right?" Chomper whispered to her.

"I hope so." Cera sighed. "All it feels like we're being made to do is work, work, work."

Chomper looked a bit disheartened. Cera almost wished she took back those words but she could tell she only reinforced doubts already present. Besides, she could relate to his feelings. She remembered last night how Tricia curled in a lonely figure as she slept between her parents. Cera's heart ached. She had cut Verter some slack due to the story he gave two days ago but he was rapidly wearing her patience thin. For the sake of her family and friends, Verter had better make this training worth this absence or she was going to have words with him.

Early that morning, there was chatter and laughter. Grandpa and Grandma Longneck stood with Patty as they exchanging pleasantries and anecdotes. She had come as soon as Littlefoot and his grandparents started breakfast and she stood to the side as the grandparents ate. From the ease they exchanged words, an observer might think this happened every day.

"…he experienced, he has such love for fun." Patty was saying. "He's a joy to be around."

"Yes." Grandpa Longneck said. "It can be such a contrast, when he thinks with such deep thought and then decides to splash in the goo and play. We're not complaining."

"I'm amazed you aren't complaining with being awake this early in the morning." Grandma Longneck said. "I remember doing that at your age and it was torture. Don't you struggle?"

"I did at first but after living on my own for so long, I learned how to greet the bright circle like an old friend." Patty looked at them. "I hope you made some progress on the investigation."

Grandma Longneck sighed. "We have been going up and down the cliff side where the drag trail ended all day yesterday but unfortunately we have still turned up nothing. This really is a struggle, especially with your herd leader pressuring us for results."

"I'm sorry. Maybe I should talk to her not to lean on you so hard. By the way, have you heard the rumors going around the valley lately? They're very concerning and might be connected to…"

Littlefoot was browsing the trees and bushes on the edge, chewing leaves. He saw his grandparents' skeptical expressions but put the conversation in the background. He was in a good mood. For the most part, he felt awake, he didn't have a bad sleep story in several days, and he was filling himself up rather well. Patty and his grandparents could be given time to talk and relax. He had made some great progress in the game of jumping over other people's tails, and was ready to improve more today. He looked forward to doing it with his grandparents. Seeing a long-leaved bush, one that was rather succulent from when he remembered sampling it, Littlefoot went over to take a bite out. As he did so, he caught a shape moving among the trees and jumped. Then he realized who it was, and laughed.

"Hey Mr. Thicknose. You scared me. How are you doing?"

Mr. Thicknose had frozen mid-step, head turned to stare at him. In that brief second, Littlefoot thought Mr. Thicknose looked a bit drained but the latter forced in a smile.

"Oh hello Littlefoot. Didn't mean to startle you. I should be asking how you're doing."

"Okay." Littlefoot shrugged. "I've been having fun with my new friend, Patty. She's been teaching me how to jump over my tail, and other people's tails too."

"Really?" Mr. Thicknose's smile gained a genuine air. "Good. That's good. Especially at this time, you should be enjoying yourself."

Littlefoot's bright expression waned. "Uh Mr. Thicknose…are you okay?"

"I'm…managing." Mr. Thicknose sighed. "I won't lie, this matter with Mr. Clubtail has me rattled. It's bad enough he was murdered but after looking at this from various angles-"

"Oh, that's right." Littlefoot looked down. "You're helping with the investigation."

"Yes. I'm doing my duty but…looking into the mind of who could do this is exhausting. This isn't the first time I've dealt with death. I've been around for a long time and outlived many people, including a few of my students." Those old eyes flashed briefly with guilt. "But murder…I've only dealt with that a few times and it's never easy. I suppose there can be extenuating circumstances, but to kill someone because you want to…what purpose can someone have to do this?"

Littlefoot winced, the memory of the first sharptooth coming to mind. Mr. Thicknose stared pensively into the air before shaking his head.

"You don't need to listen to this," he said. "These aren't matters kids should be dealing with."

"No, that's okay" Littlefoot shook his head. "Sometimes you just need to talk."

Mr. Thicknose smiled and stepped forward. "Anyway, don't let me keep you. I need to go talk with your grandparents. Make sure to have a lot of fun with that new friend."

