Chapter Thirteen:

The Plan in Motion

When the bright circle rose, Chomper and Ruby were cuddled close together. Sitting up, Ruby looked at Chomper's slumbering, peacefully face. Her hand reached out to brush his cheek and wake him. His eyes opened and he smiled, giving her a sleepy gaze.

"Morning, Ruby."

"Morning, Chomper."

They rose to their feet and went to eat by the stream, Chomper catching some fish while she grazed upon the greens. After a satisfying meal, Chomper gave her a hug and a kiss.

"I love you, Ruby."

"I love you too, Chomper."

Drawing apart, she left him to join the patrol by the large rock he always stood on. There, she saw Magnificent, who offered the weapons back to her as promised. Once she had her arrows, bow, she noticed he was a bit hesitant when it came to her spear.

"Trudy, I'm sorry for raising my voice at you yesterday. Perhaps today, we can start fresh." He gave her the spear.

"Sure, I'd like that." Ruby said, playing along.

They left the Sanctuary, heading over the ice bridge and into the Mysterious Beyond. Through the howling of wind and snow, they walked on and on. Ruby didn't know what Magnificent was up to and was a bit on edge. When they came upon a sheltered area, Magnificent pointed at a pack of raptors, several mothers laying over their nests, while the others left to hunt.

"Right, now we put my plan in motions. Trudy, we are one step closer to purging the land of these vicious, brainless killers. My vision is destroying all sharpteeth from our world."

"Magnificent, please, this isn't the way." Ruby took his arm. "If you kill all sharpteeth, our world will be unbalanced. There won't be enough land to feed the overpopulated leafeaters. We're all here by the grace of the great circle of life. For better or worse, we need the sharpteeth, they pick off the ill, weak, old, so the strong may survive."

"No, you lack vision. You've lied to me since the moment we met." He looked her square in the eyes. "Are you Ruby?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because if you are, there may be a problem. You see from where I stand Ruby is a traitor, a deceiver to all dinosaur kind, spreading lies about the flying object, sky-beings, the world being round instead of flat. She chose a monster over a fine male like Ricky."

Ruby's eyes widened. "You knew Ricky?"

"I did, he came to us, begging for me to lead an army against the sharptooth they call Chomper, the one who kidnapped his beloved."

"You only know one side of the story; therefore, half is still missing."

"Either you stand with me or you're against me?" Magnificent said with anger. "You took a vow, don't forget that."

"Yes, but that wasn't my real name, so I owe you nothing." Ruby went to run away, only to be blocked off. She lifted her bow and pointed it at the large pair. "I don't want to hurt you, so let me pass!"

Magnificent went to stab her from behind, Ruby spinning and tripping him with her tail. Then, she shot an arrow into the club-tail's foot. He jumped up and down, the spike-tail sweeping its tail at Ruby, who leapt over it and rolled, firing odd another arrow to stick into the spike-tail's tail. Once her path was clear, Ruby ran for it, only to be clawed at from the flier. Magnificent tackled her down, the pair throwing punches and kicks. Ruby was doing well, till the other's intervened, being hit back and forth but the club, trying to avoid the spikes by rolling along the earth.

"Give up, Ruby, chose loyalty to me and I'll end this."

On shaky arms, she shook her head, would remain defiant. "Never, I'll never yelled to the likes of you."

"Verry well, then you leave me no choice."

With anger, Magnificent grabbed and drug her to the ridge, throwing a hand forward for the rest to attack the nesting females. Ruby gasped and saw as the pack were helpless, the mothers trying to protect their eggs.

"No, please, spare them!" Ruby begged.

"Too late."

Weakened and unable to reach her weapons, Ruby saw the mothers get slaughtered, the three crushing the eggs. Ruby lowered her head as tears streamed down her face. When the killing was done, Ruby, with the aid of Magnificent went down to look over the carnage. Bodies lay distorted among the snow, covered in blood. The nests were trampled, the shells broken while the tiny embryos stained the snow, little body curled up in the clear goo.

"You're a monster." Ruby said softly.

"No, I'm a hero, I'm doing what we should've done years ago." Throwing Ruby into the snow, he stood back. "Now, you have a choice. You can come back with me, be my mate and never question my decision again. Or you can deny me, and I'll leave you out here to freeze to death."

