Hi, welcome back! First off, deep apologies for the months'-long silence. I had a nightmare course throughout the fall that I'm just wrapping up with that took a ton of attention and mental exhaustion. But I'm in writing for the long haul, and though I may have been stalled, I'm not done yet! And thanks to everyone who's been with me all the way through, especially to Ryan6783 and Zee Docking for their endless help and encouragement.

Shorter chapter here focusing on Goregie's three kid minions she sent to infiltrate the herd. I know I had the previous chapter as a Part 1, but considering the long hiatus and writer's block, I'm determined to get something out for you before embarking on another long chapter. Consider this as an appetizer before I return to the main charas. Hoping this will be the first in many chapters as I get back into writing! As always, Land Before Time and its universe belongs to Universal.

Chapter 48 – A Hunt Gone Wrong

Struggling not to let out his inward sigh, the flyer glided low to the ground, his precious delivery still firmly in place. Just yesterday he would've given anything to be named to a critical subterfuge operation like this. Yet now he was taking part, his excitement had long since subsided. Not only were his eyes constantly sagging from a lack of sleep, but his hearing had become dulled, in no small part due to the constant, numbing babble of the three rowdy tykes on his head. As a splitting headache throbbed across his head, he knew that if this kept up, his flying could be imperiled. The three brats however, continued to blabber unabated.

"We're gonna be heroes and put those wimpy grass guzzlers in their place once for all!"

"Shut your yap. We're supposed to act like their friends, remember?"

"Relax, they can't hear anything anyway."

"Even if they could, they can't understand us. All they know is grunt and groan."

"You think I didn't know that? Just don't mess up like usual. Other than Voglar here, it's just the three of us, and we won't have any grownups backing us up."

"Who says we'll be the ones who mess up? I'll bet Kyda and I get our eye colors before you –"

"How dare you, I'm clearly Alpha's favorite! I'm the reason you two were even chosen for this mission!"

"Yeah right, sis!"

Were it not for his alpha seeing great promise in these three brats and that he would be a marked flyer should anything happen to them, he would've gladly sent them plummeting to the ground, taking great pleasure in their screeching wails before they would be forever silenced with a hard thud. Still, despite his brain telling him otherwise, that temptation was getting harder and harder to resist. He knew he was going to have to take a breather if he wanted to ensure he'd remain in control for the rest of the dreaded ride. Fortunately, his downward trajectory left him just a couple feet above the ground …

With a sudden lurch, he dropped to the ground, landing in a small clearing surrounded by vast expanses of tall grass. While he landed neatly on his feet, the pesky half-pints toppled off his back and landed roughly on the ground. At least he could give them a small taste of his suffering.

"Owwwww!" Maude whined, grabbing her arm.

"That hurt, Voglar!" shouted Kyda.

"And to think you hatchlings bruise that easily," Voglar smirked, eyeing their numerous cuts and scratches. "Some pack members you're turning out to be."

"For your information, we earned these scars through hard-fought battle, not from your clumsy landing," Rippa snapped. "One of these days, I'm gonna get my red eyes and when that happens you'll …"

"Become flyer filet, sure," Voglar snorted doubtfully. "But until then, you three are just buzzer hunters who can't even go anywhere without my help."

"Buzzer hunters? How dare you!" snarled Kyda.

"We're much tougher than that!" Maude growled.

"So much so that we don't even need you," Rippa sneered. "Go back home and get yourself ready for the next hunt."

"I'd love to," Voglar said mockingly. "But unfortunately, Alpha told me to keep you safe and get you to those flattooth-loving freaks. And she was right to do so, of course. You little buzzer hunters can't do anything yourselves, you just let your instincts take over and only get by from mooching off the pack's kills."

"Hey, I'll have you know I killed a longneck brat!" Rippa said indignantly.

"Sure, a little one that the pack wounded for you for training," Voglar yawned. "But if you really think you're that hot stuff, prove it. I dare you to try hunting something for yourselves. Alpha said nothing about me having to feed you, after all. But don't worry, I'll be around to bail you out of trouble … All while laughing at your humiliation."

