Chapter Three:
The Sky-Beings Return
After her walk, Ruby made her way back to the nest, settling next to Chomper. She nuzzled him with her beak, seeing him stir. He blinked a couple of times before his beautiful, soft eyes settled upon her. Those eyes of his took her breath away, made her grow weak in the knees, causing her heart to race. Because she knew those eyes would only ever look at her with all the love in the world. She reached out to brush his muzzle, hearing him purr softly.
"Ruby, I'm glad we're together."
"So am I."
They shared a smile, Chomper glancing at the sky, noticing a new star among the many sparkling lights. "Ruby, look."
As he said, Ruby studied the stars and spotted the brightest on. Since she learned the constellation, Ruby was able to tell right away the glow meant one thing, the Sky-beings were returning for a visit.
"It's them Ruby, my birth parents." Chomper got up and saw Ruby holding a curious expression. "The sky-beings must know about the egg."
From the sky, a great shining object floated down, sweeping over the Big Water and coming to land on the Mysterious Island. Taking the egg in her arms, Ruby followed Chomper to where the strange object landed. It was unlike anything Ruby had ever seen, trying to process what it might be. The thing was about the size of a small hill, rounded, glowing, and having a set of four legs to stand on. There was a hissing sound, the bottom opening for a pair of Rainbow faces to exit and step onto the land.
"Mom, dad," Chomper said.
"Chomper, son, you look well," Johnathan ran over to hug Chomper.
"This must be your wife, er, uh, your mate, Ruby." Nancy glanced from Chomper to Ruby. "So, you're the one who stole our son's heart, eh?"
"Ma'am, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Ruby cautiously approached the other female, finding Nancy didn't look any different compared to the other leaf-eaters. Perhaps it was silly, but Ruby assumed the sky-beings would be strange, odd-looking creatures. If anything, she imagined them to be terrifying, though they were far from it. They took the forms of rainbow faces, speaking the leaf-eater language. Apart from their strange flying thing, one would never guess they came from beyond the Mysterious Beyond.
"Please, call me Nancy." When Nancy saw the egg, she smiled. "Oh, and what do you have there?"
"An egg, we'll raise it as our own."
The older couple passed a knowing expression, smiling at the younger couple. Johnathan went and hugged Ruby. "Oh, this is wonderful, we're going to be grandparents!"
"Indeed, come, I wish to speak with Ruby, alone," Nancy said, gently nudging Johnathan off Ruby. "Come, dear, let's talk." Nancy led Ruby to their home, Ruby smiling and following the older female.
"Mom, what are two going to speak of?"
"Oh, just lady stuff. Nothing that'll interest you, son."
Johnathan went and stood by Chomper, thinking they needed to have a heart-to-heart as well. "Come, son, we should speak too." The two left his home, walking along the lush forest. Johnathan admired the flowers, fruit, and plants they passed. "So, nervous about being a first-time father?"
"Very. I don't want to mess this up." Chomper lowered his head, seeing the scar along his leg. "I'm the leader of the sharpteeth, therefore, the young will be in danger for being mine. How is that fair?"
"Life can be a bit unfair, son. But know this, a parent can accomplish many things when it comes to the safety of their young. Giving you up was the hardest thing we did. In the end, look at whom you've become. We're proud of you, son. I know you and Ruby will make good parents and will keep our grandchildren safe."
Chomper only smiled and took the lead, showing Johnathan around. "So, this was where my parents brought me, to keep me safe from Red Claw. If only I could change my body like you and mom can do, that would've made things a lot easier."
Johnathan gave Chomper a wide smile. "What if I taught you how to shapeshift now?"
"Wait, that is something I can do?"
"Yes, as we told you before there are many things your mother and I could teach you, had you come with us. Still, we can work on growing your abilities when we visit."
"Okay, I'm ready, show me!" Chomper said excitement.
Johnathan took deep breath, and a soft blue light surrounded him, changing, growing bigger, and bigger. Chomper stood back, gazing up in awe as a large sharptooth stood before him. In fact, Johnathan looked like Chomper's father, Chance, all except for the blue eyes.
"D-dad?"
"Yes Chomper, it is I." Johnathan then transformed again, becoming a small glider like Guido. "We can go from any being we desire."
"How?"
"Imagine if you will. Shut your eyes and focus on the image of what you wish to be. For example, what being out of all dinosaurs would you be if given the chance?"
"That's easy, I want to be- "
"No, don't tell me." Johnathan jumped in, being a rainbow-face once more. He placed his hand on Chomper's heart, smiling up at him. "Keep it to yourself, it'll be stronger if it comes from deep within, comes from your heart."
Chomper nodded and shut his eyes, taking in a deep breath. For a few moments he saw darkness, then he got an image, a silhouette appeared in his mind. Yes, it was what he wanted to be, wished more than anything else, the being he wish he'd been hatched as. Then, Chomper felt something strange, almost like a shiver, only more powerful, moving through his body. His stomach jumped and there was a moment of weightlessness, as though he were falling from some great height. Then, he shuddered, hearing a whooshing sound before he felt normal, released from the odd sensation. Opening his eyes, Chomper found he didn't feel too different, felt pretty much the same.