"You have some fun too." Littlefoot smiled wryly. "Maybe not in the middle of investigating but after it's over. You look like you need it."

"I…will try. Fun is good, especially for old fogies like me." Mr. Thicknose looked a bit wistful. "I wish I allowed myself to have more fun. So much of my life wasted pretending I knew everything, that I was above such 'measly' things as fun. I know better know, I'm grateful for the many extra cold times to apply it but…" he sighed. "There I go again. Well, see you Littlefoot."

With that, he walked on. Littlefoot stared. Before he could think about Mr. Thicknose's plight too closely, Patty bid farewell to his grandparents and she walked up to him, thoughtful.

"Shall we get going?" she asked.

Nodding, Littlefoot joined her in walking side-by-side to their next hang-out place. The only sounds were their steps as they moved through the valley. His eyes were lowered.

"You know, you could always eat with my grandparents," he said. "You don't need to stuff yourself and rush off to have a chat with them."

Patty shrugged. "It's a force of habit. I prefer to eat first thing when I wake up and the herd leader wants us to do that together before we go off to do our thing. With everything as it is now, it's probably best not to cross her."

"Yeah, it sounds like it." Littlefoot sighed, lowering his head. "Everyone is really tense."

"What's wrong?" she asked, glancing at him with concern. "You seem kind of down. I shouldn't have mentioned the current valley situation, I apologize-"

"No, it's okay." Littlefoot shook his head. "It's just, I was thinking about Mr. Thicknose. I bumped into him while eating and he seemed kind of down."

"Oh." Patty said. "Yes, I believe I heard your grandparents mention him. So that was him. I can see why someone who spent most of his life in the Great Valley would be shaken by a murder."

"Chomper kind of hinted at that two days back," he said. "He mentioned smelling blood on some of the valley residents who moved here."

"Life is complicated," she said. "In the Mysterious Beyond, you often make decisions you aren't sure are the right thing to do. I'm sure there are more than a few dinosaurs here who regret what they did out there. Even so, there are killings so monstrous they inspire horror no matter the experience."

"Yeah. No wonder most people don't want to talk about it."

She gave him a curious look. "Why does that occupy your mind? Does it stir up painful memories from your journey to the Great Valley?"

He averted his gaze. "You could say that."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Maybe. I just…" Littlefoot groped for words and shook his head. "Oh, never mind. You don't need to hear about this anyway."

Patty stopped. "Littlefoot, this is something that is clearly bothering you. It would be hard to have fun if you have something occupying your mind."

"But it's just…I can't." He closed his eyes "I'm ashamed of what I did."

"Don't worry. I won't judge."

"You don't understand – if you hear about this, it would change how you look at me. I don't want you to be scared of me."

Patty brought her head close. "Littlefoot, I have seen and done a lot of things I thought good people would never do. It's okay. I will listen."

Littlefoot hesitated, staring into her eyes. He still had some reservation. There was a reason he didn't reveal what happened with the first sharptooth to anyone beyond his grandparents. But if Patty had been seen as much as she claimed, perhaps she would understand. His chest cooling in encouragement, he took a deep breath.

"You see, I…I have killed."

Patty's eyes widened. "You what?"

"You heard. I killed someone. I – I took a life."

Littlefoot lowered his head. Patty thought this over with surprise.

"I can't believe this. Someone so young…" she said. "I'm sure there's an explanation for this."

He nodded, gaze turned away. "When me and my friends were going to the Great Valley, we were being chased by the sharptooth, the one who killed Mother. He almost got us one time but we managed to escape. Near the valley, though, he was there, looking for food. He was in the way. He wasn't going to stop chasing us. But there was a pond nearby and I got an idea. If we could push a boulder on a cliff when he was right underneath it, we could send him into the water and drown him. I pushed my friends to help and it didn't go as planned but we managed to push the boulder on top of him and…"

Littlefoot didn't need to elaborate. Hesitantly, he sneaked a look at Patty. Her head was raised, thoughtful.

"You did all that? Amazing." she said. "You shouldn't beat yourself up over it. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. He was going to keep being a threat. You had no choice but to take him out."