"I'm gonna kill you, you filthy piece of …" Rippa bared her teeth.

"Uh-uh," Voglar needed as Kyda and Maude held her back. "You want me to report to Alpha you threatened a pack elder?"

Rippa gave Voglar one derisive snort before reluctantly turning to her sisters. "Girls, let's wipe that smirk off his face. We'll see who's laughing when we come back with a kill that would make Alpha proud."

"Looking forward to it," Voglar said breezily as the three little two-crests hustled off. Once they were out of sight, he let out a small chuckle. They were so easy to bait, and he got his well-earned peace and quiet at last. At least until they'd start crying out, begging for mercy.

"You've gotta calm down Rippa," Kyda warned her sister once they were out of earshot. "That wingbrain was just trying to get to you …"

"I know, okay?" Rippa snapped. "But we're not gonna let him win."

"What do you mean?" asked Maude.

"Well," Rippa smirked. "We're gonna prove to him Mistress Goregie didn't pick us for nothing. Don't forget, we've got her blood in our veins now, and we're gonna make a kill that will make her proud."

"You mean," Kyda wondered in awe. "A flattooth spawn? All by ourselves?"

"Maybe," Rippa said hopefully. "We've got to scout out to see what's on the menu. But I bet we can come back with something much better than a buzzer."

"Nothing too dangerous though, right?" Maude asked. "Or we could get killed before we even start our real mission!"

"You think Kyda and I don't know that?" snorted Rippa. "But don't worry. There'll be three of us and only one of them. All we've gotta do is work as a team to bring it down."

"Just like we do in training!" Kyda said, her eyes flashing excitedly. "But if there's a herd, how can we bring it down without them knowing?"

Rippa smirked. "We divvy things up. Kyda, you pick a target and lure it away from the others. Maude, you're on lookout. Stay back and make sure nothing sees us. As for me, I'll start the attack. Then you two can join in and go for the kill."

"You're sure we can do it?" Maude asked.

"Just the three of us?" Kyda added.

"Yep," Rippa said confidently. "Now let's move."

They continued to stalk in silence, scanning the vast expanse for flattooth herds. While flatteeth were easy to see even from a great distance and there were several herds around, for each herd they inspected, conditions were not ripe for a real chance at success.

"Argh, another herd with too many grownups!" Kyda snapped as she retreated a longing gaze at a colony of flatheaded longnecks. "Where's all the big sharpteeth when you need them?"

"Don't complain, that means we can have as much of the meat as we want once we find it," Rippa said with a smirk.

"Hey, where's Maude?" Kyda asked. "I thought you were watching her!"

"Me? That's your job," Rippa snapped back.

"How can I when I'm scouting herds?" Kyda retorted.

Then a lusty snarl broke out. Rippa and Kyda looked at each other.

"Ugh," Kyda shook her head. "Maude's impulses strike again. Seriously, she's got no discipline!"

"Come on," Rippa sighed. "Let's shut her up before those grass guzzlers can hear her."

So hurriedly, the twins took off, using their sniffers to locate their comrade. It didn't take long to find her, for Maude was standing upon a nearby rock, vigorously shaking the carcass of a sailbacked lizard as she growled in ecstasy, its blood leaving large droplets as it splattered the ground.

"Maude, it's us!" Kyda hissed.

But Maude didn't react, just continuing to chomp down on the carcass lustily. Kyda turned to Rippa. "She's really out to lunch this time."

"Yeah," Rippa sighed exasperatedly. "Let's snap her out of it."

So they quickly positioned themselves before leaping right at Maude, tackling her off the rock and pinning her on the ground. Rippa used her free hand to rip the carcass out of Maude's mouth while Kyda shouted, "Wake up you idiot!"

Suddenly Maude's eyes refocused as she rubbed them confusedly. "What happened?" she asked.

"Your stupid impulses, that's what!" Rippa snapped.

"Ohh," Maude laughed. "No wonder my mouth has a good aftertaste."