"D-did it work?" Chomper asked hesitantly.
"Go see for yourself, son."
Chomper went toward the water and looked down, assuming he'd see his reflection. Though, the image staring back at him was far from what he expected, gasping and jumping back. After the first shock, he took a deep breath and looked again. There, gazing back at him was the face of a fastrunner, thought it was slightly different. He still had sharp teeth, and the line of spikes went from the comb on his head to the tip of his tail. Then he flickered his three fingers, seeing he still had claws, even on his feet.
"So, any particular reason why you chose to be a Oviraptor-er-fastrunner?" Johnathan asked as he walked over to stand eye level with Chomper.
"Before I met Ruby, I always admired fastrunners. They were quick and stood a better chance at surviving an encounter with a sharptooth." Chomper answered with a wide smile that changed to a sad expression. "Though, after I met Ruby, a small part of me wished to be the same species as her. Then we could mate for real and have a clutch of eggs. We'd have been able to stay in the Great Valley and I could've given her a normal life."
"Oh, son" Johnathan patted Chomper's shoulder. "Ruby loves you, no matter who you are."
"I know, she's proven that repeatedly. But if I'm like this, I can be with her in a way neither of us could imagine. Not that I don't care that we could never mate the normal way. It's just, well, I umm…"
"You don't have to explain it to me. I get it."
"Wait, if we are to try and be together in that way, will I have to worry about us reproducing?"
"No, don't worry, unless your mother and I tamper with the DNA, you won't have young. While you are the same size, you're far removed from what she is. Therefore, your seed will not mix with her eggs. There will be no change of fertilization."
Chomper's mouth hung open, trying to catch up with the big words Johnathan used. "So, that's a no, right?"
"Correct. I am sorry to ramble on like that."
"It's okay, I'd worry what a fastrunner-sharptooth hybrid might look like."
"Right, so, let's try and change you back to your normal self."
Chomper trained with Johnathan, changing into other flat teeth, even becoming a fast bitter. All the while, Chomper wondered what his mother and Ruby were discussing. She said it was female stuff, but he figured knowing Nancy it was more involved than mere chit-chat.
Back at the ship, Nancy welcomed Ruby into their home/transportation. Ruby gazed around in awe, never seeing such strange objects before. The grass was like ice, smooth and cool to the touch. Lights of green, red, and blue lit up the front.
"What is this place?"
"We call it a spaceship. It is how Johnathan and I travel from place to place. Our world is extremely far from here, out beyond the Mysterious Beyond." Nancy knew Ruby was cleaver and smart for her species, that she'd be able to understand the advance dialog, if simplified and compared to something familiar. "We call it space, where many planets exist, not quite like this, but similar, able to hold all sorts of life."
"Creatures like us?"
"Depends on one's definition of life. After all, plants are living organisms to some extent." Nancy stood while Ruby walked around.
"Amazing, life is all around us, connects us, in some way. I guess that's why I never saw much of a difference between Chomper and myself. While he was a predator and I prey, I felt were alike, beneath it all both on the endless round, in the Great Circle of Life."
Nancy held a warm smile, glad her son found such an understanding and opened minded female. "I must say, you're impressive, Ruby."
"Me, impressive, impressive, am I?"
"Yes, you referred to the day you hatched a Star-day while other plant eaters called it Hatch-day. Your parents studied the stars, taught you too as well. It is not something common among most leaf-eaters. I dare inquire that you and your parents made some evolutionary break-through."
"That would explain why the others never knew what I was talking about when I mentioned my Star-day."
"Our son is incredibly lucky to have met you. We owe you our thanks for guarding him and looking after him for so long."
"Your very welcome. But Chomper helped me too. He was my first friends, my first crush, my first for many things." Glancing up at the sky through the great glass window, she sighed. "I'd love to see this space, someday."
"Would you like to go for a ride?"
Ruby lit up. "Oh, if it's not too much trouble."
"Of course not, we'll be out and back in no time." Ruby watched Nancy sit, patting the seat next to her. Mimicking Nancy, Ruby figured out how to buckle herself in, taking Nancy aback. "My gracious, you really are a clever girl."
Once fixed, Nancy hit a few buttons and in a matter of minutes they lifted off from the land, hoovering over the trees. Ruby's eyes grew wide, excited, nervous, and curious. They ascended faster and faster, leaving the Mysterious Island till it was merely spot in a great sea of blue. Then, to Ruby's surprise, she saw another set of land, being the Unknown Chomper spoke of. They passed the clouds, heading into space, moving faster than anything Ruby ever saw. Once they left the atmosphere, they were among the stars, Ruby seeing a great circle of blue and green, their planet.
"Oh, my." All Ruby could do was gaze at it with wide awe filled eyes. "It's round, not flat."
"Indeed, incredible, isn't it?" Nancy said, knowing none other, not even Chomper had seen their home from afar.
"How is any of this possible?"
"Science."
"Science?"
"Yes, a series of test to determine what is and isn't possible. In asking question, we try to find the best answers to aid us."