That all sounded reasonable, Littlefoot thought. In ordinary circumstances, having to kill in self-defense would have been hard, but he could recover. It was relieving to hear Patty's understanding. But…

"That wasn't the only reason I did it." Littlefoot said. He took a deep breath. "A not tiny part of me also wanted – I mean, he killed Mother. I wanted him to suffer. Looking back, it's kind of creepy. I pushed my friends into the plan and it nearly killed them. That shook me out of wanting revenge again but…was I doing the right thing if there were a selfish feeling behind it?"

He looked up. Patty was looking a bit uncomfortable. Littlefoot winced. Had he gone a bridge too far with showing this side of himself?

"You got rid of that sharptooth to save yourself and the others, right?" she said finally. "Even with those feelings, that was what you wanted?"

"Yes," Littlefoot said, "but…"

"Then that still matters. Even if that desire for revenge was there, so was the decision to take out a threat to your survival. Look, people are complicated. They can have all sorts of feelings for doing the right thing. You're a good person. I can see that."

"You think so?" He looked up.

Patty nodded, a bit eagerly. "Life is full of mistakes and hard decisions. You can only do so much about them. At some point, you have to forgive yourself and move on. Remember your mistakes but learn to do good from them. In the end, you have to allow yourself to be happy."

Littlefoot turned this over. There was some sense to it. His grandparents and friends often told him something like that when he felt an urge to apologize for a long-ago ill. They had long forgiven him, so should he. The sharptooth probably wouldn't feel that way but diet aside, he wasn't a pleasant person anyway. What did it matter what Littlefoot was feeling, if his intentions were still right. Everyone had bad thoughts sometimes, but there was nothing exactly wrong with them unless acted upon. Littlefoot looked up and felt himself smiling.

"I see," he said. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Patty. At first, I didn't know what to feel but you made things clear again. I'm feeling much better now."

"No problem." Patty said. "That's what all good people should do, make others feel better."

"You should allow yourself to be happy too, Patty." Littlefoot said. "After all you went through, you deserve it."

"Really?" Patty smiled. "I'll try to. Anyway, let's put aside all this death talk."

"Yeah!" he bowed, grinning. "Let's get back to having some fun. I still need to improve with jumping over other people's tails. Make sure to teach me well with that."

Patty laughed and nodded. Smiling, Littlefoot walked on and she resumed rumbling beside him. He still had some anxieties swimming in him but for now, he felt assured to put them aside and allow himself to enjoy the day.

"Again."

Panting, Tria charged and cracked her horns against the boulder. There was a spray of rocks and a further fifth of the boulder parted from the rest. She and Mr. Threehorn were in a part of the valley where several boulders had rolled off the Great Wall and provided many targets to practice on. Tricia had been sent to Dinah and Dana's parents to be watched over again. She tried not think about this, as she couldn't afford the distraction.

"Again."

With a final pullback, Tria thrust her head at the boulder again and caused it to crackle to pieces. Mr. Threehorn examined the damage from where he sat nearby.

"Five strikes," he said. "You're still not angling right."

"This is harder than it looks, you know." Tria said.

"I know that. Now find another boulder and try again."

Biting back a sigh, Tria looked around and examined the boulders dotted about. She had been training for hours. From the first moment after her daughters left, she had been ramming boulders, going from one place to another when that area's supply ran out. She tried to remain determined but it waned with the exhaustion and repetitive work. She would have been able to cope better if not for her mate's attitude. Almost since yesterday, there had been a slow but perceptive change in his demeanor. The first day and a quarter, he had been tough but fair, giving praise where he saw it. But gradually the compliments dropped away and he became impatient and annoyed. He seemed distracted. He wasn't like some of the harsh Threehorn Ascension instructors from their past but it was getting on her nerves. What was his problem?

She found a suitable boulder and rammed into it, sending more debris onto the ground.

"Harder." Mr. Threehorn said. "Bend your back a little more. You can't charge properly if you're stiff."

With a flicker of irritation, Tria tried to relax her back as told and backed up. A second strike and a quarter fell off the boulder.

"Harder! You're not putting in enough!"