Ruby spit at him. "You disgust me."

"I hate it had to be this way." In a quick move, he stomped on her leg, breaking it. "Enjoy a cold death."

Magnificent turned away and didn't look back, leading the rest away.

"You're just going to leave her here?" Asked the club-tail.

"Yes, do you wish to stay behind as well?"

"N-No." He responded, not looking back.

The group left and Ruby tried to drag herself, yet yelled in pain, her leg bend in a distorted angle. Unable to move, Ruby curled up in the remaining grass nest, shivering and trying to keep warm. There, she felt something and brushed the snow away, seeing an egg had survived. She took it in her arms and let out a shaky breath, knowing she didn't have long on her own. And Chomper, what would happen to him if she weren't around. Magnificent would harm him and there'd be nothing she could do. With tear filled eyes, Ruby cried, hating to think her last moments on earth would be alone, cold, and afraid. Though, she didn't want her last moments to be gloomy, so she thought about the happier moments in her life. When she met Chomper, living in the Great Valley, reuniting with an adult Chomper. Living with him and having a family, yes, those would be the last things to go through her mind, warm memories of the love they had.

How much time passed she couldn't say, all she knew was, she felt at peace, was tired, ready to slip off into the Lands Beyond. Then, she felt warm, opened her eyes to find a strange sight. A large sharptooth male, along with some fastbitters. Coming to, she figured the smell of blood must've brought them. But they didn't attack her, they stood back, allowing her room to sit up.

"It's her, the mate to the Alpha." Said the large male sharptooth to the curious fastbitters.

"I still think we should eat her." Added a fast-bitter. "Besides, our mates, our eggs, are gone, where was the Alpha- "

"Why would the Alpha help us?" Asked the sharptooth male. "After we mocked and ran him out of the Mysterious Beyond, forced into isolation on that island. I don't think I'd help those who wronged me." The sharptooth leaned down. "Miss Alpha, where is Chomper?"

"In trouble. I'm in no shape to save him."

"Why should we help her?" Another fast-bitter put in.

"If you help me, I promise, swear to you, I'll give your what you want, vengeance for your lost loved one." Ruby put in.

"I don't need revenge; I simply want to help her out. My name is Rex, she saved me yesterday from being killed by the Anti-Gang."

"Anti-Gang?" Ruby inquired.

"Yeah, they're the ones going around killing the mothers and young." Rex answered.

"I have to get to him." Ruby grunted and cried out, grasping her leg.

"Miss Alpha, let us help you." Rex said.

"Why would you help me? I'm prey…"

"Because I'm in dept to you." Rex replied.

The pack didn't bother Ruby, in fact, they sought out greens to bring to her, Ruby grateful to the one who held a pair of stick so she could set her broken leg. Once it was wrapped, Ruby set to work, trying to make crutches, Rex watching her with interest.

"What?" Ruby asked at last.

"It's just, I never saw prey up close before, never spent time with them."

Ruby looked Rex over, seeing his skin was two-toned orange, with bright green eyes, reminding her of Chomper in a small way. The fast-bitter went to work gathering the bodies of the dead, mourning the loss of so many. It was sad, to see them cry over the bodies, the smashed eggs, suffering a loss Ruby couldn't imagine. All she knew was, she had to heal, to get better and face Magnificent for the last time. The question was, would she able to get there before he hurt Chomper. If Chomper were to be killed, the sharpteeth would fight over who would step up and be the next Alpha. And that meant Magnificent would continue his evil conquest to eradicate all sharpteeth. Not only would the sharpteeth suffer, but all life would be plunged into chaos, a void at which there would be no escape. The only hope was finding Chomper, stopping Magnificent and end him once and for. Not to mentioned she'd have to hold up her deal to the pack of fastbitter.

By a fire, Ruby sat and went over a plan that would require the help of Rex and the fastbitters, whom after burying their dead, wanted their revenge, wanted some form of closer, closer that would only come if they stopped Magnificent. That night, Ruby lay and looked up at the sky, knowing Chomper was out there, gazing up at the same stars she did. That gave her comfort.