"C-can we step out?"
"Not without the proper suite. The space-air is not breathable."
"Really, so there's no way we could exist outside of here?"
"Not without a ship." Nancy went and drew out a white outfit, offering one to Ruby. "Here, care to step among the stars?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
Again, Ruby watched and was able to get into the strange suite. Once ready, she followed Nancy to another part of the ship, entering a square room. The far end led out into space, while the other entered the ship. With a push of a button, Ruby felt a weird and new sensation, floating as though she were underwater.
"Okay, there, Ruby?" Nancy asked.
"I'm good, well, I am." Ruby responded, overwhelmed, yet wanting to go beyond. Taking Nancy's hand, they moved and left the square room. "This is one small step for me, yet one great step for all dinosaur kind."
"What do you think?"
Ruby tried to keep up, doing her best to not be overcome by the amount of knowledge being thrusted upon her. For she was the only one of her kind to ever leave the ground, the place called earth, to venture in the sky, past sky-puffies, and beyond the Mysterious Beyond. Space was soundless, cold, and unfamiliar, an alien to Ruby. Though, she found herself enthralled, looking around and taking everything, she could in. It was a gift; one she'd treasure for the rest of her life.
Nancy:
"Under the snow beneath the frozen streams,
There is life,
You have to know when Nature sleeps, she dreams,
There is life,
For the colder the winter the warmer the spring,
The deeper the sorrow, the more our heart sings,
Even when you can't see it, inside everything,
There is life,"
Ruby:
"After the rain, the bright circle reappears,
There is life,
After the pain, the joy will still be there,
There is life,
Both:
For it's out of the darkness that we learn to see,
And out of the silence that songs come to be,
And all that we dreamed of awaits patiently,
There is life,
(There is life)
There is life."
Spinning through the endless, beautiful space, Ruby found it sad she was the only of their kind to see such a wonderful and breathtaking sight. It changed everything she was taught and knew, realizing she'd be able to share the wonderful news with others once she landed. By Ruby's side, Nancy pointed to a collection of stars, saying their home planet was among them.
"The sky-beings started out like your kind. Then, with the aid of science and the ability to build and create, we reached for the stars."
"Your home must be lovely."
"It is, but it's not perfect. We used the resources around, never stopping to ask about the state of our own world. Because of that, it's slowly dying."
"What, but how?"
"How doesn't matter now, does it?"
Ruby held a worried expression. "Is there anything we can do?"
"Well, in a way, our people will live on. Your planet is not the first, or the last we've interfered with. The Voyagers as we're called were tasked with finding a world where we could start over, and hopefully do a better job at taking care of the new world. Chomper is a sky-being and will carry on our legacy. And in some way, so will you."
"That's so sad. Does Chomper know."
"No, we never told him the state of our home. That's why we loved coming here. It was so full of life, and it gave us hope."
"Well, you'll have to come more often to see your grandchild."
Nancy smiled and blinked back her tears. "Come, we should get back to the ship."
They flew toward the ship, Ruby taking one last glance at space, wishing to see more, though knowing her egg was back on the ship. Once back inside, they removed the suite and Ruby went to the incubator to retrieve her egg. Ruby stood and gazed through the clear ice-like surface, peering out. Looking inward, one would find Ruby's expression full of wonder, the earth's reflection was across the glass.
"It's like a sleep story. It's breathtaking."
Nancy placed the ship in autopilot, going to stand beside Ruby. "I was glad to share it with you."
Holding the egg, Ruby sighed. "I'm worried about being a mother. This was never something I thought would happen to us. Chomper and I knew we'd never be able to birth a clutch of our own. Yet, fate thought otherwise."
"Ruby, as a mother, I know you want to keep your young safe."
"Yes, with all my heart." Ruby turned to Nancy. "But the question that bothers me, that haunts me, is how can I?"
"You'll need something to even the playing field." Nancy walked to the center of the room, a table rising from the floor. "Come closer, dear." Ruby stood by while Nancy got a few objects and brought them to a flat surface, laying them out for Ruby to see. "Here, this is a bow and arrow." Nancy offered a bent stick with a string tied to the top and bottom. Next, she held up a long and thick stick, a sharp stone secured on its top. "A spear." There was another strange shape, a small sharp, tooth-like item. "This is a knife, a blade that you can easily carry."
"Why are you giving me such, things? What are they meant for?"
"Weapons, they are called weapons, and those not gifted with talons or fangs, such as yourself, may receive help from welding them. I can show you a few moves and how to craft them, should the ones I give you brake."
Ruby was hesitant, yet the more she studied the weapons, the more she realized they were the items she looked for, the answer to her prayers. That they were the things that'd make her a predator in some sense. Reaching out, she lifted the bow and admired it.
"Yes, Nancy, I think I'd like that, like these things I do."
They left the vastness of space to land upon the Mysterious Island, Nancy having more ideas to share with the knowledge seeking Ruby. But it'd wait till morning, for it was late at night. Chomper and Johnathan showed up, the couples heading off to their respectable nests.