Tria backed away a third time and ran as fast as she could. There was a crackle and when she blinked the dirt out of her eyes, she saw she only took out a third of the boulder. With a grunt of frustration, she struck it again, hard, leaving only a part of the base standing. She panted, regathering herself as Mr. Threehorn got up and walked over to inspect the aftermath.

"Four strikes," he said. "Still not enough. You need to go at it with no hesitation."

She took another breath and looked, glaring. "I'm not hesitating. I'm trying as hard as I can."

"No you're not." Mr. Threehorn said. His gaze was slightly low, and he spoke strangely, almost automatically, like he was somewhere else. "I see you stiffen briefly before you run. You need to throw yourself at the boulder in order to break it quickly."

"I will. I just don't want to get myself hurt."

He stirred, glaring. "That soft heart has no place on the battlefield. When you have an opponent in front of you, you have to be more ruthless than them in order to win. In battle, there can be no hesitation"

"I know, it's just," she lowered her head, "I'm trying my best."

"That's not good enough. I thought you wanted to put your all into this." Mr. Threehorn sighed.

"You are doing so many little things wrong. It's really frustrating."

Tria stiffened. "Topsy…"

"Don't make excuses." His voice came out harsh. "The guys training with me got it quickly, and it was this pressure that drove them along. Why couldn't you have stopped being soft at everything and been strong enough to pass the first time?"

She raised her head, stepping closer. "Topsy, what's gotten into you?"

"I'm frustrated you're too hesitant and won't make the snap decisions needed to deal maximum damage to a target." Mr. Threehorn said.

"I know that, I'm just trying to learn how to actually do it carefully." Tria said, some frustration entering her voice. "I mean, I'm not unfamiliar with this, I am a threehorn."

"You don't do a good job of acting it. You rarely show the usual aggression we display."

"Maybe I have my own way of being a threehorn!"

Tria and Mr. Threehorn glared into each other's eyes. For a moment, their legs were splayed, giving no ground. Then Mr. Threehorn closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Look," he said, "it's not like you haven't improved these last few days. You're able to break down boulders in much fewer strikes and your stance and charging speed has improved. But you still need to work on the flaws I mentioned. You're smart, I thought you could see that."

Tria stared for a moment before looking away.

"You have a point," she said. "I do have some ways to go. I did say I would be okay with you being harsh in training me, but I didn't expect how harsh it would become." She sighed. "I know that isn't an excuse. I should be focusing on getting better but here I am whining like a child for not getting a reward for something basic."

Mr. Threehorn watched as she her lower her head. He softened.

"Well, I might have gone too far with that proper threehorn comment," he said. "I've had something troubling on my mind lately, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"No, it's fine. I should be able to take a teacher's moods in stride." Tria looked at him. "What's been on your mind?"

"Oh, this shouldn't be bothering me like this…but I've been getting the sense that Verter has been avoiding us lately."

Tria blinked. "Avoiding us? I assumed he was busy training Cera and Chomper."

"I know. But normally we could spare some moments to chat. But yesterday and today, he cut us off before we could get to much. Didn't you find that strange?"

She frowned. "Now that you mention it, he does make some time to talk."

"Did I do something wrong?" Mr. Threehorn wondered. "Did I say the wrong thing? What could I have said that turned him off like this?"

"What were you talking about last time?" Tria asked. "I saw you two yell when I was training last morning."

He looked uncomfortable. "I was becoming concerned about the level he was training them. He's been using vines as a whip. We talked about it, how you and I noticed some marks on Cera the first night."

She frowned. "Yeah. I'm not really comfortable with Verter's use of it. I don't like him ordering them around like followers in that way. As long as he didn't really hit them, I would be fine but today…"

"I know. There are a few more marks." Mr. Threehorn frowned. "Well, maybe this is necessary to keep Chomper in line."

Tria shifted her gaze. "I don't think that makes me anymore comfortable."

"Hey, if we want to make sure a potential troublemaker behaves, sometimes you have to scare them in order to keep them in line," he replied, rising up to glare. "It might be harsh but in this time of crises, we can't go easy on them."

She shifted uncomfortably but there was nothing she could say to that. "What else did you talk about?"