"Yeah, and you almost blew it!" Rippa said. "What would Alpha think if she saw you lose control like this? It's a wonder she didn't have me and Kyda go alone. Good thing Voglar's not here to laugh at us."

"Well, I got a kill, right?" Maude pointed out. "Let's take it back to Voglar and call it a day,"

"No, it's not good enough," Rippa said determinedly. "That old wingbrain will just scoff if that's all we bring back. We need something meatier."

"What, like those?" Kyda said doubtfully, pointing to a distant pair of boxhead longnecks in the distance, browsing on the treetops.

Rippa stared for a while, before a resolute grin took hold. "Yes."

Maude and Kyda's jaws dropped. "Sis, you're crazy!" Maude shouted. "Those things are enormous!"

"Yeah, we'd be stomped to death!" Kyda protested.

"No no," Rippa said amusedly. "Listen."

Reluctantly, Maude and Kyda did, and then they understood. They could make out amidst the crude gobbling the pitter-patter of several much lighter feet.

"Oh," Kyda said in understanding as she and Maude smirked at Rippa knowingly.

"Yep," Rippa said simply. "It'll be too easy."

"And I know just how to get started," Kyda explained, pointing to a tree with branches of tiny red sweet stones.

Maude shuddered. "Ugh, not those things. They make me sick."

"Well, we need to bait the sucker, right?" Kyda asked.

"Of course, if you want to be a scaredy egg, Kyda and I can take all the glory," Rippa smirked.

"I'm no scaredy egg," Maude pouted.

So without another word, the three hurried off to the sweet stone tree. Normally, climbing such a tall tree would be quite a challenge for little hatchlings. But the triplets were well-schooled in both teamwork and acrobatics, and navigating trees was a routine obstacle for little sharpteeth in Goregie's pack training. As Rippa squatted to brace herself, Maude stepped on her narrow head, maintaining balance with one foot, before Kyda leapt on top of Maude's, hurriedly sinking her claws into the bark as she did. Once secure, Kyda had no problem climbing the rest of the way up and swiftly moved to slash a long branch covered with sweet stones off. With her task completed, she landed with an effortless jump, hooking her clawed toes in the dirt before her soles hit with the ground with hardly any impact. It was just of the many techniques she had learned from her pack on how to become an unstoppable hunter.

"All right, let's go, and Maude, remember, stay back," Rippa warned as Maude nodded.

With that, the triplets set off to approach the longnecks. All the while, Kyda kept the little red fruits close to her. As repulsive as the smell was, it was essential to ensure the bait didn't fall off the branch.

"Can you believe those things are still eating?" Maude asked in disgust as they approached, eyeing the adults continuing to graze on the treetops as they tried to make out the hatchlings. "No wonder they get so fat."

"Don't worry, some bigger sharpteeth will bring them down soon enough. But we can make sure their brood doesn't grow like they do," Rippa replied as they darkly laughed.

Sure enough as they approached, they saw that scampering around the two grownups' feet were several hatchlings, eagerly gobbling up the treestars that their parents were dropping to the ground. The little sharpteeth looked at each other, their hearts pounding with excitement. This really was a perfect opportunity, with the adults' heads far above the runts, and having too many babies to keep even half an eye on. They, on the other hand, only needed to focus on one unsuspecting sapsucker.

Kyda turned to her sisters. "All right, I'm gonna go for it," she whispered, knowing the stupid oafs couldn't possibly hear her.

"Great," Rippa beamed excitedly. "Now Maude, remember, keep watch, and both of you, be ready to join me in the attack."

So Rippa and Maude stood back as Kyda drew to the very edge of the tall grasses and began investigating the potential entrees. Picking a target was always a key part of the hunt, for the weaker the foe, the easier it is to bring them down. Circling around as she observed each ugly creature, she soon noticed that one of the brats, among the pudgiest of the lot, seemed to have both an impressive appetite, nabbing leaves away from under its siblings' noses, yet also a kind of limp, as if it had a twisted leg. Kyda considered. While ordinarily the runt would be the easiest to bring down, this porker seemed to be injured and could be easily tricked with food …

"Hurry it up Sis, what're you waiting for?" Rippa hissed. "Go and pick one!"

