Prologue:
The Circle of Life
Ruby:
"From the day we arrive on the planet,
And blink and step into the sun,
There is more to see then can ever be seen,
More to do than can ever be done,
There's far too much to take in here,
More to find then can ever be found,
The bright circle rolling high,
Through the sapphire sky,
Keeps great and small on the endless round,
It's the circle of life,
And it moves us all,
Through despair and hope,
Through faith and love,
Till we find our place,
On the path unwinding,
In the circle,
The circle of life,
It's the circle of life,
And it moves us all,
Through despair and hope,
Through faith and love,
Till we find our place,
On the path unwinding,
In the circle,
The circle of life!"
On the Mysterious Island, Ruby, the fastrunner, lived with the Alpha of the sharpteeth, Chomper. They weren't alone, for her parents, Trudy, and Rodney made the journey to live there with them. Then there were her old enemies turned allis, Screech, and Thud. Both were fast-bitters who used to work for Red Claw, before his passing at the claws of Chomper, which was by sheer accident. When it came to her mate, Chomper, he was unlike a typical sharptooth in the Mysterious Beyond. Chomper was slightly shorter and had three clawed fingers as opposed to the usual two. His skin was blue, with red eyes like that of a leafeater instead of completely darkened with a black slit across the pupil. Not only that, but before his injury, Chomper had the power of telekinesis, though Ruby didn't fully understand the strange word, but she knew enough that the special gift granted him the ability to control items with his mind. Why was it Chomper was so different from his own kind? How was he able to carry out such unnatural feats?
Well, it was because of who his parents were, not the sharpteeth set, but his birth parents. Chomper was a mix between two kinds, that of a sharptooth, while the other half was sky-being. The sky-beings took the form of rainbow faces, Chomper meting them and learning of his true origin. Ruby had been left in the Great Valley, Chomper leaving her to cross the Big Water and into the Unknown, following the instruction of Charity's left behind for him in her lullaby. Ruby figured she'd never see him again and felt as though their relationship was over and that they'd part ways for good.
Only he surprised her, and came back to save her, along with the gang from a Killer pack. The vicious group of sharpteeth were led by Red Claw's successor, Stephany, a finned back sharptooth who swore revenge against Chomper for stealing her title, wanting to take the Alpha spot back from Chomper. It was an intense battle, the gang fleeing back into the Great Valley while Chomper crushed the enemy under a mound of loose boulders.
Surviving the ordeal, Ruby and Chomper pledged their loyalty to one another, that no matter the ups or downs, they'd see it through till the end. It had been a few days since they arrived back on the Mysterious Island, seeing it grew back fully, in particle thanks to Chomper's parents, who must've stopped by before leaving for the sky.
Rodney and Trudy gasped in aware and were pleased to call the lush place home, settling in quickly and enjoying the luxuries the land provided. The older couple could be found soaking in the hot springs or relaxing by the waterfall. As for Screech and Thud, they went on their unusual patrols to make sure no one crossed the land path or entered the Mysterious Island. While the older couples were busy, Chomper and Ruby enjoyed their time together, taking long walks, Ruby thinking back and recalling their earlier adventure.
"Boy, I thought we'd left adventuring behind us, adventuring seemed like a thing of the past."
"Well, some things never change. On another note, I'm glad the Island is lush for you and your family."
Chomper took a flower and passed it to Ruby, who took it and ate it, continuing to walk beside him. "Yes, mother and father are happy to be here, happy they are to be among the Mysterious Island. I'm glad it doesn't bother you them coming along."
"Your parents were always nice to me, and I figure they deserve to spend their aging years in a safe and beautiful place."
"I can see us growing old together too, nothing coming between us again. Perhaps maybe this time, we're officially done with adventuring."
Chomper stopped and smiled, reaching out to hold her hand. "Oh, Ruby, being your mate is the best adventure I've ever had. I thank the stars we're able to be together after that whole thing with Stephany, my sky-being parents."
"Indeed, and you know, we have some time to ourselves." Ruby said suggestively.
"We do, don't we. What should we do?" When he saw the look on her face, he got a clever idea what she meant. "Oh…"
Ruby led Chomper to their shared nest, catching up on some overdue alone time. Maybe it was because they almost died, but Ruby wanted to be close with Chomper, treasuring their time together. It was precious to her, ever touch, ever kiss, every tender moment. Laying side by side, Ruby sighed with content.
"I'm glad we're alive, being alive is a wonderful thing."
"Yeah, better than being dead. And having you but my side makes it even better." His voice then lost its cheery tone and became softer. "I'm sorry again, Ruby."
"It's finished, Chomper, I've already forgiven you. I wish you'd forgive yourself."
"That seems impossible for me to do. It's just, I don't know what's wrong with me. Why do I feel things so deeply?" He sat up, rubbing the marks left over from the fight. "I know I shouldn't, but I feel bad for killing Stephany and her pack. I can't help but feel regret…. The same thing I felt with Red Claw, with… Kyle."
"Ever think maybe it's because your half sky-being. You said the rainbow faces were smart and did things you found hard to understand."
"Maybe. Never thought of it that way." He leaned over to brush her head. "You always have a way of soothing my mind, and troubled thoughts."
"And you fill my lonely world with laugher, joy, and love."
Holding her close, Ruby felt him nuzzle her. As she leaned into him, she looked up at the stars. To think somewhere out there, the sky-beings were. It was then Ruby thought deeply, wanting to know more, was curious of what lay beyond the Mysterious Beyond.