Mr. Threehorn held his glare but relaxed. "After we cooled down, we talked about what we got up to during the Time of Great Growing. He seemed very fond of those times."

"Hmm." Tria said. "I can't see what in that discussion might upset him."

He nodded. "I did disagree with him about the violence of that time but I wasn't being angry about it. I thought I sensed a shift in his mood then but I'm not sure if that has anything to do with his current behavior. It's just…something feels off…"

There was a pause as both considered the issue whose meaning they couldn't pinpoint but left them uneased. Mr. Threehorn shook his head.

"I'm being paranoid," he said. "Verter could really just be busy with training. I'll ask him when he comes around tonight. I guess I'm just not happy with being away from Cera and Tricia so much."

Tria nodded. "No, maybe that's also my issue. Mind you, Cera is usually off with her friends and we do send Tricia away occasionally to have time alone. But with these ghosts and Mr. Clubtail's death, I guess we don't like not having our family being away during these tough times."

"Precisely." Mr. Threehorn said. "I'm still not happy with Cera having to train but if she and Chomper have to, I'd rather be training them. No matter the awkwardness of Chomper being around, at least we'd be spending some time together."

She chuckled. "It would be a bit strange to have kids as fellow trainees but I agree. But let's see about getting me trained first."

"You're right. We should get back on track." He gave her a firm look "Be warned, I won't be as harsh but I'll still be firm and honest. Can you handle that?"

"I'm ready. I'll be a big girl this time."

Mr. Threehorn nodded, a smile flickering in. Getting back into position, Tria resumed ramming boulders and he gave feedback, the pair of them a bit more at ease after they aired out their concerns. That was all that was needed, a bit of communication between them. Though still \tired and sore, Tria felt in much better spirits. Even so, their minds couldn't help lingering on those who were absent.

Ducky and Spike hesitated, glancing at each other. Tega lay in the clearing from yesterday, eyes closed and mighty sides rising and falling. Ducky wondered if this was the right time. She and Spike hadn't been able to gather the nerve to talk with Tega since she arrived to sleep nearby this morning. They felt like they hit a sore point with her yesterday and decided to give her space. They spent the intervening time having fun with their siblings, playing tag and teasing each other, making up with them in a quiet way for their argument the day before. Even through these games, Ducky and Spike's minds lingered on the spiketail.

After morning turned to afternoon, though, it became clear Tega wasn't going to move through inaction. Ducky was far from close to finding out the truth about how selfish or selfless people were but she couldn't leave someone hurt by without trying to do something nice. Feeling Spike give her a nudge of support, he and Ducky stepped forward.

"Tega?"

Tega opened one eye. Ducky stood there with Spike, holding an armful of long grass. She went over and laid them in front of her.

"These are for you." Ducky continued. "We thought you might like them."

Tega examined her offerings.

"These are good," she admitted. "They are always on the higher grounds where they are a pain to get."

"Me and Spike climbed to get them." Ducky explained. "I am very good at climbing, I am, I am. It makes it easier to get treestars myself."

"A nice trick to have." Tega commented. "Wouldn't last to adulthood but it's useful while it lasts."

Spike almost sighed at that last comment but kept it quiet. Tega bent down, opening her mouth to bite on a piece of grass but paused. She gave them a suspicious look.

"This isn't about serving some point about selflessness, right?" she asked.

"No, it is not!" Ducky waved. "It is just…we want to say sorry. Talking about groups and selfishness made you uncomfortable. We should have saw that and stopped. We should have not asked about what was wrong after the tree crackle scared you. Some people need space to become okay but we were worried, so-"

"Fine." Tega sighed. "It's fine. I kind of had it coming. It's the most selfish thing, not to think about the past, especially if it contradicts your beliefs."

"What do you mean?" Ducky asked.

"I mean – oh this is going to be hard – you have a point." Tega said. Her expression was neutral. "It is better to survive in groups. I tried to dismiss it, that I didn't need another pair of eyes to watch my back but then I got into danger and…"

Tega fell silent, her grass chewing a bit wistful. Ducky exchanged glances with Spike, who was blinking, a bit surprised Tega would give ground like this.