"Don't worry, I've got this," Kyda told her. Then she cast her sweet stone branch out through the thicket. Peering out, she wiggled it out slowly, not wanting to attract the attention of any of the others. Then once it touched the brute's flank, she whapped the branch hard against it. Unfortunately, a couple of sweet stones fell off, causing Kyda to swear angrily.

Still, the longneck brat noticed, and looking at the ground, it observed the two fallen sweet stones. Licking its lips, it immediately lowered its head to gobble them up. Then Kyda waggled the branch around. She doubted herself for a moment. Was it really stupid enough to fall for such an obvious trick?

Then she felt it grab onto the branch. Hurriedly, Kyda yanked it back, having to pull it back with such force that she fell to the ground. No way could she win a tug-of-war with this brute. So she changed tact, ripping off each individual sweet stone one by one and placing it in front of her as she backed further into the grasses. The baby glutton ate entire mouthfuls of grass as it searched for the stones, going at a surprisingly quick pace for a crippled longneck. Seeing this, Kyda increased the distance between sweet stones, knowing she had to get it as far away from its grownups as possible.

"Is this good enough Rippa?" Kyda hissed quietly. "I'm running out of stones."

"Just a little more," Rippa answered. "Maude, get ready to pounce after I make my move."

"Right," Maude said, barely able to conceal her excited chuckles.

Soon she was down to only three stones. Remarkably the blundering prey was still fixated on the bait. Any moment now and Rippa would go for the kill …

Like clockwork, Kyda could make out a familial scent drawing in before with an impressive leap, Rippa emerged out of the grasses, landing right on the longneck's back. Though much smaller than the longneck, Rippa fearlessly slashed her claws into the longneck's side and began chomping at the base of its neck. As the longneck squealed and tried bucking her off frantically, Kyda knew Rippa needed help and

But her thoughts came to a merciful halt when a familial scent took hold and Kyda looked up to see Rippa charge forward with an impressive leap. Though much smaller than the longneck, Rippa fearlessly landed aboard its back, pronated her body on it, dug her claws into its sides, and started to bite at the base of its neck. The longneck reacted ferociously, rearing and bucking as it frantically tried to shake Rippa off. Fortunately, this longneck was a boxhead rather than a whiptail, so its tail was a lot easier to grab ahold of. Kyda lunged at one of the longnecks' back legs, doing her best to disable it while her sister continued cutting off its air supply. As she gripped on for dear life, biting at its flesh, she looked around to see that Maude had failed to join in the attack ….

Shaking her head, Kyda instantly let go of the longneck's leg and took off.

"What do you think you are doing?" Rippa snarled through a mouthful of longneck flesh.

But a high-pitched scream soon rang out, followed by an enraged bellow, and looking up, Kyda saw that one of the great beasts had heard its kin's distress and lifted Maude up into the air with its mouth.

"Help!" Maude screeched as the gigantic boxhead holding onto her roared in anger.

Kyda froze, looking up at Maude's suffering in horror. She was about to lose not just a pack member, but a sister. And no amount of pride was worth risking Maude over …

"Voglar, help, please!" Kyda shouted. "I'm sorry we were so stupid!"

As if on cue however, a flyer soared in, its eyes fixated upon the longneck holding Maude captive. With a quick move, Voglar landed right on top of the longneck's head, slashing its eyes out. As it roared in pain, its mate came to check out the situation. Before it could understand however, Voglar moved on top of its head and repeated the procedure. With both adult longnecks blinded, Voglar moved it and ripped Maude out of the boxhead's gigantic mouth. Once out of harm's way, Voglar flew straight over to Rippa, who was still wrestling with the longneck hatchling.

"Nice one, you overgrown eggs," Voglar said angrily. "Rippa, get off that longneck."

"No!" Rippa growled. "I'm winning!"

"Fine, I'll just pluck you off," Voglar snarled, scooping up the little sharptooth and throwing her onto the ground. Then he grabbed the grievously injured longneck with his feet. "On my back, now. The other herds are beginning to notice us."