"Um…if it is alright, can you tell us what that danger thing was?" Ducky asked.

Tega gaze drifted to her. "You expect me to spill my innermost secrets?"

"Me and Spike want to better understand you." Ducky's expression was concerned. "If we know where your issue came from, we will be more careful with dealing with it. At least, we will try."

"Eh, eh." Spike nodded, eyes serious yet warm.

Tega looked between the two, considering their words. She closing her eyes.

"Oh, alright," she said. "What you're saying does make sense. Remember that fire that came around after the Thundering Falls got blocked up?"

"We do, we do." Ducky said, Spike nodding. "That was…wow, how long ago was it? We did not like how everyone was becoming very mean because of the water situation, no we did not."

"Yes. That made me want to keep to myself even more. I suspected that my usual eating habits would make me more unpopular. Anyway," Tega said when Ducky and Spike frowned, "I wasn't near anyone when the fire started. I was by myself in the middle of a forest, eating dried out grass and pretending it tasted good, like Spike being my usual slothful self."

Spike made a questioning "eh?" Ducky stirred.

"Wait. What is sloth?" she asked.

"Another way to say lazy." Tega said. "Anyway, it took a while but I heard the cries of people being panicked about something and looked around only to see a fiery glow in the distance. Worried, I immediately knew what it meant and made tracks for the nearest evacuation path. I wasn't going to take any chances with where a fire could go in a dried out valley."

Tega adjusted the grass in her mouth, thinking.

"Um, are you not going to eat that?" Ducky asked.

"Hey, chewing grass calms me. Do you want me to be nervous when I remember my scariest memory?" Tega said. "Where was I? Oh yes. The smell of smoke was getting stronger. I picked up my pace. I knew from the word of travelers to be vigilant around fires. Dry wood and winds can make them go fast. Still, I thought I could get to shelter easily. But faster than I anticipated, a glow swept past and the fire was upon me. I cursed myself: I forgot the trees in my area burned more quickly. There was still space to maneuver, but I kept running into dead-ends or having a burning tree fall into my path. I was…becoming scared. Wherever I looked, there was fire and the smoke was making it hard to breathe. I started to realize…no one knows where I am. I'm alone here. I thought I wasn't going to make it."

In spite of herself, Tega's casual tone wavered. Ducky and Spike could understand why. They remembered running from fires. The intense heat, the choking smoke, the orange glow…it still shook them how close they and their friends came at times to being burned alive. It was only understandable Tega took some time to pull herself together.

"Then," she took a calming breath, "I saw a gap in the flames. I was desperate for any way out, so I leapt through it and fortunately I didn't get singed much. I got to the Great Wall cliffs as fast as I could and stayed there until the Thundering Falls surged back and put the fires out. But I realized something that day. Before, I thought my cleverness and common sense would allow me to survive on my own. Then I saw how things truly were. In order to survive, you had to know people. You had to be in groups."

Tega fell silent. Ducky and Spike had listened, wide-eyed. In the quiet that followed, she slid a foot forward as though to touch Tega's cheek but thought better of it.

"Wow, that sounds – horrible." Ducky said. "It must be so hard to have something important to you challenged like that."

"Yeah." Tega grimaced. "I learned my lesson. Loners aren't built for this world. It's so unfair. Sometimes I just wanna-" She glanced at Ducky. "Saying sorry about it won't help. That only makes it hurt even more."

"Oh, sorry – I mean, I just want to make sure you know you are heard." Ducky said. "Even if there is no way to solve the problem, knowing I hear and will be careful about it would make you feel better."

"And then I could be happy, and you wouldn't have to deal with another person's mood." Tega said. "Right?"

"That is…At least, I hope it is what is best for you. Besides, it is better to be happy, right?"

Tega surveyed Ducky, who squirmed but maintained her sincere expression. At length, Tega looked away.

"That's in everyone's self-interest," she said. "But you're right. I do want to think about something more pleasant."

"Good for you." Ducky smiled. "Do not worry. We will be sure not bother you about it again. Right Spike?"

Spike nodded and bayed, smile gentle. Tega snorted.

"You guys are saps," she said. "But I won't complain. Still, I'm not going to rely on a bunch of kids."

"Do not worry." Ducky said. "Relying does not go one way with friends. Sometime, there is a mutual helping."

"Mutual, huh?" Tega said, amused. "But you can't always avoid dependence on others. Cera and Chomper depend on Verter."

"Well, one knows more and the others are supposed to learn. That cannot be helped."

"But with one side being kids and the other being a stranger, one side has to really trust the other has a good self-interest in them."

"But Verter is not a stranger. He is Cera's parents' childhood friend." Ducky said. "He would want what is best for the kids of his friends, right?"

"People change when they grow up." Tega said. "I heard he kept your two friends from your little get together yesterday."

"That is probably because he has a lot of training for them to do. Cera and Chomper have to catch up a lot in order to become good in a short time, they do, they do."

"If that's so, why did he allow them to hang out with you the day before?" Tega asked. "Even with rushed training, there should be some time off. What in his self-interest caused him to change his mind? Eh, that's why I hated relying on strangers as a kid. You have less of an idea if they're looking out for your best interest. I'm glad I'm not that age anymore."

Ducky and Spike exchanged worried looks. They had decided to trust Cera and Chomper's word that Verter was trustworthy but Tega reopened their concerns. They thought it was sad but reasonable Verter would keep Cera and Chomper away to train them more but they wondered what else it could be? They shook themselves and talked on with Tega about other matters, but they couldn't dismiss the coincidence that the day after the gang expressed their worries about Verter, Cera and Chomper didn't come to them.

Chomper was exhausted. They had been training for hours, going over the same exercises over and over in what felt like a circle. They barely had enough time just to linger and fill their bellies before Verter rushed them to the next task. It was overwhelming and even he, desperate to find some use in Verter's training regiment, was at his limit.

They were climbing again. They scaled to a lower cliff path at the base of the Great Wall. Above them, the mountains stretched high, some enough to scratch a line through the sky puffies. The good news for them was that it wasn't as high as their exercise yesterday. The downside was that this cliff was more perpendicular and their strained muscles felt like they would stop working at any moment from the weight of the gravity. Verter had assured the ferns at the base would cushion their fall just as much but it was still nerve-wracking. Chomper grabbed for every crack or protrusion he could reach, breaths a bind in his chest.

"Are we…almost there?" he panted.

"Maybe." Cera said, limping her foreleg to another crevice. "Just…keep climbing."

"So…tired."

A protrusion Chomper stepped on fell out from underfoot. He yelped as he slid down, claws scratching through the rock until he stopped and reoriented himself. It was scary and disheartening every time he slid down or nearly fell but he couldn't give up. That cliff edge got closer. With exhaustion hollow in his bones, each scale felt like forever. Cera foreleg pulled up to a crevice but it slipped, sending a hidden rock sliding out. Cera wobbled as she fell back, leaning diagonally as her three other legs clung tightly to the rock, whoa's climbing in pitch as her body wavered more and more. Chomper glanced at her in worry but she managed to throw her spare foreleg back into the crevice. She calmed her breathing, as though to wrestle her fear down. Then she stole herself and resumed climbing. Chomper followed after her, suddenly wondering why two kids were being forced to do a treacherous task like climb a cliff but he didn't have the strength to pursue the thought.

With a last few grunts and gasps, Chomper pulled himself over the edge and Cera followed. They slumped together, tired, just wanting to give their muscles some measure of rest. For a few blissful seconds, they got that, spacing out with the relief of not moving. Then Verter's feet marched over.

"Good job." Verter said. "Now onto running."

Cera looked up, incredulous. "W-what?!"

"No time like the present," he commented. He chewed some lush round leaves with an energetic grind and he swallowed them, looking refreshed. "We need to pack as much training in the day as we can."

"But we just got here," she protested. "We're tired. I don't feel like I can take another step."

"Nope, have to keep going."

"Seriously." Cera glared. "We're – too – tired – to move. Give us our rest and we'll be right with you."

Verter gave a look. "I thought you said you could handle this training."

"Not with you barely giving us any time to rest. If we were any more tired, we would have fallen off that dang wall. If we do the next thing you want, we'd probably screw it up."