Sure enough, the other herds were staring at the bellowing longnecks, and had begun to scan the area intently, as if they too were under threat …

Rippa, Maude and Kyda didn't need telling twice. Hurriedly, the three sisters got onto Voglar's back as he flew them off, their carcass still in tow. They had gotten out of there just in the nick of time, for a nearby herd of threehorns had just noticed them and begun to rampage. Voglar panted in exhaustion as he kept flying them onward, but at last noticed a tree branch that would be sturdy enough to hold both them and the dying baby longneck, which had stopped putting up any kind of a struggle. Without hesitation, he quickly draped the longneck onto the tree branch, then perched onto it himself, with the three triplets getting off. They watched the threehorn herd rampage by, oblivious to their presence on the trees just above.

"Well done," Voglar said sarcastically. "Well done, all of you. I was trying to get some rest and you morons just had to almost get yourselves killed. You're lucky that I was awake. So am I. If one of you pests died, Alpha would have had my neck …"

"Well, we didn't die," Rippa pointed out, eyeing the carcass draped on the tree besides them. "The only thing that's dead is the stupid longneck."

"Yeah, and it was easy to flush it out," Kyda snickered.

Then however, Rippa rounded on Kyda. "What were you playing at? Acting like a big scaredy egg when I needed you most?"

But as Kyda looked at Rippa's face, she could only gawk in wonder. "Whatsa matter, you can't stand the sight of blood?" Rippa mocked.

"No, it's … Your eyes! You've done it! You're a red-eye!" Kyda exclaimed.

"Let me see!" Maude said, peering into her sister's eyes. Indeed, when before the hunt Rippa's sclera were pearly white and her irises were reddish-pink, her irises had now become completely black, while a rich shade of scarlet permeated her sclera. "Oh yeah … You've got your red eyes, all right!"

"I am?" Rippa said in amazement, before smirking triumphantly. "I mean yes! I'm a red-eye! I'm practically all grown-up! Now I can join Alpha in her pack hunts! Oh, she's gonna be so …"

"So disappointed," Voglar said wryly.

Rippa rounded on Voglar. "What do you mean?" she spat.

"I mean due to your need for an ego trip, you can't complete her mission," Voglar said, with a suppressed note of triumph.

"What are you talking about?" Rippa asked, enraged.

Voglar shook his head. "Alpha called you three forth because you three were among her most prized white-eyes who could sabotage our enemies' pack from within," he explained. "But what's the flattooth lover gonna think about a hatchling who's got red eyes at your age? Eyes that betray a great hunter, something that not even all adult sharpteeth achieve. Some "friendly sharptooth" you'll turn out to be."

"You mean …" Rippa snarled, but Voglar gleefully cut her off.

"Your little stunt gave you the red eyes you always wanted. But while you can now show to the world your power, you're utterly useless as a double agent. You'll have a lot to think about as you eat that carcass, watching Kyda and Maude go on the mission without you."

Maude and Kyda's jaws dropped. "You mean … We're on our own?" Maude asked in horror. "Without Rippa?"

Voglar nodded as Rippa seethed, spewing venomously. "Of course, we can always call it off –"

But Kyda shook her head. "No way. Rippa or not, Maude and I are gonna please our alpha and fulfill her mission and destroy that friendly sharptooth pack. We'll be such good friends to those little biters they'll forget all about those stupid flatteeth. And we're gonna make those two bigger sharpteeth realize that their true home is in a real sharptooth pack, not amongst this band of freaks."

"Yeah, you said it!" Maude grinned lustily.

"Very well," Voglar smirked, before turning to Rippa. "As for you, try to make yourself useful while your sisters undertake this mission. You don't want to come back empty-clawed when they enjoy their triumph."

"I … will … not be thrown out to dry!" Rippa roared. "I will be Goregie's best servant, mark my words!"

"Sure you will," Voglar grinned with dark sarcasm. Truthfully, with this turn of events, this operation was turning out to be more entertaining than he ever imagined.