Chomper hesitated, glancing between them. Cera had a hard glare about her. He didn't want her and Verter to be fighting, but he was too exhausted to think of what could be said to calm them down.

Verter frowned. "It's just the kind of harsh training us threehorns are used to. We might be exhausted during a crises situation, so you need to know how to react in that state."

"Shouldn't we train how to do that when we're not tired first?" Cera asked. "It's kind of hard to do it tired when we're too tired to know what we're doing in the first place!"

"Keep your voice down!" Verter said hastily, glancing around. Was it just Chomper's imagination or was he doing that a lot lately?

"Why should I?" she asked. "Should you be training kids this hard? We might get hurt at this rate. Tria was right, there is some serious risk here."

Verter was annoyed. "And you listen to whatever she says?"

"She has some good ideas." Cera said. "If you continue acting like this, I'm going to have to ask my parents if this kind of training is safe for us kids."

"What?" his mouth fell open. "Now, you don't need to go that far."

"Why are you so hesitant? You seem okay with telling them some of what we're doing," she said. "I don't want to kick up a fuss but if I'm too tired to think, I'm going to kick up one."

Chomper looked from Cera and Verter as each of them spoke, touching his chin as he tried to follow the conversation. Two flyers passed by low, talking amongst themselves, only giving them a look as they flew on. For some reason, that further agitated Verter.

"But this could interrupt the flow of training," he protested. "In order to be ready at any moment, we can't delay or be distracted. If your parents get the wrong impression, they might stop the training. With this killer around, do you want to risk that?"

"That's-" Cera hesitated. "If it's better than getting hurt, then we have to take it. We're being rundown. If you don't slow down the pace, we might have to step back a bit."

"Cera, really." Verter said. "Do you feel the same way, Chomper?"

Chomper hesitated. "Cera has a point. I want to get better, but to get hurt like Tria said – I don't think that would be worth it."

There was a long silence. Chomper and Cera met Verter's gaze, uncertain or defiant, but both at the end of their rope. Verter watched them, at a loss. He turned to look around at the valley scenery, gaze unfocused as though debating with himself.

"Right," he said, voice turning brisk. "I hear you. Follow me. I know just what to do."

"I told you, we're tired." Cera said.

"But I know the perfect place to take a break. I want to make up with you. Come on. It's a bit of a walk but I know you'll like it."

"Well…"

Verter turned, expression pleading and Cera became uncertain. Pressing a foreleg to her chest, she exchanged looks with Chomper. If Verter really did know a good place to rest and wanted to makeup, they might as well give him a chance. Sighing, the pair pushed themselves up.

"Fine." Cera said. "Show us this wonderful place."

Verter turned and walked up the Great Wall. Taking a second or two to compose themselves, Chomper and Cera followed.

Despite the brief rest, they were still tired. Chomper's barely had the energy to put one foot in front of the other. Uncertainty lay in his gut. He felt guilty for disagreeing with Verter after all the threehorn did to support him, but his instincts told him Cera was right. They were being rundown. Even at their harshest, his parents didn't push him through this much so quickly. Still, Verter looked contrite about what he was doing. Maybe this rest place would be good and they could resume training on the right foot. He hoped the place was a nice meadow of grass, the kind that was soothing to lay down and nap on. With how tired he was, he could almost imagine the soft green blades, stirring in a gentle breeze.

He was so tired, it took some seconds for him to realize the green he was seeing was actually from the crisscross of vines hanging from the ceiling of the cave they were walking though.

"Wait, where are we going?" Cera asked.

"To our rest place." Verter said.

Verter stopped and Chomper and Cera slowed not far from his tail. Chomper frowned as he looked around and took a sniff.

"But this cave leads right to the Mysterious Beyond," he said. "Why would our rest place be-?"

Smack! Cera cried out and Chomper whirled around just in time to see her crumble to the ground. He looked about wildly for what attacked her but he didn't notice the tail tip descending toward him until it was too late.

With another smack, Chomper let out a whimper and fell beside Cera. Verter stood there. For a moment, he didn't acknowledge the unconscious forms behind him. Then he let out a long, low sigh.

Next time…

Part 2